PLT OF PA34 LOSES COCKPIT LIGHTING; FLASHLIGHT; GLASSES AND CTL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING NIGHT IFR DEP FROM SJC. ALERT DEP CTLR ASSISTS A SAFE RETURN TO SJC.

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I AM AN INSTRUMENT RATED/MEL PRIVATE PILOT. I DEPARTED SJC IN A SENECA V/G ON AN IFR FLT TO GARDENERVILLE; NV. CEILING WAS 2000 FT. I HAD JUST FLOWN; AS A PAX IN ANOTHER ACFT FROM GARDENERVILLE TO SJC SO I WAS MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE ENRTE WX THAN NORMAL. I ALSO HAD RECEIVED TWO WX BRIEFINGS PRIOR TO THE FLT. WHEN I LANDED IN SAN JOSE THERE WAS A THIN OVERCAST LAYER AND LIGHT RAIN OVER THE ARPT WITH A BROKEN LAYER TO THE E OF SAN JOSE. IN PREPARING FOR DEP FROM SJC TO MEV IT TOOK ME LONGER THAN NORMAL TO PREPARE FOR THE FLT AND OBTAIN THE IFR CLRNC. DEP FROM SJC WAS NORMAL. ON CLB OUT AT APPROX 3000 FT CERTAIN INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING MALFUNCTIONED; I ATTEMPTED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROB BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. AT THIS POINT I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON MY FLASHLIGHT BUT DROPPED IN ON THE FLOOR. IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO FIND THE FLASHLIGHT AND FURTHER DIAGNOSE THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTING I MISPLACED MY GLASSES. SIMULTANEOUSLY I WAS ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE AUTOPLT; WHICH USUALLY IS A SIMPLE TASK; HOWEVER; I WAS UNABLE TO DO THIS EITHER; AND THUS CONTINUED TO HAND FLY THE AIRPLANE. DUE TO THE SEVERAL PROBS I WAS EXPERIENCING IN THE COCKPIT I MAY HAVE MISSED SOME OF THE ATC RADIO CALLS AS I WAS FOCUSING ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. AT ONE POINT ATC WAS ASKING ME A QUESTION ABOUT THE 'LEGALITY' OF SOMETHING WHICH I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. I INFORMED ATC THAT I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. BECAUSE OF THESE DISTRACTIONS THE AIRPLANE DEVIATED FROM ITS ASSIGNED ALT AND HDG. ATC INSTRUCTED ME TO 'DSND TO 5000' WHICH I INITIATED. ONCE IN THE DSCNT THE AIRPLANE INADVERTENTLY BEGAN TO CLB AGAIN DUE TO THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT LIGHTING AND THE COCKPIT PROBS AT HAND. AT SOME POINT DURING ALL OF THIS ATC SUGGESTED THAT I RETURN TO SJC AND I REQUESTED VECTORS TO DO SO. AS I SOLVED THE PROBS AT HAND I FLEW THE ASSIGNED ALTS AND HDGS BACK TO SJC AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN RETROSPECT THE WX DETERIORATED FAR WORSE THAN FORECAST AND IT HAD BEEN A LONG DAY.