evilc66 Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 Honestly, the one I linked to is about as cheap as you can get. I would suggest ordering one set, trying it, and see if it works. Get more if you see an improvement. Link to comment
jiriki76 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I purchased an Apogee quantum meter. They are saying 2 to 3 weeks before it will be sent. Sheesh. I already have 3x icecap ballasts. I will mod the odyssea ones for fun but it will be a while before the meter comes to even start. Need a before/after result. I'll either sell the odyssea ballasts or keep one or two as backups. Link to comment
helbert76 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I have an odyssea 250w/pc pendant and very happy with it. It is on a 40 breeder. My question is wouldnt underdriving the bulb result in a longer life of the bulb? Since people on here say the the 175 hqi is really 150 odyssea overdriven to 175 with shortens its life. So what is my actual output on this 250 i have. 150? Thanks Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Measured draw on the ballasts have been in the 150-180W range. Being underdriven, I'm sure it will increase bulb life, but it messes with the spectral output. If you were to buy a Phoenix 14K later on, it would never look the same as it would when driven to it's proper levels, if it would even fire at all. Link to comment
helbert76 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Measured draw on the ballasts have been in the 150-180W range. Being underdriven, I'm sure it will increase bulb life, but it messes with the spectral output. If you were to buy a Phoenix 14K later on, it would never look the same as it would when driven to it's proper levels, if it would even fire at all. I think im going to order and ice cap ballast this week. Do you think the Phoenix 14k would be a good choice without actinic's. Maybe the actinics along with the 14k would give me a 20k look. This will be on a 40 breeder. Thanks for the info. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Phoenix 14Ks are a great bulb. Not everyones favorite, but if you are looking for a slightly blue light with lots of growth potential, it's great. Link to comment
jiriki76 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 There is a reefcentral thread on the new reflux 20k bulbs with more PAR output than their own reflux 12k bulbs. I am thinking of buying 2 and trying them out. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 Cool. Let us know how it works out. Link to comment
Stingfish Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I've been reading up on this thread to prep for a mod of my Odyssea fixture, thanks! However, I have a problem. The MOSFET:s that Evilc66 is using,FDH44N50, are not available for sale here in Sweden. I'm sure there are similar MOSFET:s that could be used but my electrical knowledge is pretty limited so I'm not sure what to look for!? Anyone out there who could give me a few pointers on what specs to look for? Does it have to be 500V 48Amp etc? What is most important? Thanks for helping out! Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Sure they are available http://se.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Fairchi...0KE9ZbTjjuKQ%3d Check the performance of the ballast before you go tearing into it. There have been some reports that the newer models have ballasts that actually output 250W+. Get an inline watt meter of some description to test it. Link to comment
mrbigshot Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 woo-hoo, got 4 more watts than before! almost to 160w now. the 4 watts came from adding thermal compound the the vreg's, swapping them did nothing. this was done on 2x250's but still firing the stock odyssea bulb, perhaps the bulb is the issue but its hard to believe the bulb would limit output. Link to comment
cptbjorn Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 My sister's fiance got a 2x250w 48" Odyssea about a month ago and I tested the ballasts and was happy with them, I don't recall the exact numbers and I only tested the power draw and not the output but unless they are horribly inefficient they were putting out around 250w into the stock bulbs. Once I cut out the center fan hole and installed a decent 120mm fan on there it is actually a pretty good light. Link to comment
callmesaul8889 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 hey evil, the mosfet part you listed is on backorder from that company, is there anywhere else i could get that from? i googled the exact part number with no luck ------------------------------------------------- nevermind, found the other link you posted on page 4 Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 If you still can't find it, try Digikey. Link to comment
7digits Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I know this thread goes pretty far back, but I just wanted to shed some light on the current status of the 250 watt Odyssea ballast. I got mine about a month ago, black case on the ballast. Yesterday after reading about this mod, I got a Kill A Watt and hooked it up. On start up it reached 245 watts. After 15 minutes it was bouncing between 234 and 235, and it stayed there for the next hour. It seems they have made some significant improvements. Link to comment
spllbnd2 Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I know this is an older subject and hate to resurrect it but I have a quick question. Does anyone know if the Odyssea 150mh ballast would use the same mosfets? And if not what is the easiest way to tell the rating and what not on a mosfet without having to buy high $$$ equipment? Cheers for any help in advance, Alex Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 If you read the thread, you would know that the results of the 250W were variable at best. I don't know how the 150W ballast is built, but I'm sure it's very similar to the 250W version, and will react the same way to the mod, if it can be done at all. If the power levels on the ballast are low (you should be using a Kill-a-Watt meter to know for sure), best thing to do is just get a replacement ballast that actually works as advertized. Ballastwise ballasts are pretty cheap, and work well. Link to comment
sharky0312 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Anyone have one of these ballasts for sale?? Please.. I am very desperate for a quick fix.. PLEASE....... Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 If you want a reliable fix, get a different ballast. Don't go wasting money on a crappy ballast. Link to comment
sharky0312 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 At this point I do not have the money to buy a good one... The newer one from aquatraders is out of stock.. I figured I would see if I could snag one for like 20 bucks plus shipping.. It would hold me over.. Link to comment
zangmann Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I have 2, PM me if you want them. Link to comment
zangmann Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 anyone else have any?? Did the ones i sent not work? Let me know what's up. Link to comment
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