New Use for an Old Silicon Friend

A human (as opposed to silicon) friend with a photo lab asked my assistance in solving a problem. The photo printer (original cost in the mid-$70K range), which is computer controlled, was on the blink due to a dead display – a single line flourescent dot-matrix readout. It was analogous to trying to use your computer with the monitor off. Since several chips used in the display are “custom” and therefore not available through “normal” sources, the possibilities included factory repair/replacement (in-the $1000+ range) or an alternative display.