Your problem sounds odd.
1) Firstly, I would revert to the old (original) panel. If that works OK, then you can assume nothing in the main guts of the flight sim has been permanently broken. Then reinstall the new panel. If the problem returns, then you can assume it is indeed something to do with the panel.
2) Next I would try turning an affected light on/off from a panel switch (assuming there is one), and then from the keyboard. Is there a difference in the light behaviour between the two activation methods? If it works OK on the keyboard and not the panel switch, then that points to the panel switch doing some strange stuff.
3) After making a backup copy, I would then slash out ( // ) the panel switch in the panel.cfg file, and replace it with a panel switch from the panel.cfg file of another aircraft and see if that works. Use the same gauge number as the original. The switch will be in the wrong place on the panel, and may look odd – doesn’t matter, you just want to ascertain if it works.
4) If the replacement switch works, then that points to the problem being with the switch on the new panel.
5) If 4) is true, then the fun starts. If the panel switch gauge (yes, it is a gauge) is an xml file, then you can easily get into it using something as simple as notepad. Finding and fixing the issue is a whole new ball game, but I’m sure there would be plenty of volunteers popping out of the Flightsim.com woodwork. ïŠ
The bad news is that I haven’t fiddled with panels and gauges and stuff for a couple of years, and the above is written using what little functional memory I have. That said, if the above is rubbish, someone out there will surely correct me . . .
Cheers,
Grae