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

["Terry Barber" <terbarb at alltel_net>]

Hi Nick,

I bought some Jebo lamps ( 4x 55 watt compact fluorescents)  from the same
guy on ebay- and had no problems with the seller.    The lamps have been no
problem for me.........Tom Barr did alert me that these lamps may not be
putting out at their full potential.  But I must admit - I am doing stuff on
the cheap right now and the price was right for the Jebo's and the plants
seem to grow just fine.  They do get a bit hot - but that is to be expected.

I just wanted to say that I had no problems with this seller and maybe it is
just a bad lamp and he will replace it for you - can never hurt to send an
email to the seller and tell the problem to him.   Also, I replaced actinic
bulbs with sunlights also.  I bought the lamps from HelloLights.


TerryB

(I hope this discussion is ok - especially since this is good review of
these vendors)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve B" <habubak at yahoo_com>
To: "aquatic plants digest" <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [APD] Odyssea Lights: Are they a P.o.S,?


> Hi Nick,
>
>   As I mentioned in an earlier message to Stuart, I think the guy I bought
it from is a middle-man for the wholesaler.  Goes by the e-bay userID
"weaponspeed" and also deals a lot with car parts and racing stuff.
>
>   I think I got it for about 120, so not too much more than aquatraders.
At the time I was a "compact-fluorescent virgin" and a "planted tank virgin"
and I didn't know about aquatraders.  Now I'm more informed, so hopefully
the same mistake won't happen again  :-)
>
>   All well, live & learn, right?
>
>   Cheers & Gig'Em,
>   Steve
>
> Nick Ternes <woodland_gardens at gmail.com> wrote:
>   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 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
> > _______________________________________________
> > Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> >
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