I'm putting together a lighted sign for a friend's business. We have seven 8 Ft, 2 Lamp, High Output/Cold Weather Fluorescent Strip Light fixtures we are putting inside of a big metal box with an acrylic face. I have everything mounted in the big box, all wired together and grounded CORRECTLY. But at the moment when I was expecting a glorious bright glow from the first strip I put the bulbs into, I was crushed to see the bulbs were really dim in the center. why would this be? Is this common among 8 ft bulbs? Is the wiring in his garage where I am working on this not properly grounded? I know that when I have only one bulb on a strip, that bulb is very dim, but increases about three times in brightness when I put the other one in. We only have the two bulbs to test with right now, since he is an ass and refusing to buy more until I "figure out what I did wrong". But could this same phenomenon apply with regards to the whole project? ie; if I put bulbs in the next fixture up, will it then cause a little boost in the dim ones? Please help me somebody. Although he's had this freakin thing sitting in his garage for the past year and done nothing with it, he is getting really upset with ME for not having it done now...

tubes

Grounded

bad bulbs!!!!