If he's got an Altek lamp board, no need for the adapters, they function the same way. (But thank you for the plug!)
First thing I'd check is that the extra wire on the altek board is clipped to the correct location. Should be attached to the voltage supply side of a controlled lamp, and you need around 5 volts where you're clipping in to.
Typically if all the lamps are dimly lit it means the wire is attached at the wrong spot, or not connected at all. So you end up having voltage back-feed from lamp to lamp via the anti-flicker resistors.
-Hans