because literally ther eis NOTHING there when i turn it down.

I will check this when I get in the car next time. I seem to remember that even when my dimmer is all the way down, there is still some faint picture visible. I'm not certain about this, though, so don't quote me on it until I've verified it.

Here is something for you to check in the meantime:

How far down must you turn your dimmer before the image disappears completely? By the way, check this when you're viewing it in the dark so that there's no confusion caused by the daylight.

The reason I ask this is so that we can have a common reference point. Maybe I'll be able to make a FAQ entry that says something like "if the display is completely dark when you turn down your display to XX percent, then you might have a defective display".

Keeping in mind that there is some natural variation in the brightess of VFD displays. But there's a difference between "natural variation" and "defective": Your display should not be so dim that you can't read it in daylight at all.

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Tony Fabris