Florescent fixture Re wire for LED not working.


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Old 12-02-22, 08:20 AM
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Florescent fixture Re wire for LED not working.

I have a number of florescent fixtures in my shop and one of the ballasts has gone bad. (I assume that because all four bulbs stopped working and I confirm that I have 120V at the power supply with multimeter. Also the bulbs work in another fixture.

So…I bypassed the ballast and wired directly with Black power wire to one tombstone end, and white to the other. Confirmed I have 120v with multimeter from end to end between tombstones.

I installed a Type A LINEAR LED tube in the fixture but it doesnt work.
I confirmed the bulb is good because I installed it in another fixture that does have a working ballast and both LED and Florescent bulbs installed and all are lit up.

Thinking I might need both bulbs installed to complete the circuit I installed a second bulb in the fixture- still didn’t work. It should not have needed that because I know I have 120v from end to end.

Do type A linear LED’s require a ballast?
What am I missing?

Thanks!
 

Last edited by mchristo; 12-02-22 at 08:22 AM. Reason: Grammar
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Old 12-02-22, 08:29 AM
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Pretty sure type A are made to retrofit fixtures with ballasts. The fact that yours works in a ballasted fixture and not in a direct wire fixture pretty much confirms it.
 
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Old 12-02-22, 09:07 AM
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Pictures added


I know you guys like pictures so…here I have the black power wire coming in and connected to the shunted tombstones at the right. Black to blue and red. The white neutral wire is connected to the yellow tombstones on the left side. The reason there are two of each red, blue and yellow is this is an 8 foot fixture with the same connections made at the other end of the fixture. I confirmed that I have 120v between the yellow and the red/blue tombstones

These are the bulbs I’m using.

More bulb details.

The tombstones are shunted so this will only work in linear installation.
 
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Old 12-02-22, 05:52 PM
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From Feit Electric......

PLUG & PLAY - Upgrade your existing fluorescent fixture to the latest energy saving LED technology with this easy plug and play direct installation tube. There's no need to replace, bypass or remove old ballast
 
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Old 12-02-22, 06:51 PM
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Plug-and-play LED lamps are for use with a ballast. You want to use direct-drive LED lamps (or bypass) for fixtures that are rewired bypassing the ballast as you have done. Return the plug and play lamps and get some direct drive lamps. Most big box stores now carry direct-drive LED lamps.
 
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Old 12-02-22, 08:36 PM
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Thanks everyone.
I misunderstood the marketing for these bulbs when they say “ no need to replace, bypass or remove old ballast“.
To mean that they would work with OR without a ballast.
Luckily those bulbs were purchased at Costco and they will take them back.

Thanks again.
 
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Old 12-04-22, 03:03 AM
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Also remember that there are two types of direct connect LEDs.
One type has the live at one end and neutral at the other. Only one wire to the sockets and they are ganged,
Looks like this would be your situation at least looking at the socket set you have in your hand.

The other type has the AC at one end so there power is at one side of the connector in the socket and neutral to the other side connector in the socket. So each socket has two wires going to it and no wire at all at the socket at the other end of the LED.

 
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