I CAN'T PARALLEL IT

[zener]

I have a power supply that has a rating of 750mA-1A as stated in the label. It can switch from 3v to 12v. http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/zener/My_Power_Supply.jpg

I know already from here that I can use it to power many stompboxes in parallel. It doesn't work just for two .

First, I plug it in into my Little Gem amp, it's working. When I plug the second connector to a stompbox, the Little Gem amp stops and there's a humming sound. I inverted the polarity of my stompbox. But still, nothing happened.

I hate using 9v batteries all the time. I always have to open the box.

Thanks for any help. :wink:  

Zener

[Mike Burgundy]

inverting polarity won't always work. If you use a negative ground pedal ("normal") with a positive ground pedal (such as a FuzzFace), you cannot use them together on one single adapter - because the pedals connect BOTH positive AND negative to ground, you short out the supply, with possibly disastrous results.
First make sure the adapter is still working, and rectifies and filters well. Easy to do this: take your DMM and verify 9V DC and practically no AC. Make a not of what connection is + and -.
Now, verify that it works with just one pedal. Keep an eye on the plus and minus connections, and make a note which one connects to signal ground (conituity test with no power applied, between battery terminals and input ground). Then verify with just the other pedal. Compare the power connections to the previuos pedal.
If you're ab-so-lu-tely sure all these are the same, and both individual pedals work, the whole thing *should* work just fine.
hih

[smoguzbenjamin]

You say nothing happened when you added the 1000uF cap, that'll just make the PSU more quiet if it's humming in the first place.

Maybe you're draining too much current from the PSU (highly unlikely but anyway). Also make sure you've got it on 9V. Maybe the fact that the PS has 2 connectors has to do with it. Try using a daisy-chain cable to power them and see if that works. It's what I use and it works like a charm for me

[zener]

Thanks for the answers but mine still doesn't work. Here's what I have and what I did:

I connected a 1/8" FEMALE jack and a 9v battery snap as power source for my Little Gem. The 9v wire from the circuit is connected to the 1/8" FEMALE jack to its lug that makes contact with the base (not the tip) of a male jack. Therefore the tip of the MALE jack is negative and connects to the ground of the circuit. With my Hot Silicon (the stompbox I'm using), my primary power source wire connected to the circuit is from a battery snap. Then I peeled off some insulation somewhere the middle of the red wire of the snap and connect another wire. I applied electrical tape. Then another wire that connects to the ground of the circuit (one of the grounded input lugs). Then connected the wires where they should be in the FEMALE jack.

The mere fact that my Little Gem is working with the PS tells that the polar orientation of the connector is correct. I tried each of the connector with Little Gem and they both worked.

Then, I used a 9v battery to power my Little Gem and plug one of the PS connector to the stompbox. There's the hum. I used the other connector and still, there's nothing.

I noticed few things. When I insert the connector to the stompbox, there were tiny sparks in the jack before the connector can be completely inserted. Another thing, when I powered the stompbox with a 9v battery, it won't work unless I disconnect the positive wire connected to the FEMALE jack (the PS connector is not plugged). I also get this tiny sparks when I disconnect the positive wire from the female jack and use it to touch the outer part of the female jack and some part of the casing where the paint is scraped.

Series connection :roll: ? Won't that reduce the power supplied to each devices?

Thanks for any help. :wink:

Zener

Thanks

[zener]

Thanks for the answers but mine still doesn't work. Here's what I have and what I did:

I connected a 1/8" FEMALE jack and a 9v battery snap as power source for my Little Gem. The 9v wire from the circuit is connected to the 1/8" FEMALE jack to its lug that makes contact with the base (not the tip) of a male jack. Therefore the tip of the MALE jack is negative and connects to the ground of the circuit. With my Hot Silicon (the stompbox I'm using), my primary power source wire connected to the circuit is from a battery snap. Then I peeled off some insulation somewhere the middle of the red wire of the snap and connect another wire. I applied electrical tape. Then another wire that connects to the ground of the circuit (one of the grounded input lugs). Then connected the wires where they should be in the FEMALE jack.

