Hello!  Sorry to bother the forum again with questions, but that's what it's here for, right?

This time, I have another challenge.  It's a incandescent Dual-Lite, that has had a fluorescent retrofit installed.  All the wires are unhooked, and jumbled up, so I would like some assistance on hooking them back up correctly.

Here's as best as I can describe of the wiring from what I see:

1.  Fluorescent bulb socket - top black wire runs from fluorescent bulb socket to top terminal of ballast.  bottom black wire runs from fluorescent bulb socket, is joined and capped to another piece of wire, which is taped together, and goes into bottom terminal of ballast

2. Top left incandescent bulb - one black wire runs to clear wire nut, which is connected to a blue wire nut by a tiny piece of wire. other black wire is connected to one black wire from bottom left bulb. blue wire nut contains one black wire from top right bulb and dead-end piece of black wire with a red wire attached.
 
3. Top right incandescent bulb - One black wire running to clear wire nut containing other wires  mentioned in #2 and #4. Other black wire is not connected.

4. Bottom left incandescent bulb - One black wire running to clear wire nut containing the other wires mentioned in #2 and #3. Other black wire is connected to top left incandescent bulb.

5. Bottom right Incandescent bulb - one black wire is loose and not connected.  other black wire is connected to previously mentioned clear wire nut


If anyone can try and help me connect the wires to their proper places, I would be very grateful!  I found an eBay seller seling this same model sign and asked him for photos of the interior, but since his version of the sign was all-original, it was not much help at all.

I would like to have both the fluorescent bulb and the incandescents working at the same time, if that is possible to do so.  If not, please just continue to tell me how to hook the sign up, with either the fluorescent or incandescent.

Here's some photos to go on:

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC09797.jpg
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC09798.jpg
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC09799.jpg
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC09801.jpg


Thanks!

ok you got a bit of a bird nest in there, let start with the lamp first what voltage are those lamps
so i can determine those bulbs are in series or peraell wiring,

 now as that florescent question again your to your retro fit light.

 the neutral should go to the base of the PL flourescent lamp socket then while the ballast going to the other
  side of that flurescent socket, then from the ballst to hot lead. that pretty much it as the PL lamp have integrated starter in PL lamp at the bases of lamp.
hot-------ballast-----flourescent socket--------- white/neutral wire
If 60 volt lamps the is hot-----socket------socket----neutral
                        hot-----socket------socket----neatral
 if the incadescent lamp are low voltage 32 volts wire the socket like this
hot-------socket------socket------socket------socket---white/neutral wire
note any incandescent lamps diagram above one lamp burn out make them all go out like xmas lights
if the  incadescent lamps are 120 volts each socket is hot one end and neutral the other end  hot---socket----netrual on 4 socket.

I know that the bulbs are the original bulbs, as I've seen this same sign before.  The sticker on the sign says "maximum 25 watt lamp".  It also says "AC Wires - black and white"  DC Wires - Red" However, there are no white wires anywhere on the sign.

it look like it was for DC back up from central locaton
if case those incandescent should light up on 9 volt battery for testing if it a little too bight on 9 volts
the it 6.3 volts bulbs. but if glows yellow then it 12 volt lamps
that why i need the voltage of the lamps so you know wich way to go to wire them.
there should be a bulb number or voltage at the base of the lamps

as for flourescent it AC powered

hot----ballast----PL flourescent socket-----neutral
hot is the black wire comming in           white wire coming in is neutral
for DC incandescent operation is base on voltage of lamp and what your DC power source is
let say you have 12 volt battery to power the incadescnet part
and your bulbs are 6.3 volts
the it red wire to socket------socket-------black wire
if you bulb is 3 volts then is red to socket------ socket-----socket------socket-----black wire
if got 12 volt bulbs then you got red wire to socket to black wire
                                  red wire to socket to black wire
                                  red wire to socket to black wire
                                  red wire to socket to black wire tied togehter with incoming DC
if 6 volts incoming power DC into the exit light
6.3 volt lamps are wire red wire to socket to black wire repeat this 4 times and tie it in with incoming DC
if using 3 volt lamps then it red wire-------socket-----socket------to black wire
                              red wire ----- socket-----socket------to black wire

 this DC set up is grade simular to your grade school set up in your science lab
 if you remeber.
 and this light socket does look like DC sockets above again that reason why i need a bulb number or
voltage on the bulb and source your powring them up with.
red wire is Posisive + on battery  Black wire is - on battery
         'hot'                     'ground'

that mean 4 wires going into your exit light one for battery backup incandescent.
the other is house wire coming in for fluorescent lamps
     

The bulbs are G.E. 1226

The bulb lit up with a dim orange color on 9V battery.

And I never had any light-bulb/electricity activities in school, so maybe that's why I'm so dumb at this.  lol


I just had an idea....
Would it be possible to hook one 120v power cord ONLY to the series of bulbs, and then have another separate 120v power cord to run  ONLY to the fluorescent part?  So it would have two power cords coming from it, and I could have the option to plug in either the fluorescent and have that running by itself, or the incandescent and have them running by themselves? They would not be connected to each other, so it seems like it would work, in theory anyways...

