Darro wrote:
After disconnecting and reconnecting the wires in an electrical
circuit, my low-tech current tester seems to indicate (with low lamp
brightness) that the current in the reconnected wire circuit isn't as
strong as I think it should be. Could there be a problem with my
reconnections?

Facts:
Wires are in a metal ceiling box governed by a wall switch.

One 14/3 wire plus ground enters the box and one 14/2 plus ground
enters the box from the opposite side.

Black wire from 14/3 is connected inside the box to black wire from
14/2 wire. White wire from 14/3 is connected to white wire from 14/2
wire, both of which are connected to one end of a short white 14 gauge
wire. The other end of the short white 14 gauge wire isn't connected
to anything. The red wire from 14/3 isn't connected to anything.

The ground wires from the 14/3 and 14/2 are connected to each other
and rest against the metal box which has no screw to fasten them to
the box.

I'm assuming that I can connect a standard two-wire lamp fixture to
the red wire and the white wire. When I test the circuit by touching
one wire on my tester to the red wire and the other wire on my tester
to the short white wire, the lamp that indicates current flow is much
dimmer than it is if I insert the wires on my tester into the
prong-holes in a wall socket.

Is the relatively dim indicator light on the tester a sign that I've
reconnected the wires incorrectly? If not, why is the indicator light
so much dimmer?

Thanks in advance for your replies,
Dennis

I think the box was installed as part of a three-way system, and there
was once another three-conductor cable going to another switch. If you
still have a three-way switch, the red may be live when the light is
switched off.