Anyone with overdriving experience

Most (all?) electronic ballasts are flexible in the tubes they'll drive. The GE electronic ballasts that I'm using have a long list of tubes of varying wattages that they're compatible with. These ballasts detect the kind of tube connected and drive it to the appropriate current. I'm sure it wouldn't work to ask a ballast designed for a 50w tube to drive a 100w tube, but going under the rated capacity ought to work ok.

I won't guarantee anything, but the ballasts you're looking at will probably work just fine for what you want to do.

Edit: I know for a fact that some electronic ballasts aren't flexible. I salvaged a 13w ballast from a screw-in spiral CFL and attached it to a 4w tube, and it was definitely overdriving that tube. The ballast engineers never intended it for anything but a 13w tube though.

swylie said:

I salvaged a 13w ballast from a screw-in spiral CFL and attached it to a 4w tube, and it was definitely overdriving that tube. The ballast engineers never intended it for anything but a 13w tube though.

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thanks for the reply swylie

so the 4w tube was receiving more than 3 times its recommended rating?

from what I've read, electronic ballasts are sort of auto sensing, so will it only supply the 25w tube 25w, even though its a 36w ballast?

I just dont want that 25w watt tube being overdriven to 72w to explode in my tank

wearsbunnyslippers said:

thanks for the reply swylie

so the 4w tube was receiving more than 3 times its recommended rating?

from what I've read, electronic ballasts are sort of auto sensing, so will it only supply the 25w tube 25w, even though its a 36w ballast?

I just dont want that 25w watt tube being overdriven to 72w to explode in my tank

Click to expand...

I don't truly know if the 4w tube was getting the full 13w, but it was running pretty damn hot. It developed some black spots on the glass near the filaments too, but nothing worse than that. No explosions.

Overheated fluorescent tubes lose efficiency, of course. That's the worst that could probably happen with your setup; if you over-overdrive a tube, it could get hot enough that it loses efficiency and isn't any brighter. I don't see too many reports of that happening though. Ventilation helps.

i will fit a couple of fans then, much easier than changing out the light fittings...

the tank is in our living room so i had to get a tank with built in lighting in the hood, as my wife wouldnt be too impressed with all the light leaking out from an open tank.

thanks again swylie, i will post some before and after pics as i go along, try and compare the brightnesses of normal vs overdriven

I have 4x32 watt ODNO 2x shop light... each ballasts runs to 2 t8 bulbs...

But the ballasts I use are designed for 32 watt bulbs.. through my readings and questions electronic ballasts should be able to drive bulbs around the same wattage... example.. if I put a t12 40 watt bulb in it will still work..

As far as the efficiency and the light output of it I'm not sure...

But it was real easy to modify the light.. probably the smoothest thing i've done with my tank so far

Crazy Loaches has a great website that talks about ODNO.. http://tristan.homelinux.net/
He has pictures comparing NO with ODNO bulbs

bump again