Abstract: It is a recent trend in a fluorescent display device comprising a plurality of anode units, each composed of segmented anodes arranged in a preselected configuration, that grids aligned in one-to-one correspondence to the anode units are rendered narrower in the direction of alignment. The device comprises a first and a second group of anode connections for every other one of the anode units and the remaining anode units, respectively, with each of all anode connections connected to a prescribed one of the segmented anodes of each anode unit. For making the device display at least one digit, a grid driver energizes all grids, preferably cyclically, a particular one at a time slot together with at least one nearest grid. An anode driver selectively energizes the anode connections of one of the two groups that includes the anode unit to which the particular grid is in one-to-one correspondence.