On Tue, 29 Sep 2015 17:56:40 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote:

Are these new bulbs drop in replacements? I've seen some LED 4'
tubes (admittedly early ones), where the old ballast must be removed?
The ballasts in 4' fixtures actually act as a step up transformer
because the typical 120 volts is not enough to maintain the
fluorescent arc. In Europe, the ballasts are the simple series kind,
like we use for shorter tubes. I'd be curious how these LED bulbs run
on straight 120. I wouldn't recommend that unless the manufacturer
says so, but I am curious.

No, I bought an entirely new 4-foot fixture with one LED tube.

In that case, it's probably not a ballast. LED dont need a ballast. But
they do need electronics and there is likely a heat sink in there to
dissipate the heat. However if it's too hot to touch, I'd take it back,
because it's either defective or very poor quality, and will probably
burn out soon if it's THAT HOT!