A display panel includes row and column electrodes. Capacitive
light-emitting elements are provided at crossing portions of the row and
column electrodes. A drive unit drives the display panel in response to
an input image signal. The drive unit includes a column electrode driver
for applying a pixel data pulse to each of the column electrodes. The
pixel data pulse has a pulse voltage corresponding to pixel data derived
from the input image signal. The column electrode driver includes a power
source circuit for generating a resonance pulse power source voltage
having a predetermined resonance amplitude. The power source circuit also
applies the. resonance pulse power source voltage to a power source line.
The column electrode driver also includes a pixel data pulse generator
circuit for selectively connecting the column electrodes with the power
source line based on the pixel data, to apply the pixel data pulse to the
column electrodes. The column electrode driver also includes a DC drive
prevention circuit for forcibly grounding the power source line while the
resonance pulse power source voltage is dropping, if an intermediate
value of the resonance amplitude is greater than a predetermined
reference voltage.