Hmmm... I post the message and head out the door. While I'm watching hot rods and drinking, you folks are hard at work trying to solve my problem. I just got back in and read thru the responses, tried a couple things and the problems is solved. I freakin' love it!!!! :-) So here are responses to all the thoughts, opinions, questions and suggestions posted... - Had the meter for at least 13 years now (I was in still in the Caribbean back then, and there was no one there who could service it there, so I just lived with the dim display) for a while, and it's been sitting unused for quite some time. - Yes, I did also notice that a super fresh battery would perk up the display a bit, but it would fade very soon after. - No, I don't have a rechargeable battery for it. - Yes, I did try a very fresh Energizer, but the display was almost non-existent today. So what is the ratio test actually measuring? - Same here, I own a bunch of cheaper LCD DMM's, and none of them have this problem. - Tried the ratio test, but could not read the display enough to see the results. - Not sure why a remote control should be "icky" inside, but perhaps there's a *remote* way to clean it? :-) - Think I'll avoid chemical contact cleaners as much as possible. Ever since I wiped off a leather sofa with Zap household cleaner and it totally dissolved the threads, I'm a sceptic of chemicals. - Yes, someone can tell you what type of material is in the zebra strips. I just do not happen to be that person. - SOLUTION ... Popped open the case and "erased" the little rubber zebra strip with the white eraser built into a mechanical pencil. Bingo! Display is sharper than it has ever been. Thanks much everyone! Can't believe I've had this laying around unused for over a dozen years. Cheers, -Neil. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics