In direct sunlight (i.e., the sun is shining directly upon the VFD display), I can only barely read the text. If yours is completely washed out (if you can't see any text at all), then your VFD might not be operating at its full brightness. If you can barely see the text in direct sunlight, then that's normal: It's the best they can do with the VFD and an AR panel.

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Tony Fabris