The mere fact that my Little Gem is working with the PS tells that the polar orientation of the connector is correct. I tried each of the connector with Little Gem and they both worked.

Then, I used a 9v battery to power my Little Gem and plug one of the PS connector to the stompbox. There's the hum. I used the other connector and still, there's nothing.

I noticed few things. When I insert the connector to the stompbox, there were tiny sparks in the jack before the connector can be completely inserted. Another thing, when I powered the stompbox with a 9v battery, it won't work unless I disconnect the positive wire connected to the FEMALE jack (the PS connector is not plugged). I also get this tiny sparks when I disconnect the positive wire from the female jack and use it to touch the outer part of the female jack and some part of the casing where the paint is scraped.

Series connection :roll: ? Won't that reduce the power supplied to each devices?

Thanks for any help. :wink:

Zener

Thanks

[zener]

Thanks for the answers but mine still doesn't work. Here's what I have and what I did:

I connected a 1/8" FEMALE jack and a 9v battery snap as power source for my Little Gem. The 9v wire from the circuit is connected to the 1/8" FEMALE jack to its lug that makes contact with the base (not the tip) of a male jack. Therefore the tip of the MALE jack is negative and connects to the ground of the circuit. With my Hot Silicon (the stompbox I'm using), my primary power source wire connected to the circuit is from a battery snap. Then I peeled off some insulation somewhere the middle of the red wire of the snap and connect another wire. I applied electrical tape. Then another wire that connects to the ground of the circuit (one of the grounded input lugs). Then connected the wires where they should be in the FEMALE jack.

The mere fact that my Little Gem is working with the PS tells that the polar orientation of the connector is correct. I tried each of the connector with Little Gem and they both worked.

Then, I used a 9v battery to power my Little Gem and plug one of the PS connector to the stompbox. There's the hum. I used the other connector and still, there's nothing.

I noticed few things. When I insert the connector to the stompbox, there were tiny sparks in the jack before the connector can be completely inserted. Another thing, when I powered the stompbox with a 9v battery, it won't work unless I disconnect the positive wire connected to the FEMALE jack (the PS connector is not plugged). I also get this tiny sparks when I disconnect the positive wire from the female jack and use it to touch the outer part of the female jack and some part of the casing where the paint is scraped.

Series connection :roll: ? Won't that reduce the power supplied to each devices?

Thanks for any help. :wink:

Zener

Thanks

[Mike Burgundy]

I connected a 1/8" FEMALE jack and a 9v battery snap as power source for my Little Gem. The 9v wire from the circuit is connected to the 1/8" FEMALE jack to its lug that makes contact with the base (not the tip) of a male jack. Therefore the tip of the MALE jack is negative and connects to the ground of the circuit.

Unless you are using completely isolated plastic jacks, the sleeve connection (used for signal ground and in your case V+) will have a connection to the case. Through the other jacks, it will then connect to ground and short out the supply, but it seems to me this is not a problem - the thing works right?
By the way - the female chassis bit is mostly referred to as a "jack" (oddly enough), the male bit is a jackplug.

With my Hot Silicon (the stompbox I'm using), my primary power source wire connected to the circuit is from a battery snap. Then I peeled off some insulation somewhere the middle of the red wire of the snap and connect another wire. I applied electrical tape. Then another wire that connects to the ground of the circuit (one of the grounded input lugs). Then connected the wires where they should be in the FEMALE jack.

I advise you to connect new wires not halfway an existing wire, but on the pcb. Just run an extra wire. Soldering in the middle of existing wires is asking for shorts, broken wires and other unreliable stuff. You've connected positive to the jack sleeve, right?

The mere fact that my Little Gem is working with the PS tells that the polar orientation of the connector is correct. I tried each of the connector with Little Gem and they both worked.

okay, so either both connectors are correct, or both wrong the same way together with the LilGem.

Then, I used a 9v battery to power my Little Gem and plug one of the PS connector to the stompbox. There's the hum. I used the other connector and still, there's nothing.

this is weird. Judging from what you've told, it should be ok. I'm still guessing there's a wiring error, or an unintended short. Have you done any of those measurements?

