T8 fluorescent tube - holder wiring question

[buening]

So, I'm making my own fluorescent fixture for my cabinet to go over my bench (long story) and have a rather newbie question regarding wiring the bulb holders. Below is a picture of the bulb holder that I'm using, low profile for a T8 bulb. Also below is a link for a wiring diagram that matches my ballast (T8 four lamp electronic ballast):

http://www.atlaslightingsupply.com/Wiri ... agrams.pdf

Can you double check that its wired OK or if I even need the jumpers? I wasn't sure if the metal parts of the holder that touch the bulb pins are connected or not. If they are then I don't need the mini jumper wires. Basically I'm running the yellow wire in to a pin of a tube and then run jumpers to connect all of them. This is only for the yellow wire. The setup below that is for the blue (same will be for red) I'm trying to avoid having a splice of 5 wires.

 

[apollard]

Your wiring is correct (at least that part of it). The pin contacts are not connected - the jumper does that. It will work w/o the jumpers, but it works better & more reliably (higher bulb life) with them. I have several wired the same.

 

[buening]

Thanks! I failed to look at the old light that I disassembled in order to make my own, but don't recall ever seeing jumpers. I peeled the cardboard off the back of one of the spare holders and indeed the contacts are not connected. All wiring diagrams show two wires on each end of a single tube with only one wire going to it, so that was where my confusion came from. Thanks for the confirmation! :thu

 

[apollard]

Some electronic ballasts and all magnetic ballasts do send two seperate wires to the end of a bulb, so that is why the contacts are separate, and why the diagrams are done the way they are (albeit confusing at first).