Question about "Instant On"

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by rcaman

i think your wrong with the shortened crt life. i seen plenty of rca and zenith with instant on that held up better than the warm up cool off crt's. it is not like they are producing a picture in instant start mode it is just reduced filaments.
you don't see a picture on the screen thus no electrons being produced by the crt

Cathodes do not work the way you assume. They are always boiling off electrons if hot enough, to create a "virtual cathode" that is the source of the electron stream, which is modulated by grid and anode voltages. If there is no net current, electrons are returning to the cathode at the same rate as they are leaving.