i have the same color wires for the output part of the ballast going to the bulb. is there a way to test which one is the one for the power and the one for the common? any help please. would i damage the bulb if i just tried to connect whichever one to the power and the other to the common.

output to bulb doesnt matter.. you can connect the output wires to the mogul without having to worry about which is whice.

can anybody else confirm this?

i'm not sure about these new ballasts, however, with the older versions it was important to get the output ballast wires correct. I would strongly suggest contacting LL for clarification before attempting to strike the lamp for the first time or opening the ballast.

As far as the lamp is conscerned; the polarity doesn't matter. It will run either way, however on a lamp base it is convention that the "hot" lead would be connected to the center tab.

This would prevent the threaded portion of the mogul, which is slightly more exposed, from being "hot". Switching the leads wouldn't really make any difference, it is just unconventional.