How do you make a simple cathode ray tube?
DIY Electron Accelerator - Cathode Ray Tube - YouTube
A CRT consists of three basic parts: the electron gun assembly, the phosphor viewing surface, and the glass envelope. The electron gun assembly consists of a heated metal cathode surrounded by a metal anode. The cathode is given a negative electrical voltage and the anode a positive voltage.
Making a simple DIY Cathode Ray Tube - YouTube
Cathode Ray Discharge Tube Construction - YouTube
For color, maximum voltages are often 24 to 32 kV, while for monochrome it is usually 21 or 24.5 kV, limiting the size of monochrome CRTs to 21 inches, or approx. 1 kV per inch. The voltage needed depends on the size and type of CRT.
Put that hardware inside a metal chamber, create a vacuum to get rid of all the other particles in the air, add a magnet to steer the ions in circles, and use radio waves to speed them up, and you've got yourself a cyclotron.
Are CRTs still manufactured or used? Absolutely. CRT material and process technologies are common to the vacuum tube industry as a whole, which continues to serve many applications across a wide variety of industries.
What are cathode rays made of? Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of a negatively charged particle, previously unknown, which was later named electron. To render an image on a screen, Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) use a focused beam of electrons deflected by electrical or magnetic fields.
Cathode-ray tube are used in electron microscope, invented in 1928 by Ernst Ruska. The electron microscope uses a stream of electrons to magnify an image. Because electrons have a very small wavelength, they can be used to magnify objects that are too small to be resolved by visible light.
Simple demonstration of electrolysis of water (SEE UPDATED VERSION ...
What makes a good cathode?
Materials Good for Cathodes
A cathode can be any material as long as it's an efficient oxidizing agent that's stable when in contact with an electrolyte. Metallic oxides make excellent cathode materials because they have a useful working voltage as well. These include copper oxide, lithium oxide, and graphic oxide.
In the cathode ray tube, electrons are ejected from the cathode and accelerated through a voltage, gaining some 600 km/s for every volt they are accelerated through. Some of these fast-moving electrons crash into the gas inside the tube, causing it to glow, which allows us to see the path of the beam.

Cathode-ray studies began in 1854 when Heinrich Geissler, a glassblower and technical assistant to German physicist Julius Plücker, improved the vacuum tube. Plücker discovered cathode rays in 1858 by sealing two electrodes inside the tube, evacuating the air, and forcing electric current between the electrodes.
...
6.5 Gas Discharge Tubes.
Gas | Color |
---|---|
2. Helium | Pink-orange |
3. Neon | Red |
4. Argon | Violet |
5. Krypton | Lavender |
How to Design a Particle Accelerator - with Suzie Sheehy - YouTube
Cathode Ray Tube | Definition | Charatersitics | Diagram - YouTube
Turn up the power on the high voltage source connected to the electron gun. The trace of a cathode ray should appear on the phosphorescent screen. Turn up the power on the high voltage source connected to the capacitor plates. The cathode ray should be deflected upward.
Electron Gun - Backstage Science - YouTube