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Powering Pedals


Fraser Welsh

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I'm currently in the process of putting together a pedal board and need mains supply for my pedals to save on 9 volt batteries. I curently have four pedals but will likely get a couple more in the next few months. Will one of the cheaper adaptors with multiple connectors do the job reliably or am I better off getting a more expensive unit like BOSS and others make? Also my Russian Big Muff can only be powered from a battery can it be converted to work from an adaptor? Thanks...

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a simple 9 volt adaptor with a multi adaptor thingy will be fine to power them AS LONG AS you check it to make sure it can handle the current. the majority of pedals dont draw that much but some things draw loads. my DD6 draws about 200 ma for example.

check to see that the adaptor you get can hanbdle the current you need for your pedals at 9 volts. unless you're running lots of high current draw pedals you should be fine with anything that can give 1 amp at 9 volts. if i doubt the current draw for pedals is normally listed in the owners manual.

you may also want to be wary of ground loops if you're using a multi power adaptor. it wont fry your pedals but can be an annoying source of hum and interference. the same goes for the adaptor infact. a cheap, unshielded, minimal smoothing adaptor can add nasty hum and noise to your signal. this actually leads quite nicelly onto the big muff question

yes the BMP can be changed to work of a 9 volt adaptor. its a pretty easy thing to do and all you need to do is drill a hold in the case and then reconnect/solder a few bits of wire to the right places. however, from what i know the BMP can be a bit pissy when connected to a non battery source and if it isnt a stable 9 volts then it will buzz/hum/scream at you.

so in closing lol

yes cheap adaptor will work, tho it may introduce hum and noise and juct make sure it can handle the current

more expensive adaptors will be better shielded/ have better smoothing so less noise but with multi connections you may still get ground loop hum.

BMP can run off adaptor but if you do that you may want to spend a little more on the adaptor to make sure its a half decent one

hope thats all helpful. ask more questions if you need more answers

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thank you very much. :D  That's just what I needed to know.  I think I'll probably go for a more expensive power source as it seems like it's going to be more beneficial in the long run...

Just use a normal power supply and by a 1spot daisy chain, now you got up to

5 pedals on 1 outlet, and its easy as pie.

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Thank you very much. :D   That's just what I needed to know.  I think I'll probably go for a more expensive power source as it seems like it's going to be more beneficial in the long run...

Just use a normal power supply and by a 1spot daisy chain, now you got up to

5 pedals on 1 outlet, and its easy as pie.

I use the 1Spot with the daisy chain harness. They even make converter plugs for different type connectors . You can get the 1Spot & daisy chain together at Musicians Friend for like $25.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home...ase_pid/151692/

http://www.visualsound.net/1spot.htm

Godlyke & Carvin have similar setups.

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