The May Advertisement of the Month features Tektronix’ line of graphic terminals from 1980, marketed by the Information Display Group in Wilsonville. Highlighted on the left is the largest of the company’s proprietary Direct View Storage Tube (DVST)-based terminals, the 25-inch diagonal 4016. It was probably the largest graphics terminal ever produced, with a displayable resolution up to an unprecedented 4096 x 3120. DVST displays created a crisp, flicker-free display and because of the unique screen-storage feature, there was no need for video memory at a time before digital memory was abundant and affordable. The 4016 and the 19-inch 4014 terminals found pioneering use in CAD applications, especially for circuit board and IC layout, as well as for mechanical design. These terminals dominated the early CAD display market after the introduction of the first 11-inch product in 1968.

Starting in the late 1970s Tek expanded its graphics terminal line to include both monochrome and color raster-based graphics terminals. As programmable memory became less expensive and full color displays began to dominate, DVSTs fell from favor. The last storage terminal appeared in the 1986 catalog.

Essentially the complete line of Tek graphics terminals in 1980 is pictured on the right. Starting clockwise from the 4016 at the top, there’s the raster-based, monochrome 4025; Tek’s first color terminal, the 4027; the 4054 graphics computer with a 19-inch DVST; and finally, the 4014. The 4014 was the highest-revenue-generating product from the Wilsonville business unit. Click on the image to view a higher resolution PDF.

We have several pages with more details including DVST graphic terminals,  DVST graphic computers,  4100/4200 color terminals, and the 4115B color graphics terminal.

Advertisements of the Month: Sept 2025 - Present.