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Traditional Four Letter Word Generator, using Burroughs B7971 tubes

Below: the printed circuit board inside the case

A flat Four Letter Word generator, based on Telefunken ZM1350 tubes

This is built on a single board and comes out about 9 inches by 3 inches by 3/4 inch thick.

Below: the component side of the board

Small Four Letter Word generator using Russian IV-17 VFD tubes

Below: back of the board. You probably worked it out by now that I like surface mount.

A long time ago, I bought something called a "Four Letter Word Generator" kit from a guy called Ray Weisling. Ray had designed the thing back in the 1970s, as a piece of art. It basically spells out four letter words, a new one every few seconds.

I thought it was pretty cool, and so did everyone else who saw it. My daughter liked it so much I decided to get her one for a wedding present. So I placed an order with Ray Weisling and waited... and waited... and waited... and waited...

Well about a year and a half passed since I placed the order. It got to about six weeks before the wedding, and still no Four Letter Word Generator kits. Desperate measures were called for. Luckily I have skills. I ran up my own printed circuit board and wrote my own version of the software, and the day was saved.

Now here was an interesting situation. Large numbers of people wanted one of these, and very many of them had placed orders with Ray Weisling, yet no kits were forthcoming. Here was I with some leftover boards to make exactly the same thing...

B7971 tubes are getting hard to come by, but there are other kinds. I ran the design again based around Telefunken ZM1350 tubes, which makes a nice flat assembly you can mount on the wall in a shadow box.

Later I found some small Russian VFD tubes and designed a miniature version. This turned out to be something entirely "other" in its appeal - everyone who sees it just has to have one. I call it the covetousness generator.

Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Why is he telling me all this, when what I really want to know is where can I get one of the damn things myself?"

Well, you can get one here. Details will be up real soon now.

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