You are now entering the PC Anatomy portal

A CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) is a type of glass display device, primarily used in older computer monitors and televisions, that creates images by firing an electron beam from an electron gun at a phosphorescent screen inside a vacuum tube. When the electrons strike the phosphors, they glow, forming the visible pixels and images on the screen. CRTs were popular for their display quality but were eventually replaced by thinner, more power-efficient flat-panel displays.

How it Works

Electron Gun: Inside the tube, a heated cathode emits electrons.

Beam Creation: These electrons are focused and accelerated into a tight beam by anodes.

Deflection: Magnetic fields, generated by coils around the tube's neck, control the beam's direction, moving it across the screen to form an image.

Phosphor Screen: The inside surface of the screen is coated with phosphors (for color displays, red, green, and blue dots) that light up when struck by the electron beam.

Image Formation: By rapidly scanning the beam across the screen in a raster scan pattern and varying the intensity of the beam, a complete image is created.