powerful recommendations

[turing]

anyone built the power supply at tonepad (http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=111)?
i presume that'll do me fine - ie. pump out a steady 9 volts at each output no matter big the drain may be on another one, but just wanted to check if another circuit came especially recommended.
i never realised that a really solid power supply was so damned important! oh well i suppose you learn something new with each box.
cheers

[turing]

i mean, could i just pump up the power level with say the ggg charge pump circuit and just not use the negative 9 volt side?
i need to have a guaranteed supply of 9 volts for about 4-5 pedals.
any suggestions much appreciated as always

[GibsonGM]

That depends on what kind of current you're going to draw, Turing...for most of us, if you plan to have 100mA available (figure 20mA per pedal, x5), any simple 9V supply that will deliver that should work fine.  The key is that it's regulated, so you really get 9V no matter what (an unregulated supply would deliver more than that if you are lower in draw, and less than 9 if you go over). 
 
I'm thinking of doing the same thing...just using say, a 12v transformer or wall wart, and running it thru a bridge (if AC wallwart/transformer, not needed for a DC supply), to a LM7809 regulator.  With the correct filter caps (a quick google search of "LM7809 supply" should get an easy circuit for you), it will deliver about 1A, way more than we need for pedals, so that should do just fine!
Someone will come along and probably point you to a simple circuit, but the above will do the same.
)

[turing]

thanks for the response........definitely some things to consider there. i've never had to think about my power supplies like this before, so even something as basic as milliamp consumption hasn't swum into my ken.
alls i know is that my rebote delay plummeted in level when running off the same, very basic power rail i'd whacked together (a regulated 9v wallwart, then a strip of board with a 100r res and a 1000uf cap across), as some other boards. when i finally thought to measure the voltage getting to the delay it was around 7v, which a knowledgeable friend reckoned to be the cause of the level drop.....the delay simply wasn't getting enough oomph to power it properly.
so if i put a higher voltage in, then strap a voltage regulator into the proceedings, the voltage wouldn't sag like that? or is this a question of amps? who would have thought building electronics circuits could be so fiddly.

[GibsonGM]

I'm pretty sure that if you have a wallwart or transformer that can deliver amperage well in excess of what your pedals will draw, you'll be ok with a regulator.  Like, if you need something like 200mA, and your wart/transformer is rated for 500mA or greater, that should do fine, I would think.   The 7809 can supply up to 1A, within your transformer's ability to deliver it, of course.   It IS a question of ability to deliver amps, and can get very complex, but for what you're doing isn't too hard to understand.  If you exceed the transformer/wart's ability to deliver power, the voltage sags.

   With what I'm going to build, I'll be using a simple Radio Shack 12.6v transformer, 3A.   It's 6.3-0-6.3 tapped, so I will use a bridge and then into the regulator with caps.  The data sheet on the 7809 shows how this works (2 caps, a resistor or 2...).  That should work great, and they're inexpensive!  And can power quite a few pedals with no worries!

[Morocotopo]

 Hi, I built two and it works perfectly (although I modified the layout to suit my purposes, the schematic is untouched). Highly recommended. You can also use a simple 7809 1A regulator chip circuit, but you lose the voltage adjustability.
CAUTION: do you have experience with high voltage stuff? If not, be very sure of what you do, or use an external transformer, so you don´t have to deal with high voltage wiring. I used a plastic case in mine, that eliminates the possibility of something shorting against the case, but you lose the shielding properties of a metal one.

Morocotopo

[petemoore]

  I built something similar, actually a bunch of them, the 'Spyder', GEO.
  There are no parallel or daisy chained grounds or V+'s, each DC output is isolated.
  Very nice, if you're buiding PS's it's worth a look.
  It got overheated in a fire, I got a 'VooDooLabs PP2+', about the same thing except brick-like construction, and prettier looking than my Spyder,  which is now a charcoal-toxicated, melty mess...I'll probably dig in there at an attempt to salvage the iron at some point, the tranny may have been spared the extreme heat that melted all the wirings, might clean right up.