How do you wire/connect to bipolar power supply, cable wise?

[bbmonster]

Hi, wondering how do you setup your pedals to connect to a bipolar power supply? Do you guys use two DC jacks one for the positive voltage and the other for the negative? Or do you use some sort of cable/connector that can connect +/-/ground? I was thinking maybe a 1/8" stereo extension cord but then what if some dummy tries plugging in earphones into the power supply unit, bzzzt 

Thanks.

[petemoore]

  You could get the +9vdc/_9vdc going inside the box from 9v supply, see GEO.
  Otherwise...a dedicated 3 conductor cable could be used.
  Anything else might be a bit messy, whatever works...
 
 

[alparent]

I was thinking maybe a 1/8" stereo extension cord but then what if some dummy tries plugging in earphones into the power supply unit, bzzzt 

You could use sub-mini stereo jacks. You know the ones smaller then 1/8"! I don't really know any thing common using that size. So the risk of somebody connecting the wrong thing in it is minimized.

[Mark Hammer]

Male to male stereo mini phone plug cables are cheap and easily available.  I get them at the dollar store.  While I would not use them to power amplifiers, the cable inside them is usually more than sufficient to carry the needed current for a stompbox.  Indeed, the copper inside is about as thick as a great many 9v battery connector leads.

If you are truly and justifiably concerned about people plugging the wrong stuff in, I might recommend the connector cables used to feed your CD/DVD drive to your sound card or MOBO.  These often have a more than acceptable length, the right number of leads, and are distinctive enough that no one will plug anything inappropriate to the power supply.  The tricky part is what gets used for the pedal itself.  There, I would say to use mini phone jacks since they are cheap, small, available, and perfectly acceptable for the job.  The only caveat with them is that the power plug MUST go into the pedal, before the other end goes to the power supply, and both should be connected before the power supply gets turned on or before any wallwart gets stuck into the wall or power bar.

[bbmonster]

Male to male stereo mini phone plug cables are cheap and easily available.  I get them at the dollar store.  While I would not use them to power amplifiers, the cable inside them is usually more than sufficient to carry the needed current for a stompbox.  Indeed, the copper inside is about as thick as a great many 9v battery connector leads.

If you are truly and justifiably concerned about people plugging the wrong stuff in, I might recommend the connector cables used to feed your CD/DVD drive to your sound card or MOBO.  These often have a more than acceptable length, the right number of leads, and are distinctive enough that no one will plug anything inappropriate to the power supply.  The tricky part is what gets used for the pedal itself.  There, I would say to use mini phone jacks since they are cheap, small, available, and perfectly acceptable for the job.  The only caveat with them is that the power plug MUST go into the pedal, before the other end goes to the power supply, and both should be connected before the power supply gets turned on or before any wallwart gets stuck into the wall or power bar.

Thanks for the ideas. Also, thank you for reminding me the other hazard of using a stereo plug, in that the contacts are fully exposed, bzzzt. More stuff to worry about than someone plugging in headphones.