Analogue Scan Convertor, Type H1269F, serial no 75-31053, Hughes Aircraft Company / Kretz Technik, Carlsbad, California, USA, 1974

Originally designed to convert one television format to another, scan converters meant patients could see their ultrasound images for the first time. Before this image display units were very small and could only been seen by the machine’s user. Displays also had a very limited grey scale meaning images were difficult to interpret.

Analog scan conversion has now been replaced by digital storage using the memory ‘chips’ developed for computers.