Overdriven fluorescent light

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ODNO (Overdriven Normal Output)

Overdriving a fluorescent lamp is a method of getting more light from each tube than is normally obtained. It involves taking the light fixture apart and rewiring the insides. Only electronic ballasts can be used for this; magnetic ballasts will self-destruct. Each electronic ballast normally drives either two or four tubes. The ballasts are wired with their outputs in parallel such that a normal two-tube ballast drives a single tube; a four-tube ballast drives either one or two tubes. This re-wiring increases the amount of current that each tube can draw, resulting in increased light output. The increase is not linear with the current draw: if the current is doubled, the light increases by a factor of 1.7, while a four-fold increase in current only increases the light output by 2.4 times, as the tube is operating far out of the design parameters.

Usually, extra ballasts are put into the fixture and wired to the sockets the original ballast is no longer powering. For instance, a four-tube fixture with a ballast re-wired to drive two tubes will have a second ballast similarly wired to drive the other two sockets.

Overdriving a fluorescent tube increases the amount of heat produced. Fixtures not designed to handle the additional heat can melt or catch fire.

Overdriven fluorescent light bulbs are generally used when there isn’t enough room to put in more bulbs to increase the light.

1 Safety Concerns
2 Advantages over other lighting methods
3 Resources
4 External link

[edit] Safety Concerns

This can be quite dangerous if one is unfamiliar with electrical wiring practice. The reason that this only works with electronic ballasts is that they use current mode programmed control to limit their output based on legislation for energy efficiency passed in 1992 in the United States.

[edit] Advantages over other lighting methods

This technique has become popular among aquatic gardeners as a cost effective way to add more light to their aquariums. While power compact fluorescent lights cost upwards of $60-100, a twin bulb ODNO light can be set up for $30. In addition, while it is true that the bulbs are running less efficiently, the load on the ballast is still comparable for the light level[1]. So a 32W light running at 2x ODNO (really about 1.7x) is only pulling about 55W from the ballast yet is as bright as 1.7x32W bulb=54W. It's actually saving a watt.