odyssea MH fixture review... new electronic version

[miatawnt2b]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11258604#post11258604 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cubano2480
I was reading some of this tread and I`m scared now I just bout this 24"

in ebay I can`t find the brand,I already ask the seller{waiting for answer},is this a Odyssea fixture? if is one what that i have to do i don`t want to read the hole tread is to long CAN ANT ONE PLEASE HELP ME

thanks a lot

that's an odyssea fixture alright. What are you scared of exactly?
-J

 

[cubano2480]

the green look on that pic on top

 

[cubano2480]

I got a respond from the seller here is what he say
It is generic brand item and made in China. For additional add on to the same order, we can offer discount to the additional item. Thank you!

I need 2 more but I will wait to see how this one work

 

[miatawnt2b]

Sounds like you may need to do some research on the ballasts. There is plenty of info in this huge thread. Basically the stock e-ballast for the halides suck. You should replace it with a coralife, ballastwise, icecap or other reputable ballast. Other than that it's a good light. Even after spending extra $$ on a good ballast you've still gotten off cheaper than a comparable name-brand fixture.
-J

 

[cubano2480]

that don`t sound to bad I can do that I like icecap,now I have to reed the hole thing to know how to get the ballast inside

thank you miatawnt2b for u help

 

[moprint]

The halide ballasts are external. Just skim this thread, I think in the last section is a how to wire up the ballasts.

 

[cubano2480]

right I don`t know what I was thinking is a sternal ballast thanks moprint I will check the last section now thanks again

 

[jayare]

Is anyone that runs these concerned that the Quick Disconnect cable coming out of the Odyessea fixture isn't grounded? I've been in contact with David at CoralVue. I hooked up a CoralVue 250 ballast to my Odyessea light. I did the wiring inside of the ballast, but something must have came loose and it fried the ballast. Anyway, when I informed him that the Odyessea cable going into the ballast didn't have a ground wire, he was fairly concerned. Here's some of what he said:

You need to make sure to ground the fixture with the green wire. I am not sure how you can do this properly because I have never opened one of those fixtures.

It is very important that when using metal you ground a metal halide ballast. These ballast emit over 16,000 volts on startup at a very low amperage, but it does not feel good when you get shocked by this many volts and if the ballast is grounded properly to the fixture this could save your life.

What does everyone think? Is this fixture still safe?

 

[jdmcivicek9]

I just received my 48" metal halide setup on monday here are a few pictures of my tank since i put the lights on!!!so far so good i know they have a bad rap but i still think for the money you cant beat them...also mine came with 15k bulbs instead of 10k...

 

[mluz]

after three days of reading I've finished this long thread form start to finish.

just want to thank all that contributed their experiences. I'm in the market for a new fixture for my 72 gal. and i am seriously considering buying a 48" version if "Christmas bonus" permits.

 

[aha24]

I am glad I finally found this thread !!! I have had a 48" fixture over my 72" 125g any problems I have had I have ssen here and am happy that they can be remedied easy.. with a change of ballasts ... Ijust need to figure what bulb I am going to run Idont like to much blue..

stanley1095 could you clarify for me are you saying?

the left side is with the odyssea ballast+ odyssea bulb and the right side is a Icecap Ballast + odyssea bulb ?
If so I like the look with just a change of the ballasts.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11208581#post11208581 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stanley1095
the same bulbs provides for Aquatraders left side Odyssea Ballast right side IceCap Electronic Version...

 

[carlso63]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11275118#post11275118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aha24

stanley1095 could you clarify for me are you saying?

the left side is with the odyssea ballast+ odyssea bulb and the right side is a Icecap Ballast + odyssea bulb ?
If so I like the look with just a change of the ballasts.

Yeah that is what Stanley is saying. It looks much better with just a ballast change and the stock Odyssea bulbs.

Actually the stock bulbs are pretty decent. I would advise anybody with a totally "stock" fixture to change ballasts first and then check out the look of the stock bulbs on the new ballasts BEFORE you buy new bulbs too.

You just might be surprised at how good the stock bulbs look under full power...

 

[aha24]

ya I think thats what I am going to do try the ballasts first

 

[jdmcivicek9]

my tank definitely doesn't look that green...its actually pretty blue/white

 

[alex1965]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all. HEY JDMCLIVICEK9 you system looks good under the new ballasts. I have the new 36'ODYSSE SYSTEM with the 15,000ks. I am haveing the BALLASTS changed out to 250 watts AREOS . My system has 3 fans on it.

 

[aha24]

This thread is getting really long and pictures are few and far between maybe we could get people that have made changes to there light to post before and after pictures tell what they changed and what they used .....

 

[anemoneguy]

how easy is it to change the mh bulbs?

