Using old camera tubes with modern electronics

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day all.

Quite a few years ago I wondered about the possibility of someone recreating an ancient broadcast camera from the pre-60s era using an original IO or iconoscope camera tube and drive it with the modern electronic equivalent to the original circuitry to get it crankin and producing pictures like it did back in the day.

Then I came across this site http://www.golden-agetv.co.uk/ and discovered somebody has indeed done this with an iconoscope camera tube dating 1948 as seen about 1/2 way down on this page http://www.golden-agetv.co.uk/equipment.php?FromID=1 .



Now this makes the wonders of possibilities of recreating a number of old tube cameras using the original tube and modern electronics, such as recreating a typical 40s/50s IO camera, a 3 IO tube TK-41 type colour camera, a 30s emitron camera, possibly even a later refined Farnsworth style image disector tube camera that makes pictures.

Just an idea for any of you who are technically minded and have access to these old camera tubes to build an old tube camera with modern electronics to give the younger generation a true idea of how TV pictures looked way back in the 30s to 50s era.

Cheers
Troy