Power BLOCKS/BRICKS, Voltage & Milliamps FGS

[The GroovyPlucker]

Hi,

Just picking yer brains on this.

Just gone over to separate pedals after years of using multi fx units.

Have got a dilemma about 1 particular pedal, EHX Bass Mono Synth.

Runs at 9v/125ma, power adaptor is 9.6v for some reason.

I've seen a power block/brick thing that has 4-5 9v/100ma outs, plus a couple of 12v, usual, BUT HAS A just one 9v/500ma out, would the Mono Synth be ok to run through this, given it needs more Milliamps than your regular pedal, others I have are 9v and varying ma, all less than 100.

Also, seen lots of power blocks at varying prices, can't remember which one has the 9v/500ma out, what's your recommendations on a good one, then need to find a decent pedal board/bag/case etc, pedal train seem ok, again some cheaper one's around the net, not going massive budget, but not tat either,

Cheers

[bazzbass]

I dunno, I have the EHX C9 organ pedal, sounds fine run by itself on it's own power supply.

Add it to my board with brand new Pedaltrain Volto 3 and there is a loud hum. I was only gonna use it on an intro or two so out it goes, shame.

[itu]

The difference between 9 and 9.6 volts is just 7 %. It negligible. If you use more pedals and your EH needs just 125 mA, you can use the same output to other pedals, too. Just find a cable with two or three connectors.

[The GroovyPlucker]

3 hours ago, itu said:

The difference between 9 and 9.6 volts is just 7 %. It negligible. If you use more pedals and your EH needs just 125 mA, you can use the same output to other pedals, too. Just find a cable with two or three connectors.

you mean a daisy chain pedal for 3 pedals, then going into the brick at the 9v/500ma input? not sure why ehx ship a 9,6v power supply when it runs on 9v, maybe to give it some kinda safety net

[Quatschmacher]

My EHX Enigma has its own 9.6V supply. It runs just fine on my 9V Voodoo Lab power block. It does require 180mA though so I run it off one of the 300mA sockets. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Quatschmacher

[The GroovyPlucker]

25 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

My EHX Enigma has its own 9.6V supply. It runs just fine on my 9V Voodoo Lab power block. It does require 180mA though so I run it off one of the 300mA sockets. 

ahh, that's exactly what i thought, put my mind at rest, Voodoo Labs are real expensive though, was thinking of the T-Rex series, nice small footprint, maybe get one before they dissapear as they're going outta business so I hear

[Chienmortbb]

You should be OK at 9V if the unit is designed correctly. The important things about pedal supplies is that the cheap ones (sub £30) don’thave isolated outputs. That is fine for most analogue pedals but digital pedals can send noise back down the power lines. 

Although the cheap power supplies say they are isolated, it actually means they have protection on each output.

 

[The GroovyPlucker]

Just now, Chienmortbb said:

You should be OK at 9V if the unit is designed correctly. The important things about pedal supplies is that the cheap ones (sub £30) don’thave isolated outputs. That is fine for most analogue pedals but digital pedals can send noise back down the power lines. 

Although the cheap power supplies say they are isolated, it actually means they have protection on each output.

 

so t-rex would be good then? certainly not a cheapy?

[Chienmortbb]

Just now, The GroovyPlucker said:

so t-rex would be good then? certainly not a cheapy?

Yes that should be fine.

[Quatschmacher]

23 hours ago, The GroovyPlucker said:

ahh, that's exactly what i thought, put my mind at rest, Voodoo Labs are real expensive though, was thinking of the T-Rex series, nice small footprint, maybe get one before they dissapear as they're going outta business so I hear

They come up second-hand, which is how I got mine.

MXR recently launched a mini ISO Brick. 

[Owen]

There is a Thomann one which is all isolated and stuff. 

https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_iso_2_pro.htm?o=1&search=1552252679

I would welcome an opinion on this. It looks as if it ticks all the boxes. 

[Quatschmacher]

1 hour ago, owen said:

There is a Thomann one which is all isolated and stuff. 

https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_iso_2_pro.htm?o=1&search=1552252679

I would welcome an opinion on this. It looks as if it ticks all the boxes. 

There’s a used Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 on sale in the effects section of the forum. It’s less than what I paid for mine and it does the job nicely. 

[dannybuoy]

The pedal will run fine at 9v.

Many, but not all, supplies will happily power it from a 100mA output, they can often put out a bit more than labelled, and pedals often use a bit less than the manual states. Both sides involve a certain margin of error.

I recommend the Visual Sound One Spot CS-6 / CS-7. They are designed differently to most supplies out there, using switching tech instead of transformers. The manufacturer even states you can ignore the individual mA labels as long as you don't exceed the amount rated for the entire brick. The Strymon range might be like this too, I can't confirm though.

[rmorris]

On 09/03/2019 at 12:43, Chienmortbb said:

Although the cheap power supplies say they are isolated, it actually means they have protection on each output.

 

Yes - it's misleading. 'Isolated' has a specific and generally accepted meaning wrt electronics and power sources.

They should be described as having individual short circuit protection.

Edited March 12, 2019 by rmorris
typo

[cattytown]

On 09/03/2019 at 12:43, Chienmortbb said:

You should be OK at 9V if the unit is designed correctly. The important things about pedal supplies is that the cheap ones (sub £30) don’thave isolated outputs. That is fine for most analogue pedals but digital pedals can send noise back down the power lines. 

Although the cheap power supplies say they are isolated, it actually means they have protection on each output.

 

Would wrapping around ferrite rings help?