The Ambient Display Unit is a small, always-on desk display built around a 5-inch cathode-ray tube. It’s designed to surface background information from a workspace—quietly, continuously, and without interaction.

The display shows live system status alongside everyday reference information like the time and local weather. It’s not a general-purpose screen and it’s not meant to be used. It exists to be glanced at.

How it works

The unit runs a lightweight local web interface that controls what appears on the screen. From any browser on the local network, you can create, reorder, and configure individual display slides—such as weather, system status, static text, or images.

Each slide has its own timing and refresh behavior. Once configured, the display cycles automatically. No keyboard. No mouse. No ongoing interaction.

After setup, the unit runs independently. The screen updates continuously and remains readable at a distance, without requiring attention or maintenance.

Physical scale

The display is intentionally compact. It’s large enough to be legible across a room, but small enough to remain peripheral—present without dominating a workspace.

Design intent

This project is not about nostalgia for old computers. The CRT is used deliberately: its glow, persistence, and viewing characteristics are well suited to ambient information rather than active interaction.

The enclosure references early compact personal computers, but the function is contemporary. Old display technology carrying current signals. Familiar form, modern role.

The Ambient Display Unit sits between an instrument panel and a desk object—visible enough to be useful, quiet enough to ignore.

Code and documentation

The software that drives the display, including the local control interface and rendering system, is available on GitHub:

https://github.com/johnsylvain/crt-hud

The repository includes setup instructions and configuration details for running or adapting the system.