Junk Drawer

I like finding discarded electronic parts, and trying to figure out what they are. This one I figured out, but there is something really odd about it. I don’t know much about electronics, but this appears to be a VFD- Vacuum Fluorescent Device display screen. (Thanks to the knowledgeable readers who helped identify this thing!) Judging from its size and shape, it may have been used on a cash register, or a car stereo. The odd thing is, when you shake it, a buzzy, vibrating sound is emitted. It isn’t like a spring, or something, because the buzzing and humming sound lasts for longer than you’d expect. There must be certain elements in VFD’s that vibrate when moved around.


There are theories about technological advances being derived from extra-terrestrial sources. An VFD display like this might have originally been engineered directly from one found onboard a crashed flying saucer. Maybe it is even made of metals not naturally found on Earth. This is probably all a little far fetched, but if you could hear the strange sound that comes from this thing, you might agree that it seems kind of other-worldly.