digital readout

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Definition

A display showing information in numerical or alphanumeric format using electronic components (LEDs, LCDs, etc.), as opposed to analog dials or mechanical counters. The term peaked in the 1970s–80s when digital displays were novel and exciting, though it persists in technical contexts like laboratory equipment and vintage tech enthusiasm.

Example Usage

The oscilloscope's digital readout showed the exact voltage to three decimal places, making it way more precise than squinting at a needle.

Fun Fact

Digital readouts were such a status symbol in the 1980s that consumer products—alarm clocks, calculators, car dashboards—flaunted them as a mark of modernity, even when an analog display would've worked fine.

Source: On-demand lookup (hailey)

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