Panasonic 805 Calculator

[chris]

>That is almost certainly vacuum fluorescent.  There are a lot of such
>displays that use the same kind of seven-segment number formation you
>commonly see with LEDs.

Yes, I did more digging and found a web site specializing in vintage 
calculators, and it had a full discussion on the different types of 
displays... and yes, it does appear that I have Vacuum Fluorescent 
Display Tubes. This was reaffirmed with a closer inspection (with the aid 
of a flashlight) and each of the segments appears to be an individual 
tube (you can see the curves of the front as well as the typical peaked 
top).

I've yet to open it to see if they are socketed or soldered... I figured 
I'd leave that until I new more about the technology and if the tubes are 
repairable, or if I can get the correct replacement part.

-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>