Re: [APD] Odyssea Lights: Are they a P.o.S,?

["Nick Ternes" <woodland_gardens at gmail.com>]

I've got an Odyssea 65w CF over my 20 gal.  No problems with it yet after 1
1/2 years of use.  I think Stuart covered all of the mechanical aspects, but
what about the guy who sold it to you?  If it's a dealer, ask if they've had
similar problems in the past from other units.  If it's a private party, why
were they getting rid of a new unit?  I hope you didn't pay more than
$90+shipping for it, as you can pick up a new one from aquatraders.com for
that.

Nick Ternes
Oostburg, WI
WAKO
AKA


On 9/14/06, Stuart Halliday <stuart at stuarthalliday_com> wrote:
>
> I believe Steve B wrote this email section below:
>
> >   OK, so what does everyone think?
> >   What's wrong with my lights?  Are they overheating, and why?
> >
> >   Are they just a cheap piece of $H1T?  :-)
>
> Aren't the sunpaq bulbs under any sort of guarantee?
>
> >   Please advise, I'm about to bash these lights against the wall!  ;-)
>
> Perhaps you're looking at the wrong piece of equipment? :-)
>
> Are the ends of the tubes water-tight? Condensation is not a wonderful
> friend of electricity.
>
> Is the light Controller mechanical or electronic? If it's mechanical then
> perhaps the Starter unit needs replacement?
>
> Check the controller isn't overheating in any case. It's probably kicking
> out 200W if its mechanical.
>
> Check that the controller isn't getting over driven. Is it rated for these
> amount of wattage bulbs?
>
> One cheap and dirty trick by low down cheap-skate cowboys is to supply a
> controller that is said to be a particular wattage but in reality they've
> rounded up the wattage to make it look good!
>
> You are driving it at its working limit...
>
> As in most things electrical, your 4 tubes are rated at 65W each. But what
> if they're actually 68-70W? Manufacturing processes often vary like this.
> So you maybe over driving the controller?
>
> I'd ask Odyssea if they have a safety factor built into their controller.
>
> Lastly.
> Perhaps your Mains is dirty or the plug has a bad connection into the
> wall?
> This can cause random electrical breakdown in equipment.
>
>
> I've been a electronic engineer years before I was an aquarist. :-)
>
> --
> Stuart Halliday
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>
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