EDIT: I hooked up a working bulb to the fluorescent socket, and 120v AC wires to each wire...and all the bulb did was flicker, much like my Alkco from the other day. Since both wires are black, and I was using a polarized cord, I figured I might have hooked up the wires wrong, so I switched them around, and it still did the same thing.  Ballast is dead?

each  1226 lamp is 32 volts so you add 32 volts 4 times you get 128 volts yes i can be wired in seres for household current

the ballast is good but the lamp may be EOL. as the starter is built in the PL lamp. so try an another PL lamp
read the wattage the ballast determine PL lamp. ether 7 or 13 watts lamp.

 start with this.


          1-------- black wire-----ballast------>socket------> to white wire

 hot---switch center                                                         together-----white on cord

          2------- socket-----socket-----socket----socket------to white wire

it a rewire Job for ya
you will need a SPDT Switch this allow to switch from flourescent light or incandescent light.


                         socket                            socket                            socket
 from switch 2------socket center-socket shell----socket center-socket shell----socket center-socket shell---->

                       socket
------>----socket center-socket shell------to white wire on cord

by code the screw shell of the electrical socket should be on Neutral the wire wire. provide a bit of safety margin when replacing lamps. the green wire should attach to the metal frame of the fixture to provide grounding for saftey that national code too. without the green wire to frame let say your ballast got shorted
to the case, it wont trip the breaker, and then you come along to service the light next thing you know your pretty post toasty.

The fluorescent bulb is good.  It works fine in my Emergi-Lite I took it out of.  I don't know if you know this or not, but all my signs are in my personal collection, none are being used in industrial areas or being re-sold to commercial applications.  These signs I just want to get working for my own personal use, and they are not under power for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I don't care about the electrical codes in this instance.  When I was repairing/replacing electrical outlets and switches in my own house, yes I followed the code, but it is not necessary here. 

I've got the method of hooking the fluorescent bulb up memorized (even though the ballast is not working right), thank you for that.  So, if you can just tell me how to get the bulbs on their own 120v power cord, that would be great! 

Do I just hook 1 wire from each bulb together and connect that to hot, and then connect the other remaining wires from each of the bulbs together and connect to neutral on the power cord?  (Example: 1 wire from each top incandescent bulb, and one wire from the two bottom ones all hooked together, going to the hot prong, and then the other 1 wire remaining from from the top and bottom two bulbs all hooked together, and going to the neutral prong?)

 if that the case the PL ballast could be on weak side

 theh bulbs have to wired in series decribe above to get the total volt of 120 volts
 you cant put 120 volt on 32 volt bulbs. you get one bright flash that the end of that lamp.
  hot---- socket-------neutral  will burn out on 120 volts 
            32v

 hot------socket------socket------ neutral still burn out on 120 volts
            32v         32v         64 volt half of a bright flash

 hot------socket-----socket-------socket-----neutral  burn out on 120 volts
             32v       32v          32v        last a few seconds

 hot------socket----socket------socket------socket-- neutral    yes weve got light! 120v

            32v        32v        32v         32v                 128 total input volts
                                                                120 into 128 volts= 8 volt
                                                                   underdriven not bad.               
 

   if that set up dont work that means one of 4 bulb is burned out making the other not working


   

I hope that those lightbulbs really are 32V. The filament looks like 12 / 24V to me - If it is, the lightbulbs will blow

Test them with 12V and 24V from a power block before proceeding. If they arfe, you'll either have to add a ballast to drop the curent to them, or us a power block to power them



The following circuits are assuming that the lightbulbs are 32V and can be connected to 120V in series : 1 with 2 power cables (as you asked) and 1 with a switch box on the cable, that controls the light using 2 switches

The bulbs are 32v.  It took me forever to find this, but here's a link:

http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/1226.html

They must be rare or something?

What makes it look questionable to me is, i seen 12V lightbulbs (flashlight size, used in school physics lab) with filament as long as those, and 24V (truck automotive signals) with the exact outer shape as those here and even longer filament

So i kinda have hard time to believe this filament is 32V

I would test it at voltage sources 12V and up (in not large steps) to see how it lights and determine which voltage is it really suitable for. The sources i can suggest are computer PSU (12V) and laptop PSU (about 19V). And if those lightbulbs are rare or vintage etc you would probably really want to significantly underpower them, not as small underpower as 120 of 128V but stuff like 7 of 12V - to not spend their life at the fast seed of incandescents (and even then light it up sparingly)

When you connected the lamp to 9V battery, it was not really getting 9V. Those batteries have quite high internal resistance which limits their output capability : the battery output voltage sinks under moderate load. It is possible that the actual voltage would be down to 4-7V under the load of the lamp, that would match the behavior of dim orange filament for 12-24V lamp

I'm just going to hook power cord to them anyways, and see what happens.  If they blow, they blow.  Then we will eliminate one possibility.   lol   

You guys ARE THE BEST!  It worked, Ash!  Thanks for the diagram, it really helped a lot! It worked the first time, and left it on for over an hour, and had no buzzing, no sparking, no smoke, and no fire...even all the bulbs worked!  This sign has been sitting around for the last 7 months, and I could not find anyone that could help me with my problem.  I wish I would have known of this place sooner!  Thanks so much to all of you that were patient with me and helped me!  

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FeAmTs-82I

Photos:
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC05190.jpg
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd513/SeberHusky/exit%20sign%20help/DSC05193.jpg

 I am glad it worked out for ya. no problem helping ya out.
 @ ash thank for doing a picture diagram. I dont know how to post it on a forum yet
    I try to be clear as possable. BTW i have seen those type of bulbs go to 48 volts.