Adapters

[rhdwave]

Does anyone have an opinion on the quietest ac to dc adapter to get? I was reading that a regulated power supply could theoretically be quieter tahn an unregulated>  They seem much more money of course.  Just wondering if it was worth it? Also, any thoughts on the one-spot?

Much thanks for any opinions!

[Barcode80]

the onespot is cool, but IMHO only good for maybe 3 or 4 pedals due to its low mA rating.

[oldschoolanalog]

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Projects/SmWart2/SmallWart2.htm//

[rhdwave]

That looks pretty cool.  If that was built, would it be possible to get adapters such as the one spot uses to power a bunch of pedals daisy-chain style? I'm guessing yes, but i just want to make certain.

[R.G.]

I was reading that a regulated power supply could theoretically be quieter tahn an unregulated>  They seem much more money of course.  Just wondering if it was worth it?

A regulated adapter is absolutely necessary to keep hum and power supply noise out of your pedals.

Also, any thoughts on the one-spot?

It's the only switching power supply I know of that is designed exclusively for and individually tested against guitar pedals. Every 1Spot is tested for powering a high gain distortion before it leaves the factory, in addition to voltage and current tests. It will power a pot full of pedals, and typically costs about $20-$25 depending on which dealer you get it from.

the onespot is cool, but IMHO only good for maybe 3 or 4 pedals due to its low mA rating.

Huh? I guess I would agree with your opinion if it was based on fact, but the 1Spot is not a low ma rating adapter.

The 1Spot is rated for only 1.7 - amperes! It's 1700ma, enough 9V to run any pedalboard I've ever seen.

would it be possible to get adapters such as the one spot uses to power a bunch of pedals daisy-chain style? I'm guessing yes, but i just want to make certain.

The 1Spot has an avaialable daisy chain cable to power five pedals, and is extendable with more daisy chain cables for as many pedals as you'd like to add.

[Mark Hammer]

Does anyone have an opinion on the quietest ac to dc adapter to get? I was reading that a regulated power supply could theoretically be quieter tahn an unregulated>  They seem much more money of course.  Just wondering if it was worth it? Also, any thoughts on the one-spot?

Much thanks for any opinions!

Regulation is what turns the AC into something approximating DC.  I say "approximating" because they vary in how much ripple/fluctuation remains in the "DC".  Good regulation reduces that ripple to the point of being inaudible.  Minimal or poor regulation will still leave enough ripple superimposed on the DC that you CAN hear it as 60hz/50hz hum.  A battery will likely have some measurable fluctuation (because it contains an active ongoing chemical process) but those changes will be so miniscule as to be largely unmeasurable with conventional equipment and be so quick that they will have no discernible impact.  For all intents and purposes, batteries have a stable, unchanging voltage that may decline over the long run but in the short run is a flat line on the oscilloscope.

Though not a precise way of depicting it, regulation, or at least ripple elimination, can be roughly divided into active and passive forms.  Active would be self-correcting in some way.  Passive simply involves capacitive filtering.  The big capacitors on both power supplies and between V+ and ground in the pedals themselves, play a role in adding a kind of "treble cut" to the power supply  If the supply has some fluctuation at 60hz that I hear as hum, "cutting the treble" in the supply line with a big capacitor so that everything above 2hz is attenuated (just like a tone cap in your guitar cuts treble above some frequency) will reduce audible hum.  It's not regulation in the classic sense of a deliberate attempt to constrain the supply voltage.  Rather, it essentially "smudges" all the fluctuations in the power supply so that it becomes more stable and consistent over time.  The same way that if I eliminated all the treble above 200hz in a recording of your speech, you would seem to be only emitting a low groan and not really changing what you say.

Why this big explanation?  Because you can take essentially ANY adaptor that has only barely acceptable regulation and improve it by adding additional capacitance, and occasionally a resistor and capacitor.  The same way you can always add more treble cut to any signal.

