DC power plug

[Jayco]

Hey all,

Just curious... I know that the standard plug to use when building your own power cables is 2.1mm x 5.5mm x 9.9mm.

I've noticed that the 9.9 lenght is a little long for most pedals and was curious if there was a reason why the 9.5mm length plugs were not used?

I need to order some for a new pedal board and Mouser is completely out of stock (until MAY!!!) of the 9.9 length.

They have a 2.1 x 5.5 x 9.5 plug that is nickel plated copper and rated for 1.5 amps at 24VDC...  would that work?

Thanks in advance!

Jim

[Peter Snowberg]

The 9.5s should work just fine. 

[Jayco]

Peter,

Thanks... I'll give them a shot.

In a related question, I have some Gepco Gep-Flex 24 microphone cable that I've used for wiring patchbays in my studio...  its a 24 gauge pair with a separate drain wire.  Its highly flexible and very small (great for wiring tight places)...  would this work for power cable?  I've read that many people use 22 gauge zip cord, but I didn't know if a 24 gauge pair would be close enough for 9v/12v wiring (I do have a 12v pedal).

Thanks!

Jim

[Peter Snowberg]

The current demands are what dictates the size of the wire. For most circuits the draw is so small that 24 vs. 22 doesn't amount to a hill of beans. If you're powering a DSP based effect you'll probably want larger wires because clean power is everything in the digital world.

I would make up some cords and see what you get. If you have problems with a pedal, grab your DMM and see what the voltage making it to the pedal actually reads at the pedal input. Since the power is low you're probably not going to have to worry about burning the wire up. The general rule is that the longer the wire, the larger gauge it needs to be.

Most 9V battery snaps use 26 gauge wire. The premium ones use 24 gauge. 

[Jayco]

I do have one DSP based effect... a Line 6 DL4.

However, that being said, the supply I am using is the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.

The Line 6 would be plugged into its own isolated and filtered jack.  It measures out at about 12 VDC / 1200 mA on that isolated line.

Do you think 24 gauge could handle that much?

All other pedals are tube screamers, dynacomps, distortion +, etc..  your typical 9 VDC / 5 - 8 mA draw.

Jim