I guess I just didn't notice them with the stock blue faceplate, but since installing the red one today, there have been red horizontal lines across the display. They are faint, but definitely noticeable. I took the faceplate off and noticed that they come from wires that actually cross the front of the VFD. Is it normal to see them so clearly with a faceplate on?

I'm quite happy with the new color, because the red matches the dashboard illumination of my '99 Civic Si perfectly. For anyone who's curious, I ordered the faceplate set from carplayer.com, and everything went smoothly. Still, paying ~$50 total for pieces of coated plastic does feel a bit wrong. I'll get over it.

I kept meaning to post the exact same query. I see those lines as well, but only after I installed my red faceplate. I can only imagine that they're supposed to be there. Don't notice them at all in the car, though, even at night.

These are part of the VFD display, and yes of course they're supposed to be there.

They are the heating elements for the VFD display. Yes, you read that right. It's just how VFDs work. Don't ask me how, it would take a scientist to explain it, and I was a Humanities major.

Correct; they're easier to spot on the red faceplate because they glow reddish. You can see them on any VFD if you look closely (eg, in a dark room).

Hugo

I guess they're the Electron source. You need to heat the wire so that the Electrons are free enough to leave the attraction of the Nucleus (under the influence of a fairly high voltage). These free Electrons are then attracted to the positively charged Anode... hang on a minute... let me go and find out for sure.

Aha!! found it. Take a look here for a full explanation.

With the dark storm smoke plate I am seeing red in the grid too. I thought it was imagination!

Calvin

I figured that they appeared more clearly under the red faceplate because they were emitting red photons, but I wasn't sure what those lines are. That link to the VFD Guide was just what I was looking for, and explains everything. Thanks.

No probs.