Type A LED tubes are fluorescent ballast compatible LED linear lamps, sometimes referred as plug and play lamps. The Type A LED lamp directly replaces traditional fluorescent lamp and operates with the fixture’s existing fluorescent ballast, so no rewiring is necessary, no electrician is required.
Compatibility Issue
Type A tubes are simple to retrofit assuming they are compatible with the existing fluorescent ballast, however, compatibility is not guaranteed. Many Type A tubes only function with instant-start (not rapid or programmed) ballasts, while others can work with all starting modes.
Issues with compatibility are probably the greatest source of frustration among customers. Type A LED tubes sprouted up at Big Box stores around the country and eager customers found that the success rate of these lamps on their existing residential ballasts was minimal. On the commercial side, there are a mix of electronic ballasts throughout facility with no record of the type in each fixture is the norm. Customers received their Type A LED tubes and were disappointed to find that they didn’t work at all. Or they worked initially and then the ballast burnt out weeks/months later and they thought the lamp was defective. So the upfront savings on labor that Type A customers yearned for turned out to be a mirage as it just created more work down the line
Mock-up installations and expensive, time-consuming testing may be necessary before customers are confident that the proposed solution is the best solution. To smooth the pathway of a project, in actuality a new ballast had to be installed.
System Efficiency Issue
Type A tubes are the least efficient option of the three replacement categories because energy is consumed by the ballast in addition to the lamp. According a field test by the California Lighting Technology Center at the University of California (CLTC), who compared LED retrofit lighting solutions meant to replace linear fluorescents. The study shows up that overall energy savings are delivered in part by reducing the light output, not just by improving light efficacy. In which test results for Type A tubes show a wide range of performance in terms of light output and system efficacy when comparing data for lamps operating in the same fixture and on the same fluorescent ballast. As compared to the fluorescent baseline and considering the total light exiting the fixture, Type A LED tubes delivered significantly less light in all fixtures tested (bare-lamp strip, surface-mounted wrap and suspended pendant). Test results also show that most Type A LED tube experience significant performance degradation when operating on ballasts that are not recommended by the lamp manufacturer. In practice such product doesn’t save energy as it claims. This is why the LED rebate money related to Type A LED tube is becoming dry up.
De-lmaping issue
Other issue can arise, which also affect the performance of Type A LED tubes. De-lamping, for example, can negatively impact LED product life. One the surface, a Type A replacement may be compatible with a 2-lamp ballast, but a fluorescent luminaire may actually contain a 3-lamp ballast and only appear to be a 2-lamp system. A linear fluorescent luminaire, which has been de-lamped, can create an environment where LED replacements receive too much current and fail prematurely. A serious burning accident related to de-lamping has been reported by the largest university in Florida.
Safety Issue
The fluorescent ballast was designed for fluorescent tubes to begin with and it wasn’t designed for the Type A LED tube. Most ballasts have a starting voltage of around 600V~1000V for activating the fluorescent tube. If there are any loose connections in the lighting fixture, whether it is inside the LED tube (internal arcing) or between the sockets and the bi-pin of the tube lamp (external arcing), arcing can occur because of the 600V above starting voltage. This is a problem since the first use of ballast with Type A LED tube. Because a ballast-compatible LED tube must operate with a ballast, the arcing problem persists whenever that are any loose connections in the ballasted fixture, posing a potential burn hazard. One top US lighting manufacturer had two recalls of its Type A LED tube and another had one recall of the same.
- Cree recalls recently launched fluorescent-replacement LED T8 lamps
- Osram Sylvania recalls LED-based T8 tubes for potential burn hazard
- GE Lighting Recalls LED Tube Lamps Due to Shock and Electrocution Hazards
To put it frankly, as long as a fluorescent ballast is in the linear fixture, arcing is bound to happen on a loose socket. Please keep in mind that the built-in thermal fuse may alleviate the severity of the arcing but never eradicate this problem.
Control Limitation
Another major customer dissatisfaction with Type A LED tubes is their poor dimming performance. Most ballast-compatible LED tubes will not respond to dimming ballasts. In the long run, a low upfront cost of type A LED tubes usually does not translate into a corresponding return on investment (ROI) that people would expect from LED lighting.
2 thoughts on “The Untold Story Of Type A LED Tube”
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