Robert Lacoste's The Darker Side

Chapter 9 Let’s Be Crystal Clear

Note: This chapter is an improved reprint of the article “The darker side: Let’s be crystal clear,” Circuit Cellar, no. 215, June 2008.

I still consider myself reasonably young, but I remember when my dad bought one of the first inexpensive electronic watches. The display was made of 7-segment red LEDs, so I had to press a button to read it. Although the batteries drained after a couple of weeks, it was still a great innovation. As you know, such a watch is based on a crystal.

I still consider myself reasonably young, but I remember when my dad bought one of the first inexpensive electronic watches. The display was made of 7-segment red LEDs, so I had to press a button to read it. Although the batteries drained ...