When was the last time you looked at a tube light and through to yourself that you want such a lighting fixture for your home. Most probably the light you were looking at was an LED tube. Having the ability to leave such lasting impressions, LED tubes are creating heavy buzz in the lighting industry ever since LEDs were invented. 

Tube lights, with a lasting life high energy efficiency and a superb performance, are sure to enlighten your nights with super bright and quality lighting that these tubes provide. 

 Now, traditional tube lights used a lot of extra accessories in order to function. Modern-day LED tubes do not need such extra apparatus in order to function, but sure do support those fixtures as and when needed. 

Here are the three types of LED tubes based on ballast support

What is a ballast? 

A ballast is a component of a fluorescent tube which is used in starting the tube. Without a ballast the tube would not start or would overheat and explode. Basically a ballast increases the voltage going into the tube to quickly heat up the filament so that the gases ignite and produce light, then the ballast decreases the voltage so as to prevent overheating of the filament. 

Types of LED tubes based on ballast support

• Type A: These LED tubes are ballast compatible so you will not have to worry about removing the existing ballast from your previous fixture. A fresh LED tube of this type can simply be installed into the existing fixture without the need for bypassing or removing the ballast.

• Type B: These LED tubes do not need a ballast to function. So if its a new installation of an LED tube you don’t need to do anything, simply plug the tube and operate without the need for any additional component such as the ballast. If you are retrofitting the tube into your existing fixture, you will have to either remove the ballast or bypass it (a guide on bypassing the ballast can be found here)

• Type A+B: These types of LED tubes are the most versatile as these can operate with or without a ballast. Needing nothing addition in terms of component, or any removal or bypassing, these type of LED tubes can simply be plugged in and operated with ease.