Do you need a ballast to run these lights or do they just plug in like the halogen light bulbs?
1260708
Yes u need a ballast for sure 1 to regulate ligh light bulbs it's important for the ballast to keep th electricity curren electricity current maintained I'm sure you can try it I'm sure you can try it but it won't end well
285466
I installed these into 2 bulb fixtures easily with the existing wiring, just remove the ballast and connect the correct wires from the ballast connections together. Quite easy if you follow the directions. I have had them installed for a few years now with no issues, just very bright light for a fraction of the cost.
1557977
Nope, you need a ballast. Plug your light into a ballast then plug your ballast into a normal wall socket.
583564
Yes. This bulb does need a ballast. This particular bulb is meant to run off of an 400 watt high pressure sodium ballast with an S51 mogul socket.
541775
Basically all you have to do is plug them in. Bulbs and everything included.
289658
Yes you'll need 2 ballast one for each light, If you check Amazon site there are packages that contain the ballast and bulbs together.
447736
You don't need to pull out the ballast, just unplug the power line to it, there is a wiring harness to wire one bulb to the other bulb and then you plug one bulb into the ballast power plug. Directions are available when you purchase the bulbs, just let us know you purchased and we can email them to you.
1630663
The bulbs do not actually use the "pins" for their power source.. You'll connect a lead from each bulb to your existing 12v wiring, bypassing any ballast or starter. There are very clear instructions included as well. Took me about 5 minutes to install total.
1501141
If you have a lamp that accepts this type of bulb you don't need a screw-in ballast. Your lamp should have a label on it somewhere that describes the type of bulb it accepts.
1780624
I have wondered the same thing. I have not tried it because I dont want to waste money on bulbs that dont function with this light. Having worked with lighting extensively through out the years i dont think it will work., the ballast probably wont light them and if it does they may not light fully. If any one else tries it please let the rest know. Sorry this wasn't much help
402809
As I understand it LED's do not need either a ballast or starter. You would need to wire around it or remove it.
2117949
In general no. these are not high intensity bulbs and the ballast will not drive high output bulbs. Unless your tank is very shallow, or you plan to put a few of these on it, this is probably not your best choice for a planted aquarium.
909061
They are plug and play you just need to have the ballast. They are also plug and play, no cutting required.
23251
Indeed you do need a balast in order for these hid lights to function, these are just for replacement of burnt out bulbs.
1320528
The wiring for an electronic ballast is different from a mechanical or magnetic ballast. And wiring is different for use in a one bulb fixture compared to a two bulb fixture. There should be a wiring diagram right on the ballast. The paperwork for wiring one or two bulb fixtures should be in the packaging. I was a little wary during my first rewiring, but it really does work if you follow the included wiring diagram, and I have successfully rewired 6 fixtures. Now they turn on immediately!
1334812
You must rewire your fixture to use LED lamps in place of fluorescent lamps. If you're handy with electrical installations, this is a pretty simple task. You remove the existing ballasts and run 120v directly to the end or ends of the LEDs. The quick connect fittings in my old fluorescent fixtures made this especially easy since the 'tombstones' which provide mounting and power for the lamps had quick connect fittings. Note that the lamps I received required the hot (black) wire to one end and the neutral (white) wire to the other end of each lamp. I was able to do this easily using existing wires in my fixture with a wire cutter/stripper. I'm VERY happy with the results and would certainly do it again. You don't have to physically remove the ballasts but I did and recycled them
1551734
You need to order the ballast that has the correct bulb socket the bulb plugs into