The point why they had remote ballasted fixtures back then is because the ballasts were too big to fit in the fixture. So they fitted the ballast externally. When ballasts got smaller and capacitors started to get less to only needing one, They started making internal ballasts, like the form 400 Power Pak, which was one of the first internally ballasted fixures by GE. Then the M-400 came out and then what you see today.
The technology in LED's are small, so they wouldn't need to remote ballast it. They CAN make a clamshell-looking fixture, since the technology in the LED's are small it won't even look like they are inside the fixture!
Yes, but if the driver was remote from the fixture, it wouldn't overheat hence the fixture would last longer. Most LED fixtures fail because of poor air circulation to the driver.
And they could have easily designed a streetlight BIGGER to hold the ballast in the old days of clamshells. I don't really agree that the older ballasts were too big to be inside the fixture, the fixtures could be resigned to accomodate the ballasts. Although, it's true the ballasts were bigger back then.
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The technology in LED's are small, so they wouldn't need to remote ballast it. They CAN make a clamshell-looking fixture, since the technology in the LED's are small it won't even look like they are inside the fixture!
And they could have easily designed a streetlight BIGGER to hold the ballast in the old days of clamshells. I don't really agree that the older ballasts were too big to be inside the fixture, the fixtures could be resigned to accomodate the ballasts. Although, it's true the ballasts were bigger back then.