What's the best 2.1mm jack for pedals?

[auden100]

Newark Link - http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?sku=13M3783

[trjones1]

Ok, thanks.  I see what the catch it now.  They are not switched for use with a battery.  I knew they were too good to be true.

[therecordingart]

I'm not sure why folks say you shouldn't use the metal/non-isolated jacks. I use metal jacks, but I don't make a sleeve connection to my input/output jacks since the enclosure is my ground and the sleeve mechanically makes a ground connection just by being mounted....no ground loop issues doing it that way.

Because centre negative = sleeve positive, connected directly through your enclosure to the ground on your I/O jacks- even using isolated jacks for audio, all it would take would be for the enclosure to touch a non-isolated enclosure like another pedal and bam.

I'm not sure I follow. If the sleeve of a non-isolated jack is connected to the negative it turns your enclosure into one big ground. The center pin or tip of the jack connects to positive. All of my current boxes are wired this way. However, I don't have any of them to use both a battery or PSU....PSU only and I made little 9v snap to 2.1mm male adapters.

[trjones1]

I'm not sure I follow. If the sleeve of a non-isolated jack is connected to the negative it turns your enclosure into one big ground. The center pin or tip of the jack connects to positive. All of my current boxes are wired this way. However, I don't have any of them to use both a battery or PSU....PSU only and I made little 9v snap to 2.1mm male adapters.

There's nothing wrong with the way you do it, in fact it is the better way to go for a lot of reasons.  The problem is that the industry standard Boss-type DC adapters are center negative and so most people design their pedals to work with them, which requires an isolated jack.

[igerup]

People could just use an extension wire with switched polarity. Probably needs a Y-splitter first for those commercial pedals that require center negative.

[therecordingart]

I'm not sure I follow. If the sleeve of a non-isolated jack is connected to the negative it turns your enclosure into one big ground. The center pin or tip of the jack connects to positive. All of my current boxes are wired this way. However, I don't have any of them to use both a battery or PSU....PSU only and I made little 9v snap to 2.1mm male adapters.

There's nothing wrong with the way you do it, in fact it is the better way to go for a lot of reasons.  The problem is that the industry standard Boss-type DC adapters are center negative and so most people design their pedals to work with them, which requires an isolated jack.

Gotcha...didn't know that.

[MmmPedals]

Nobody has mentioned these yet. Cheapest place to get them. Used to be $.50 a piece
http://www.effectsconnection.com/oscommerce/index.php?cPath=30

[deadastronaut]

you guys in the usa have a lot more choice when it comes to bits n pieces than we do in the uk...

better quality enclosures too...i need to move country i guess!.


@therecordingart. are all your pedals tip + then?.....

[therecordingart]

you guys in the usa have a lot more choice when it comes to bits n pieces than we do in the uk...

better quality enclosures too...i need to move country i guess!.


@therecordingart. are all your pedals tip + then?.....

Yep. All tip +

The only pedal that I have that I didn't make is a Boss EQ pedal. I was completely ignorant to the fact that Boss is tip negative. I probably would've done things differently had I known that, but at the same time I don't really plan on having any more prebuilt pedals than that EQ.

[deadastronaut]

you guys in the usa have a lot more choice when it comes to bits n pieces than we do in the uk...

better quality enclosures too...i need to move country i guess!.


@therecordingart. are all your pedals tip + then?.....

Yep. All tip +

The only pedal that I have that I didn't make is a Boss EQ pedal. I was completely ignorant to the fact that Boss is tip negative. I probably would've done things differently had I known that, but at the same time I don't really plan on having any more prebuilt pedals than that EQ.

cheers .

i would have to swap the dc leads around...it would bug me..anyway cheers happy playing..