Battery advice? (but not "don't use them!")

[pacealot]

So I'm in the middle stages of trying to put together a semi-modular-type pedalboard-oid thingy with roughly ~14-15 different circuits or so, and I've chosen ones which I know individually can be reliably powered by 9V from a battery (no incandescent bulbs, no 18V charge pumps, etc.). Some are low-current draw (simple buffers, fuzzes & boosts), others are a bit more greedy (LFOs, phasers/flangers/chorus and such). My goal is to make it an untethered battery-capable device, and to that end I'm willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to make it viable. (At some future point I will be exploring "proper" power supplies as a secondary option, but that's way down the road.)

So my main query for the experts is: is it "better" (and also what does "better" actually mean in this case?) to split up the circuits' power sources, say for instance sharing one battery amongst the four or five low-ish-current circuits, and then maybe only powering a maximum of two heavier-drawing ones on one 9V each? Or should I wire up a number of 9Vs in parallel to wring the extra amps out of them and power everything up together off of those? I am willing to even go so far as to give each circuit its own 9v if I have to, but for obvious reasons I'd rather not get so extravagant/heavy/wasteful.

(And please, no "don't use batteries! they're evil/wrong/deadly to the planet/morally repugnant" retorts, as I know all of these arguments already but will be using them regardless of anyone's attempts to persuade me otherwise...    )

[Matthew Sanford]

Separate batteries will make it easier to know which one is dead

[Phend]

Each has a separate 9v battery with a separate on off switch. Yes, does not lend itself to battery changes, oh well, it is a beginner project.

[R.G.]

A really clever guy once had the idea to buy cordless drill that runs on 12V lithium batteries and saw off the handle with the battery holder in it. His idea was to attach the handle/holder to his pedalboard and make 9V out of the 12V with one or more 7809 regulators for powering pedals on the pedalboard. Cordless drill batteries hold a lot of ampere-hours compared to alkaline or carbon zinc batteries, and the charger that comes with them will charge a spare battery faster than the drill can deplete them.

[PRR]

is it "better"...to split up the circuits' power sources, ...sharing one battery amongst the four or five low-ish-..., ....maximum of two heavier-drawing ones...? Or should I wire up a number ....in parallel to wring the extra amps out of them and power everything up together off of those?

This is equivalent to the problem of assigning guests (relatives, friends, VIPs) to tables at a wedding reception. Will aunt Lara suck-up all the conversation at her table? Will uncle Sam suck-up all the wine? Will Allan and Angie argue? Will breaking-up troublemakers even help?

Hard to tell until the party is over.

> ....in parallel to wring the extra amps out

Unless you know better, paralleling power sources (nominally constant voltage) is usually bad. Even batteries. Note that if-you-must, 2V, 6V and 12V Lead-acid batteries are very readily available and can probably carry all the pedals you own.

And look at the way your electric power utility wires things. Arc-welders, street cars, buggy-whip factories, and medical electroshock have very different demands and needs, but are forced to work together on the same lines. While the dam generators are often paralleled, that's all handled in the switchyard amongst semi-matched parts, users don't need to know there's one generator at midnight and 12 at dinnertime.

[Rob Strand]

So my main query for the experts is: is it "better" (and also what does "better" actually mean in this case?) to split up the circuits' power sources, say for instance sharing one battery amongst the four or five low-ish-current circuits, and then maybe only powering a maximum of two heavier-drawing ones on one 9V each? Or should I wire up a number of 9Vs in parallel to wring the extra amps out of them and power everything up together off of those? I am willing to even go so far as to give each circuit its own 9v if I have to, but for obvious reasons I'd rather not get so extravagant/heavy/wasteful

Generally not a good idea to parallel batteries.  It's better to use a single larger capacity battery. 

The many single batteries will work and has the benefit that the whole ensemble doesn't go down when one of the batteries is flat.  Also you can shuffle batteries around the pedal if the pedal you want is flat.

When you consider the switching of power when unplugged the single larger battery is easier to deal with.

[Mark Hammer]

Wasn't there some rechargeable 9V battery from Sanyo or somebody that could provide a fair amount of current and was tailored to guitar pedalboards?  I see that Pedaltrain has their "Volto" rechargeable pedal PS, as does Rockboard.

If you don't mind the bulk, there is always the prospect of a 6-pack of D-cells.  That would provide a big chunk of current.

[PRR]

there is always the prospect of a 6-pack of D-cells

In days of shoulder-carry boomboxes, that was not even considered "large".

-

[pacealot]

Thanks for all the input, everyone – honestly, I'm really starting to warm to the 6 x D-cells idea! 

I recall reading about Pete Cornish's early pedalboards for King Crimson and others wherein he employed one giant 9V battery, but I've never had any luck in finding out what kind of battery that would've been, nor anything currently available which would be anywhere equivalent. But I can still get my hands on D-cells (probably cheaper than the requisite number of 9Vs as well), so that's tipping the balance for me a bit...

[Rob Strand]

I recall reading about Pete Cornish's early pedalboards for King Crimson and others wherein he employed one giant 9V battery, but I've never had any luck in finding out what kind of battery that would've been, nor anything currently available which would be anywhere equivalent. But I can still get my hands on D-cells (probably cheaper than the requisite number of 9Vs as well), so that's tipping the balance for me a bit...

Back in the 1960s there were large 9V batteries (and a few other voltages for that matter).  In the day they were common but they certainly started to diminish over the early to mid 70's era.



These have separate star connectors but I also remember a two prong connector.  Perhaps that was for the 6V units which had a similar form factor.

[bluebunny]

PP9 and PP7 are still a thing, at least here in the UK.  (4.5Ah and 2.7Ah respectively.)

[Rob Strand]

PP9 and PP7 are still a thing, at least here in the UK.  (4.5Ah and 2.7Ah respectively.)

Wow, I wonder what they are used for?    I remember those batteries in radios.  Typically radios from the 60's which were still kicking in the 70's.

[bluelagoon]

Get yourself a Power Bank Battery Pack, They come in all types of sizes, some very discreet with plenty of mAH.
 Then all you need do is regulate it down or up to 9 Volt power then daisy chain all the individual pedals.

Not much different than using a rechargeable power drill battery.
I once used a bank of rechargeable camera batteries regulated to 9 volt, with a whole lot of Amp Hours for a micro pedal board. worked a treat
With all the advancements in battery power technology of late, there are oodles of cheap decent power packs ready to power a pedal board with some appropriate voltage regulation, and also being rechargeable means no need for binning the D size single use type.

Big and expensive, lots of power





Cheap compact with enough useful power

[antonis]

These are all you need..!! 

[bluelagoon]

or you could opt for a Solar Panel array in your backyard.
Make sure to regulate it to suit.

[Focalized]

[bluelagoon]

Mouse Power, I like it.
Now your talking

[Elektrojänis]

Mouse Power, I like it.
Now your talking

How about powering a Rat with that?

A few things to consider could also be weight, space and availability. While a pack of C or D cells will power most pedals almost forever, 6 AA batteries will also last quite a while with most pedals. Pack of AA is also lighter and take up less space thanb C or D. And at least to me it seems that if a shop currently sells batteries, it is most likely to sell AA.

Rechargeable solution will also have it's own pro's. Or... You could have a connector where you can plug in different battery-packs (pre-charged or rechargeable) or even a wall wart depending on the situation.