[Delphinus]

There has got to be something more than just different colours. Is there any kind of labelling on the wiring? Any kind of diagram/schematic on the ballast itself?

For M57 there should be
- 2 common wires
- 1 wire that goes to the capacitor
- depending on the number of taps, 1 wire for 110v, 1 for 220, 370, etc. .. Typically ballasts are "tri tap" meaning three taps so it sounds like that's what you have here.

You are only interested in the tap wire for 110. The other taps should be capped off and coiled up off to the side, we don't need them (it depends on what kind of power source you have, if you were wiring it off 220 for example you'd be using that one instead). The 110 tap wire is 1 of the wires that goes to the wall plug, and one of the common wires is the other wire that goes to the wall plug. The 110 wire should be hooked up to the hot terminal, and the common wire to the neutral terminal (the neutral terminal is the wider terminal slot the wall outlet plug).

Then you take the wire to the cap and wire it to one of the terminals on the capacitor. The other terminal of the cap goes to one of the wires on the lamp socket (doesn't really matter which wire on the socket -- although if you have problems with the light starting you can always try switching these). The,. the other wire on the socket goes to the other common that we didn't use.

Ground the socket, the ballast, the enclosure for the ballast (if you have one), reflector, etc. etc. -- that all goes to the grounding terminal on the wall plug.

It may sound tricky but it's not, once you see it fit together. If you have any further problems, give me a call I can come over and take a look at things if you need.