CRT Monitor Display is an interactive installation illustrating how Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors used to work. The project is inspired by readings from Charles Petzold and Amelia Winger-Bearskin, which prompted a deeper investigation into the physical and computational principles underlying early display technology.
The installation simulates the pixel-by-pixel scanning process of a CRT monitor, allowing users to observe how an image is constructed line by line. Physical sliders on the enclosure let users adjust the frequency and brightness of the simulated beam in real time, making the underlying mechanism directly manipulable and observable.
The hardware runs on an Arduino board, with the visual output handled by Processing. The enclosure is a laser-cut box designed to evoke the physical form of vintage CRT monitors. By turning an obsolete technology into a hands-on learning artifact, the project bridges the history of computing with contemporary physical interaction design. The source code is available on GitHub.
