quick ODNO question.

chinaboy1021 · 07-23-2003, 11:47 PM

im going to try ODNO my 10 gallon. i've read the first few pages of the sticky and my eyes are starting to hurt and get blury.

after all that reading, im still confused about something.

the basic concept is to get a ballast that drives 2 bulbs. so you got like 2 sets of wires there. like normally you connect each set to 1 end cap. but for ODNO, you connect both sets to 1 pair of end caps, so there's more output to them therefore through the tube?

is there a ballast that can orgianlly drive 4 bulbs? that i can use to overdrive my 2 bulbs over my 10g? also what wattage ballast do i buy? what happens if i buy a 30 watt ballast and connect them to end caps and hook up a 15 bulb?

thanks

Wasserpest · 07-24-2003, 12:00 AM

That's correct, you can use a ballast for four bulbs, which has 2x 4 wires, and either connect 2x 2 wires to each of two bulbs (2x OD) or connect 2x 3 or 4 wires to one bulb (3x or 4x OD).

Not sure about using different wattage... I read that some electronic ballasts can "sense" what kind of bulb they are connected to... hope someone with more knowledge can jump in.

chinaboy1021 · 07-24-2003, 12:05 AM

can this be done with 18inch bulbs? in the article on reefcentral "reefburnaby" did not describe the model name of the ballast that run 18inchers. the lowest lengh he talked about was 24inches.

chinaboy1021 · 07-24-2003, 06:41 AM

another thing is that the wires, how exactly do i connect 2 sets of wires to 1 end cap? do i just link the corresponding wires together? im a complete newbie when it comes with these electrical stuff and dont wnat to kill myself. anyone got like a step by step instructions with diagrams? thanks a lot.

Rex Grigg · 07-24-2003, 12:28 PM

IMHO if you are asking very basic questions like how to connect two wires to the end caps you should NOT be attempting the ODNO route. There are some serious consequences that can occur if you mess it up. Starting with blowing the ballast and pretty much ending in your crispy smoking corpse laying in the burnt remains of your house.

Wasserpest · 07-24-2003, 02:49 PM

Hmmm... barbeque... hmmm :twisted:

Rex is right, water and electricity are not a good area to learn or collect experiences. Get someone who is familiar with this stuff!!

Besides, the endcaps I have worked with have four little holes where the wires can be pushed in... so no problem.

chinaboy1021 · 07-24-2003, 04:17 PM

you guys are probably right. i havent bought anything yet thats probably why a lot of stuff isnt making sense.

jart · 07-24-2003, 07:04 PM

fried my finger once when wiring a ballast... hurt like hell and you could actually smell it in the next room. be careful, folks... water or no water.

if you do get some help from a person qualified in electricity, might as well get them to install a ground fault circuit protector/interupter (gfci). highly recommended.

07-24-2003, 12:00 AM	#2
Wasserpest Are these real? (View User Tanks) PTrader: (140/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 14,646	That's correct, you can use a ballast for four bulbs, which has 2x 4 wires, and either connect 2x 2 wires to each of two bulbs (2x OD) or connect 2x 3 or 4 wires to one bulb (3x or 4x OD). Not sure about using different wattage... I read that some electronic ballasts can "sense" what kind of bulb they are connected to... hope someone with more knowledge can jump in. __________________ All my tanks Autodosing Water Change Temperature Monitoring Cheap Filter The Wasser-Controller

07-24-2003, 02:49 PM	#6
Wasserpest Are these real? (View User Tanks) PTrader: (140/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 14,646	Hmmm... barbeque... hmmm :twisted: Rex is right, water and electricity are not a good area to learn or collect experiences. Get someone who is familiar with this stuff!! Besides, the endcaps I have worked with have four little holes where the wires can be pushed in... so no problem. __________________ All my tanks Autodosing Water Change Temperature Monitoring Cheap Filter The Wasser-Controller

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07-23-2003, 11:47 PM	#1
chinaboy1021 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2003 Location: toronto Posts: 283	im going to try ODNO my 10 gallon. i've read the first few pages of the sticky and my eyes are starting to hurt and get blury. after all that reading, im still confused about something. the basic concept is to get a ballast that drives 2 bulbs. so you got like 2 sets of wires there. like normally you connect each set to 1 end cap. but for ODNO, you connect both sets to 1 pair of end caps, so there's more output to them therefore through the tube? is there a ballast that can orgianlly drive 4 bulbs? that i can use to overdrive my 2 bulbs over my 10g? also what wattage ballast do i buy? what happens if i buy a 30 watt ballast and connect them to end caps and hook up a 15 bulb? thanks

07-24-2003, 12:05 AM	#3
chinaboy1021 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2003 Location: toronto Posts: 283	can this be done with 18inch bulbs? in the article on reefcentral "reefburnaby" did not describe the model name of the ballast that run 18inchers. the lowest lengh he talked about was 24inches.

07-24-2003, 06:41 AM	#4
chinaboy1021 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2003 Location: toronto Posts: 283	another thing is that the wires, how exactly do i connect 2 sets of wires to 1 end cap? do i just link the corresponding wires together? im a complete newbie when it comes with these electrical stuff and dont wnat to kill myself. anyone got like a step by step instructions with diagrams? thanks a lot.

07-24-2003, 12:28 PM	#5
Rex Grigg Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (65/100%) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland Orygun Posts: 9,600	IMHO if you are asking very basic questions like how to connect two wires to the end caps you should NOT be attempting the ODNO route. There are some serious consequences that can occur if you mess it up. Starting with blowing the ballast and pretty much ending in your crispy smoking corpse laying in the burnt remains of your house.

07-24-2003, 04:17 PM	#7
chinaboy1021 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2003 Location: toronto Posts: 283	you guys are probably right. i havent bought anything yet thats probably why a lot of stuff isnt making sense.

07-24-2003, 07:04 PM	#8
jart Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: NS Canada Posts: 1,358	fried my finger once when wiring a ballast... hurt like hell and you could actually smell it in the next room. be careful, folks... water or no water. if you do get some help from a person qualified in electricity, might as well get them to install a ground fault circuit protector/interupter (gfci). highly recommended.