One way is to build what I like to call a power distribution box.  This is simply a box with a wallwart jack for input, and as many jacks for output as you would like.  The wallwart plugs into it, and you "distribute" the power through cables plugged into the output jacks.  between the input and output jacks can be an LED to let you know the power is still on, and one or more capacitors to provided extra filtering and smoothing of the power from the main wallwart supply.  The advantage of this approach over a daisy chain plug such as RG describes is that:

• a) the cables can be built to length so that they flawlessly fit your pedal layout without anything being too short, too long, or requiring you to place a pedal where you don't want it to go for the sake of the power cable
• b) you can improve the quality of the supplied power by adding regulation over and above what the wallwart itself does

Another advantage for some people is that they can arrange to have multiple supply voltages or polarities coming outof the same box, but we'll stay simple for now.

The daisy chain power cord IS a convenient solution for many people, and the 1Spot is obviously a well-designed product form a a variety of perspectives.  However, some folks already have a suitable adaptor and don't want to buy another, and also may have very special pedalboard layout needs (i.e., their board isn't all one brand of compact pedals with the adaptor jack in the exact same spot).  IN those circumstances, a distribution box is a real convenience and lets a more or less decent adaptor do a great job.

[Barcode80]

WOOPS! I stand corrected, R.G.  i think i mesread the specs exactly how you probably think i did...

[rhdwave]

Thanks for all the responses! Definately sounds like there are some interesting options.  I'm hearing some good things its sounds re: the onespot, and also some alternatives.  In terms of the box that you described with the one input for the wall wart and the many outputs, i understand that this would require a separate adapter, if i'm reading this correctly, the project from smallbear is its own wall wart basically...a diy adapter.  Is that right?

Thanks again for everyone's feedback!

[aron]

>typically costs about $20-$25 depending on which dealer you get it from.

That's cheap! I wonder if I can get it for that price in Honolulu 

[Pushtone]

One way is to build what I like to call a power distribution box. 

Mark, You have brought this up many times before,
I just wanted to let you know I took that advice and it has worked out great. 

I was just sick of those daisy chain power cables and trying to get the last one
to reach a pedal that had the DC jack on the side or other out of the way place.

I installed no less than ten DC jacks in a 1590A box (one used for an input).
It's a much better solution.

Thanks for flogging that horse or I might have missed your good idea. ie: your posts are not in vain.



I've had in mind to cobble a battery PSU to go with the distro box.
I did an experiment where I paralleled four 9V batteries together and
connected six DIY pedals (with the LED on too).

They lasted 60 hours before the output metered below 8.2V with the load.
I though that a battery PSU would be good for recording.
Four batts would certainly last long enough for studio work.
It's one less hum to trouble shoot in the studio.

[Ben N]

Not to hijack, but as long as we're here --

RG (or anyone), do you know how the 1-Spot handles multiple Line6 boxes? I have the Space Chorus and the Echo Park, and both are fine individually, or with other pedals, but when they share a power supply, all kinds of nasty hum starts to happen. I don't have this problem with any other pedals, which I do daisy chain.

Bn

[calculating_infinity]

>typically costs about $20-$25 depending on which dealer you get it from.

That's cheap! I wonder if I can get it for that price in Honolulu 

You know better than that Aron!  I ordered mine on ebay for 25 dollars which actually included the daisychain plugs.  I knew looking for it here would kind of be useless.   

The OneSpot is a great deal IMO.  I need to get another daisy chain add on to power more pedals!

[Processaurus]

RG (or anyone), do you know how the 1-Spot handles multiple Line6 boxes? I have the Space Chorus and the Echo Park, and both are fine individually, or with other pedals, but when they share a power supply, all kinds of nasty hum starts to happen. I don't have this problem with any other pedals, which I do daisy chain.

