1.) Direct Wire or Ballast Bypass LED Tubes
Also known as “Type-B”, the most commonly installed is the direct wire or ballast bypass option. Rather than building expensive circuitry within for the ballast to function, this option enables the ballast to be bypassed entirely by the user. At installation, it will run directly off of the line voltage, therefore “bypassing” the ballast.Interacting with the line voltage (which in commercial applications can be up to 277V) does cause potential safety hazards. Therefore, standards have been introduced by safety organizations like UL to ensure that the product can be safely installed. This results in a majority of single-end (SEP) powered instead of double end (DEP) powered tubes. Single-end powered simply means the power is wired through one end of the tube. Oppositely, double end powered means power is wired through the tube on both ends.Non-Shunted Rapid Start Tombstones
This introduces a unique requirement. It is required that the socket is a “Non-Shunted Rapid Start” or T12 type. You are fortunate if you already have a T12 fixture. This means you already have all of the necessary hardware. The input side sockets on T8 fixtures must be changed over to “Non-Shunted Rapid Start” T12 sockets because there is a circular conductor in T8 sockets that disallows them to separate the line or the circuit’s neutral sides properly. Although the wiring is fairly simple and only takes a few minutes per fixture to perform, we recommend this task only be performed by a qualified electrician.For commercial properties, this is required. Although the installation requirements for ballast bypass tubes are more complex, there are greater advantages. Their unit costs are lower compared to all other options. This is a very important consideration with large projects.