 

[miatawnt2b]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11297993#post11297993 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aha24
This thread is getting really long and pictures are few and far between maybe we could get people that have made changes to there light to post before and after pictures tell what they changed and what they used .....

Yea, the forum format is good for discussion, but when a thread gets huge there is no way to reference material. Anyhow, I don't have many pictures, but I elected to mod my light to use a 175W SE bulb instead of the stock 250DE. I elected to go this route for a few reasons. First I am good with fabricating and DIY. While the mod was really pretty easy, it's not for everyone. Second, one of my stock MH ballasts fried about a month after I got the light. Since I had to replace the ballasts anyhow, the Ballastwise 175's were cheaper. Third, the Iwaksai 15k 175SE bulb crushes a 250DE as far as PAR, and the color is super. Fourth, in a 48" fixture 2x175W < 2x250W which equals electricity savings. Oh yea... and it allowed me to get rid of that super thick glass pane covering the DE's which allow more light penetration, better air flow through the light, and MUCH easier bulb replacement.

I don't have pics of the actual build, but the basics were, remove the stock reflector and take off the ends. Remove the DE socket wire the SE socket. Mount the SE socket using ordinary hose clamps which were mounted to the DE/reflector bracket. Wire the new ballasts just as any other ballast mod shown here. As you can see, the main part of the reflector is reused, but both ends have been removed to allow for the necessary room needed for the SE bulb.

-J

 

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11303555#post11303555 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by miatawnt2b
Yea, the forum format is good for discussion, but when a thread gets huge there is no way to reference material. Anyhow, I don't have many pictures, but I elected to mod my light to use a 175W SE bulb instead of the stock 250DE. I elected to go this route for a few reasons. First I am good with fabricating and DIY. While the mod was really pretty easy, it's not for everyone. Second, one of my stock MH ballasts fried about a month after I got the light. Since I had to replace the ballasts anyhow, the Ballastwise 175's were cheaper. Third, the Iwaksai 15k 175SE bulb crushes a 250DE as far as PAR, and the color is super. Fourth, in a 48" fixture 2x175W < 2x250W which equals electricity savings. Oh yea... and it allowed me to get rid of that super thick glass pane covering the DE's which allow more light penetration, better air flow through the light, and MUCH easier bulb replacement.

I don't have pics of the actual build, but the basics were, remove the stock reflector and take off the ends. Remove the DE socket wire the SE socket. Mount the SE socket using ordinary hose clamps which were mounted to the DE/reflector bracket. Wire the new ballasts just as any other ballast mod shown here. As you can see, the main part of the reflector is reused, but both ends have been removed to allow for the necessary room needed for the SE bulb.

-J

The Iwasaki 175 watt 15KK is a great bulb. Excellent PAR for it's wattage and nice color. Very popular bulb. But to generalize that it "crushes" a 250 watt DE in terms of PAR is incorrect.
Yes, there are many 250 watt DE bulbs lower in par than the 175 watt Iwasaki but there are many 250 watt DE's with higher PAR as well. As far as efficiency goes, output per energy used, it is an undoubtedly more efficient use of electricity than probably all of the 250 watt DE bulbs with the possible exception of a few of the very highest PAR lamps in the 250 watt DE class. I only point this out because somebody may be looking for the highest possible par lamp that they can put into the Odyssea fixture and they would not get it from swapping the socket to a mogul and going with the Iwasaki 175 watt bulb. 250 watt DE's like some of the Giesemanns, Aqualine Buschkes, Ushios, BLV's and a few other 250 watt DE bulbs have the potential for higher PAR (signifigantly higher for some of the bulbs) than the Iwasaki 15KK 175 watt.

One other thing. Not that the reflectors in the Odyssea fixtures are highly optimized to begin with but being as small as they are to begin with, swapping a larger SE type bulb into that reflector has got to be even less optimal. Most if not all of the best reflectors that are available for both SE and DE versions are larger in the SE version than the DE version. It's necessary that they be larger/longer not only to physically accomodate the larger SE bulbs but to optimize the reflective properties of the enclosure for the larger and longer SE bulbs compared to the DE bulbs.

This is not to say that your SE mod wont work, obviously it's still going to reflect light. And, I am not an expert on reflector design. Just pointing out that there is some science (quite a bit actually) to reflectors that goes beyond just beyond being able to fit a certain bulb in them. Size, shape, facets, texture, angle, mounting distance of the bulb plus whatever else I missed are all considerations taken into account when the better reflectors are designed for a specific size/type of halide bulb. I'm not trying to cricticize de-constuctively. Just pointing out that it's not a completely free lunch.

 

[apexi]

Regarding the poor energy efficiency of the stock 250W ballasts with a low power factor of around 0.63, does this mean that since the ballasts are only "using" around 150-160Watts, that the power bill would be less?

OR is this energy simply wasted and we still get charged for the full 250W?