Years ago, when replacing fluorescent T8HO or T12HO lamps in a sign, the majority of LED options were LED tubes powered by external LED drivers. This was a costly replacement option and resulted in many fluorescent signs staying fluorescent (or owners leaving them burnt out, with it being harder to find odd sizes pf fluorescents along with the ballasts).
Along came the Keystone SignHero about 7 years ago. It was a Type B LED T8 sign tube that came in every size possible, from 18″ all the way up to 120″. It had the same R17d base that a fluorescent T8HO or T12HO linear had, so the user simply had to bypass the ballast and wire direct. Existing sockets only had to be replaced if they were in poor shape. They had the standard 360° version but also 180° LED Sign tubes for single-sided applications, allowing the user to cut the wattage down even further and still have the lamp’s light output be more useful than the fluorescent.
Gen2 of this SignHero lamp was a color-selectable LED T8 that allowed to the user to choose between 4000K, 5000K and 6500K on the lamp itself, which made ordering easier and allowed them to phase out the dedicated-color models. These new CCT selectable models are continuing to stay in stock in either clear or frosted lens.
But wouldn’t you know, Keystone was working on the Gen3 model! This latest version that was just released is a selectable LED sign tube with three colors and three wattage levels to choose on the lamp itself. For the 48″ version for example, Keystone KT-LED23PST8-48P2SO-8CSK-DW, you could now select between 12W 1690 lumens, 21W 2600 lumens, or 23W 2990 lumens. This added bit of versatility will allow the lamp to make sense retrofitting more applications.
The new version has another twist; integrated waterproof connectors for a direct-wire connection. This makes it a good option for new sign builds where socket-powered wiring is not already present.
Beyond the lamps and innovation, Keystone is a tremendous partner that will back up their product and make it easy.