Switch – Ceiling light wiring problems, please advise

fittinglightswitch

enter image description here

I was changing my light fittings as they were old and yellow.
My living room has 2 lights on the ceiling at opposite ends
Controlled by a single on off switch.
The first fitting was normal, red/live black/neutral and earth.
When I took the cover off the second fitting I saw what is in the attached picture.
Because it seemed strange (a red and black with tippex, together) I took a photo so I could put it back the same way.
Trouble is when I pulled the old fixture off and pulled the wires through the white tippex flaked off and now I don't know which red and black to put together.
I thought I could see a tiny bit of tippex on a red and black so I wired it up and switched it on.
It tripped the fuse and killed the lightswitch.
So I removed the fitting and let each wire hang without touching each other, no lights in the flat would switch on that way.
Now I have no lights at all.enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here

Best Answer

Standard UK wiring.

3 x blacks: neutral loop in, neutral loop out, neutral to other light.

3 x reds: live loop in, live loop out, live to switch

back/red: black (with tippex) switched live from switch. red (with tippex) switched live to other light.

Turn off the mains supply.

Using a test meter/continuity tester, the led live to switch and black switched live will be open circuit when the lightswitch is off, and short circuit when the lightswitch is on.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/House_Wiring_for_Beginners#Loop-in_Wiring