I have three of the tonecore pedals daisy chained together and its dead quiet, both with a 1 spot and a boss adapter (though its pushing how much current the boss is rated for, they take 70-100mA apiece, depending on the program(!?).  I suspect they might have addressed the problem with noise at some point since they came out, and people started complaining.

One way is to build what I like to call a power distribution box.

Excellent.  Here's a little idea for that, use a bigger box than Pushtone's 1590A (something tall but narrow would be nice for real estate), skip putting DC jacks on it, and hardwire the DC cables to the power input.  Use some of mouser's pre fabbed molded right angle 2.1mm plug + cable assemblies, and leave them kinda long, so you can coil up the slack inside the distribution box, so that every one is just the right length for your pedalboard, but you can change it easily later on, without having to make new cables.  For easy strain relief, do like lamp makers do, tie a knot in the cable (near the end in the box) so if it gets yanked good it won't break its soldered connection inside the box, because the strain will be on the knot, which is too big to get through the cables opening in the box ( a filed slot in between the box and lid would be perfect).  You'd be saving yourself the expense of the jacks, 1/2 the DC plugs, drilling, and the hassle of soldering plugs on the box end of the DC cables.

I've had in mind to cobble a battery PSU to go with the distro box.

6 C or D cells.  Cheap!  A plastic clip that would line them up single file on the back edge of a pedalboard would be awesome.

[Pushtone]

and hardwire the DC cables to the power input. 

Good idea Processaurus. This was my intention. I really did not want to put $20 worth of jacks in a box.

However, the holes were too sharp and started to shred the cable jacket, even after filing them. Looked like the jackets would wear through in less than a year. I drilled the holes larger to fit in a rubber grommet but they kept falling out when manipulating the cable around. Drove me crazy. I drilled it again, installed the jacks just to be done with it. A ten dollar project turned into a thirty dollar one.

[Mark Hammer]

1) Glad it worked out so well, Pushtone.

2) The output jacks DO cost money and require machining.  In their defense, though, they permit more flexibility in terms of reconfiguring.  If someonecomes by and says "Hey, wanna try out a cool pedal?", you can simply grab a power cable, plug in and route it to something off your pedalboard.  Or, you can have a brainstorm for reordering/relocating your pedals, and run cables to them in their new location.  Or, if it is a reverse polarity pedal, you can have "flipped" power cables available for duty without having to rewire things inside the distribution box.  Of course, you can do all of that with the hardwired arrangement suggested as well, but the plug and cable arrangement permits a tad more flexibility. 

Some people are more satisfied with their currentpedalboard arrangement than others, so if shifting stuff around is not likely to be in the stars for you, the arrangement the Processaurus and Pushtone suggest is quite acceptable.

[Barcode80]

actually, if i understand correctly you can't chain a reverse polarity with others on the same chain, seems like i remember a conversation about that somewhere on here...

i'm actually thinking about removing the main area my pedals are on, drilling holes scattered around the board, then installing dc jacks in them. that way, the nearest power point is a mere 3 or 4 inches away.

[Pushtone]

i'm actually thinking about removing the main area my pedals are on, drilling holes scattered around the board, then installing dc jacks in them. that way, the nearest power point is a mere 3 or 4 inches away.

Oh, love that.

Pedalboard with built in DC distro. Great idea.

[Barcode80]

i'll post pics when i finish

[Auke Haarsma]

Not to hijack, but as long as we're here --

RG (or anyone), do you know how the 1-Spot handles multiple Line6 boxes? I have the Space Chorus and the Echo Park, and both are fine individually, or with other pedals, but when they share a power supply, all kinds of nasty hum starts to happen. I don't have this problem with any other pedals, which I do daisy chain.

Bn

1-spot does handle multiple boxes, even line6 boxes. The problem is the Echo Park. It cannot be used with a daisy chain. I've had several EP's and several daisy chains and always had this issue. In the end you have to feed the EP seperately (or sell it, as I did )

[Barcode80]

yeah, for the price the H2O by visual sound is a far nicer echo, IMHO.