I noticed few things. When I insert the connector to the stompbox, there were tiny sparks in the jack before the connector can be completely inserted. Another thing, when I powered the stompbox with a 9v battery, it won't work unless I disconnect the positive wire connected to the FEMALE jack (the PS connector is not plugged). I also get this tiny sparks when I disconnect the positive wire from the female jack and use it to touch the outer part of the female jack and some part of the casing where the paint is scraped.

suggests a short! Once again, please do a continuity test (AND a resistance test) on (without any powersupply connected, but with input jacks inserted if you use powerswitching on the input):
circuit ground to power jack sleeve
circuit ground to input jack sleeve
circuit ground to output jack sleeve
Powersupply output (Both AC and DC)
Measure those and report back please.
I'm still thinking you're shorting out the PS with those jacks...
Do the same with the gem and pedal hooked up to each other and the PS, but with the PS not plugged in.

Series connection  ? Won't that reduce the power supplied to each devices?

It will reduce powersupply voltage. If the pedals want to draw the same current (so they are the same impedance) each pedal gets 4.5V.
Parallel is needed to get 9V to all pedals, but keep in mind all currents are ADDED, so make sure the total powerhandling of the supply is up to it (should not be a problem here though)

Thanks for any help.

[zener]

Hey Mike,

Thanks a lot. Feel like I was taken back to grade school. Once again, I feel so stupid not realizing those sparks are sign of shorting (basic electricity, right) :evil: .

Here's the details and my analysis.

I don't hava DMM right now, I left it somewhere else. But it didn't took me to have that before I can figure out everything.

The power supply wiring is the source my demise. They were inverted as wired with the jackplug (tip should be positive and sleeve should be negative). Because of that, my jacks have to follow the wrong wiring too.

On why the only Little Gem is getting powered: The Little Gem is in a plastic box, the Hot Silicon is in a METAL BOX :shock: . Therefore nothing shorted in the Little Gem and it functioned well. In the Hot Silicon, the sleeves of the jacks connect to the metal case since it went through drilling and a bit of coating were scraped, exposing the conductive metal. Unfortunately, since my 1/8" jack sleeve is connected to positive and touching the case, IT'S DEFINITELY SHORTING WITH GROUND SINCE INPUT AND OUTPUT JACKS' SLEEVES ARE ALSO TOUCHING THE CASING. shock:  :evil:  :x  : .

Damn stupid! Maybe it's time for me to have some sleep. It's already 4:45 AM here and I've been awake since last night :shock: .

By the way, the female and male thing: Here, store personnels cannot identify what you're asking for unless you say male or female jack. Many times I asked for a jack and they gave me a jackplug. Furthermore, they don't know what is a perfboard. When I asked for it few times, they gave me a breadboard :? . I don't what they call it here. Now, I'll just say, "a PCB with holes already". :lol:  Before, to save my face a bit, I just say, "that's how they call it in USA, Europe etc. and I've just arrived few days ago". :lol:  

I'm going to invert the wiring and after that hit the bed for some sleep to forget those stupidities I made the other day.  

Thanks a lot :wink: .

Zener

[Mike Burgundy]

Glad it's sorted!
 

[smoguzbenjamin]

Here in Holland, or at least Leiden which is the city I live in, it takes ages to make people understand what perfboard is :mrgreen: they call it (i'll directly translate this) "an experimentation board with islands with one hole". What the hell!
And it's not that good to experiment on anyway, because I perf'ed the mini mixer from GGG today on a salvaged piece and it was a pain in the ass :evil:

Good thing you got that sorted out!

[Mike Burgundy]

That term also exists in English: "pad-per-hole"
"standaardprint" (standard print) is usually understood as perf, as is "gaatjesprint" ("print-with-holes-in") or experimenters print ("experimenteer print") which is what Velleman calls it - and most dealers deal in Velleman prints over here.
hih
;p
"Ach ja, Leiden he... (grijns)"

[smoguzbenjamin]

Mondje dicht Mike! :twisted: