Scanwheel Drum Delivers 4096 by 20 Pixel Resolution in 6 cm Form Factor

James Provost adapted a prior vinyl-record Nipkow disk into a cylindrical drum after volumetric display experiments. Five LEDs placed inside the 60 mm drum create separate clock zones that merge into one contiguous horizontal scan when modulated together. Horizontal resolution exceeded 8000 pixels in bench tests while the assembly fits in a pocket.

The design inverts plenoptic sampling by emitting rather than capturing light fields. Curvature tolerance of the drum eliminates the diameter constraints of flat disks used by Baird in the 1920s, and modern LEDs remove the need for single-bulb brightness limits. This yields a portable 2D light-field demonstrator whose scan lines remain straight from the side view.

Operationally the Pico handles motor servo loop, LED PWM timing, and frame buffering at persistence-of-vision rates. The architecture shows that electromechanical scanning remains viable for niche high-aspect-ratio or low-power applications where CRT or panel matrices are oversized or power-hungry.

Next steps include extending the drum principle into three-dimensional volumetric output by stacking multiple axial zones and adding depth-modulated LEDs.