# Multi pedals power supply



## Salokin (Nov 10, 2008)

*Multi pedals power supply?*

Is someone knows a good pedals power that can power more than 8 pedals.
I know that the voodoo lab is a very good one, and that the DC brick can
power 9 pedals at the time, but it' s splited like that, seven 9 volts and three 18 volts.

I' m searching one that can power more than 8 pedals, but all in 9 volts.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

You can use a daisy-chain cable to power a few pedals from one of the power-supply outlets.

Ian/Iaresee has a Voodoo Labs supply he bought from someone that only had a few working outputs. I suggested to him that maybe each output used a small 3-pin 100ma regulator and someone had plugged a digital pedal into one of the outputs and burnt it. Those regulators can only tolerate passing 100ma before suffering heat damage. Because most analog pedals only draw 5-15ma of current, it is quite safe to use one power output to supply even 5 or 6 analog pedals. But many digital pedals use 50-60ma, and older ones can use much more. Plugging some of these into the supply output might draw more than 100ma through the regulator and burn it out.

After I mentioned this to Ian, he took his supply apart and, sure enough, the three non-working outputs had burnt regulators.

So, if you need to power more than 7 pedals you CAN do it with a Voodoo Labs supply, but make sure you do not try to draw more than maybe 80ma in total from any single output. It is also a good idea not to run more than one digital or time-based pedal from a single output. So, a Boss DD-6 needs 55ma, and many analog chorus pedals only need 15ma or less. The total current is acceptable, but clock noise from the two pedals can create interference. So, the DD-6 and a fuzz or wah on the same output would be okay, but not the chorus and delay.


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## scottomy (Sep 20, 2006)

google one spot by visual sound. There are several to choose from and are adaptable to whichever type of connector/polarity you need. In Montreal it is only available at Boutique Tone. I bought a kit including the 1700mA P/S which will power 6 boss type pedals and 3 other types for only 45$ including taxes. They say it will power up to 20 pedals but you'll probably have to buy some daisy chain cables.


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## Salokin (Nov 10, 2008)

mhammer said:


> You can use a daisy-chain cable to power a few pedals from one of the power-supply outlets.
> 
> Ian/Iaresee has a Voodoo Labs supply he bought from someone that only had a few working outputs. I suggested to him that maybe each output used a small 3-pin 100ma regulator and someone had plugged a digital pedal into one of the outputs and burnt it. Those regulators can only tolerate passing 100ma before suffering heat damage. Because most analog pedals only draw 5-15ma of current, it is quite safe to use one power output to supply even 5 or 6 analog pedals. But many digital pedals use 50-60ma, and older ones can use much more. Plugging some of these into the supply output might draw more than 100ma through the regulator and burn it out.
> 
> ...


That' s very interesting, Thanks for these very useful informations. By the way it made me think about another thing. Can you split an 18 volts output in two 9 volts outputs with a splitter?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Salokin said:


> That' s very interesting, Thanks for these very useful informations. By the way it made me think about another thing. Can you split an 18 volts output in two 9 volts outputs with a splitter?


I am not sure what you mean. A +/-9v output?


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2009)

mhammer said:


> You can use a daisy-chain cable to power a few pedals from one of the power-supply outlets.
> 
> Ian/Iaresee has a Voodoo Labs supply he bought from someone that only had a few working outputs. I suggested to him that maybe each output used a small 3-pin 100ma regulator and someone had plugged a digital pedal into one of the outputs and burnt it. Those regulators can only tolerate passing 100ma before suffering heat damage. Because most analog pedals only draw 5-15ma of current, it is quite safe to use one power output to supply even 5 or 6 analog pedals. But many digital pedals use 50-60ma, and older ones can use much more. Plugging some of these into the supply output might draw more than 100ma through the regulator and burn it out.
> 
> ...


Hey Mark! Check this out: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=76001.0 -- the TI regulators I bought _may_ not have the same pinouts as the JRCs that were in there, or there's more fried than just the regulators. Either way I haven't gotten those 3 inputs back up and running yet. If you happen to have a datasheet for the JRC 78L09 I'd appreciate it. One site said it had it, but wanted me to pay to see it. 

To the OP: you can, as Mark mentioned, daisy chain off the Voodoo Lab outputs. The new VL Pedal Power 2 Plus can handle a whole lot more current per-output than this original one I've got here. There's even an output on it confirmed to power the superdelay, which is a beast: 300 mA. You just loose the benefits of filtering when you start to daisy chain. But if you're selective about it, it won't be a problem.

I've run for years with a Godlyke PowerAll and a Visual Sound OneSpot -- both worked perfectly for me for many years. Like 4 or 5. Never an issue. I noticed no difference in noise switch to the VL Pedal Power unit. I just had a chance to grab it cheap, so I did. Quite frankly the 100 mA limit on the outputs could prove its undoing for me. I had my TU-2 plugged in to it and it was running fine, but that's probably dangerously close to the limit on an output.


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## Salokin (Nov 10, 2008)

mhammer said:


> I am not sure what you mean. A +/-9v output?


Like the DC Brick, you have seven 9volts -center outputs, and three 18 volts - center.
I know that you can take a special daisy chain jack plug it in two differents 9volts- outputs, and the wire becomes one tip that you can plug in one 18volts- pedals.

I use my Fulltone FD2 and OCD in a 18Volts-, and a custom SolidGold Fx Uni-Vibe. I prefer the FD2 and the OCD when it' s plugged on 18volts.

With the voodoo lab, you can spit two 9volts outputs in one 18volts output, always in - center, with a special split daisy chain, if you need to power some 18 volts pedals. 

I was thinking about the opposite,like spliting one 18volts - center output in 
two diffirents 9 volts outputs?


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2009)

Salokin said:


> Like the DC Brick, you have seven 9volts -center outputs, and three 18 volts - center.
> I know that you can take a special daisy chain jack plug it in two differents 9volts- outputs, and the wire becomes one tip that you can plug in one 18volts- pedals.


Turning two 9V outputs into a single 18V output like that is different from going the other way. Doing this in the DC brick is like running two 9V batteries in series. Total potential difference across the two becomes 18V.

You could step down an 18V output to 9V, but you wouldn't get "two" 9V outputs out of it. Just one.



> With the voodoo lab, you can spit two 9volts outputs in one 18volts output, always in - center, with a special split daisy chain, if you need to power some 18 volts pedals.


Not _split_. You're _running them in series_.


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## noobcake (Mar 8, 2006)

Yep get a 1spot or two for that matter, they're not very expensive at all. I've been running 5 pedals on mines, but I'm sure I could run more if I bought a daisy chain with more connectors. No noise issues and powers all my pedals perfectly.


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## Salokin (Nov 10, 2008)

I' ll check for this 1spot power supply. You think it' s good like the DC Brick and voodoo lab pedals power? 

The 1spot is a considerable save of money, it is an interesting consideration!


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2009)

Salokin said:


> I' ll check for this 1spot power supply. You think it' s good like the DC Brick and voodoo lab pedals power?
> 
> The 1spot is a considerable save of money, it is an interesting consideration!


There are situation where a DC Brick will work better. And further situations where a VL PP2+ will work even better. But try the cheapest option first, if it works for you you're done. I found the key to living happily with the OneSpot or PowerAll was not to push it too hard. They might be rates to 1A or 2A of current, but I've never stacked more than 500-750mA of pedals on one.


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