Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff

Apollo Instrument Panel Lighting?

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petersanch:
The instrument panels in Apollo had words and lines back lit next to all the buttons. Any one know how they did this in the 1960s?

duak:
Well, one can learn something new every day.  It's apparently Electroluminescent (EL) backlit as per https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/tnD7290Lighting.pdf

I wonder if the lettering was legible with the EL panels off, important in Apollo 13 when they were trying to minimize power consumption.

sokoloff:
Many aircraft have EL panels today. The labels are white when unlit and plainly visible/legible in pretty much any kind of lighting where you’d be performing a cockpit task.

jh15:


Fran tried hard to duplicate it, I think with some museum help. Gave up when someone else got it 'close enough'.

I was fascinated since around 6 yrs old with the round greenish wall plug night lights. Lasting long enough till I was taking it apart years later and trying to figure how the plug conductor was bonded to the phosphor.

still watching phosphor today: Panasonic ZT60 plasma tv.

texaspyro:
BTW, if you change the drive frequency of those EL wall plug nightlights, the color changes.

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