...But the “constant 12 volt” wire (yellow wire on my alternator pigtail) is connected to the alternator under the 2ga charging wire, not connected to the black/yellow #915 wire as shown n diagram.
All the other 3g diagrams I have seen show things being hooked up the way I have them now, not with the yellow wire connected to 915 wire like the painless diagram. Could this b my problem.
They're both "correct" to a point. The way Painless shows it is how Ford and the other manufacturers do it, to get the sensing wire closer to the battery than to the alternator.
The way you have yours, and the way that probably 94.5% of other installations are connected, is strictly to simplify the wiring. They both read battery power, but the assumption is that you get a more accurate and consistent reading the closer to the battery you get.
But yours will work fine.
And besides, even if your alternator was not connected properly it would have ZERO effect on how your fuse panel gets power to one side and not the other.
Eric has you on the right track. Since the switched power items are not working, you need to make sure that the power connections are correct on the back of the ignition switch.
If you followed the directions there, and did NOT use the center post of the ignition switch as a ground, your fuse panel should get power. I'm guessing you did not ground the switch, or you'd have had a bunch of blown fuses most likely.
You should check for power at the ignition switch first. And how that power goes back out.
Even though the switch is likely brand new, even the ones in the Painless kit could be defective right out of the box. It's happening all the time now, with different electrical parts made overseas.
I think I've only heard of one other Painless switch needing replacing, and now there are two Centech switches I remember being bad. But that's compared to NONE for the past few years, so the general quality of the supplied switches has been pretty darn good.
Still, we can't ignore the possibility.
Paul