18V Operation?

[TrevorOfDoom]

i'm looking at getting a power supply for my board.
until now, i've run a 1Spot for the majority of my stuff, and a special Dunlop wall wart for my Demeter Compulator.
here's the dilemma:
most power supplies only have 8 outlets. i need 9.
the DC brick has 10, but 3 are 18V.
i don't know if any of my pedals can run off of 18V.
here's my chain
X2 wireless - Boss TU-2 Tuner - Demeter Compulator - Catalinbread HyperPak - MusicElectronix GeminiDrive - EBS UniChorus - Catalinbread Valcoder - BYOC Digital Delay
i've got the BYOC envelope filter i'd like to add

anybody know if any of those can run 18V? can anyone help me?

[MAMMOTHvolume]

i'd say most apart from the demeter tu2 and the wireless. you may wanna open them up though and see what chips / trannys are in them and check the datasheets to see what the max voltage is though.

[TheMutt]

Actually, I am running a Voodoo Labs PP2+ which only has 8 outlets, but running 17 effects from it. I have the regular plugs coming off it going into 5-plug multi-chain adapters and am running a maximum of 3 pedals off of each. The actual mA draw of most of the pedals is such that I have no problems. The only exception is my one digital effect, a Micro POG, which is plugged into one outlet by itself. I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing for your setup.

[TrevorOfDoom]

Originally Posted by TheMutt

Actually, I am running a Voodoo Labs PP2+ which only has 8 outlets, but running 17 effects from it. I have the regular plugs coming off it going into 5-plug multi-chain adapters and am running a maximum of 3 pedals off of each. The actual mA draw of most of the pedals is such that I have no problems. The only exception is my one digital effect, a Micro POG, which is plugged into one outlet by itself. I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing for your setup.

sweet!
think the Fuel Tank Jr will do the job, or is there something that the DC Brick or Voodoo Labs has that the Jr doesn't?

[TheMutt]

The Fuel Tank doesn't have isolated outputs and you will be limited to an overall draw of 500 mA. This is the same downfall that the Power Brick has. The BBE Supa Charger also has isolated outputs like the Voodoo Labs PP2+ and is much cheaper. I am not sure if you can daisy chain it for 18V should you want to though. I got a PP2+ because I was able to get one on the cheap from a website that was closing down, so I got a full factory warranty and everything.

[B.C.]

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

i'm looking at getting a power supply for my board.
until now, i've run a 1Spot for the majority of my stuff, and a special Dunlop wall wart for my Demeter Compulator.
here's the dilemma:
most power supplies only have 8 outlets. i need 9.
the DC brick has 10, but 3 are 18V.
i don't know if any of my pedals can run off of 18V.
here's my chain
X2 wireless - Boss TU-2 Tuner - Demeter Compulator - Catalinbread HyperPak - MusicElectronix GeminiDrive - EBS UniChorus - Catalinbread Valcoder - BYOC Digital Delay
i've got the BYOC envelope filter i'd like to add

anybody know if any of those can run 18V? can anyone help me?

Here is where you got to be careful. Def. no on the digital pedals, as typically everything is regulated to 5 V so my guess(and what I would do) is find a voltage regulator around 9V.

I would talk to Osman, shoot him an e-mail as he knows the tolerances of the parts. The parts I use generally run to about 16V, but no more.

[TrevorOfDoom]

Originally Posted by B.C.

Here is where you got to be careful. Def. no on the digital pedals, as typically everything is regulated to 5 V so my guess(and what I would do) is find a voltage regulator around 9V.

I would talk to Osman, shoot him an e-mail as he knows the tolerances of the parts. The parts I use generally run to about 16V, but no more.

alright, here's where i'm confused...
which ones are digital?
i know the Boss and the delay are, but the others? how would i know?
guessing that both Catalinbreads and the Gemini are analog, but EBS? Demeter?
don't know...

[Marill]

Originally Posted by TheMutt

The Fuel Tank doesn't have isolated outputs and you will be limited to an overall draw of 500 mA.

the Fuel Tank does not have isolated outputs, but the Fuel Tank Jr has isolated outputs. And because the Fuel Tank Jr's outputs are isolated, you could use the provided y cable to connect 2 outputs for 18v operation.

[eyvindwa]

Originally Posted by TheMutt

The Fuel Tank doesn't have isolated outputs and you will be limited to an overall draw of 500 mA. This is the same downfall that the Power Brick has. The BBE Supa Charger also has isolated outputs like the Voodoo Labs PP2+ and is much cheaper. I am not sure if you can daisy chain it for 18V should you want to though. I got a PP2+ because I was able to get one on the cheap from a website that was closing down, so I got a full factory warranty and everything.

I believe that the Fuel Tank Jr actually has isolated outputs.

[seacouch]

I don't know if this is helpful, but I believe the compulator will run fine on the 1spot daisychain, with the right plug adaptor.

[TrevorOfDoom]

Originally Posted by seacouch

I don't know if this is helpful, but I believe the compulator will run fine on the 1spot daisychain, with the right plug adaptor.

i tried it. it did not.

[seacouch]

D'oh. I power mine that way, and it works fine. I got the dunlop wart too, but haven't needed it.

[B.C.]

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

alright, here's where i'm confused...
which ones are digital?
i know the Boss and the delay are, but the others? how would i know?
guessing that both Catalinbreads and the Gemini are analog, but EBS? Demeter?
don't know...

Yes you are correct on the Boss. The Demeter is analog as it is an optical compressor(I believe). The EBS chorus could go either way, but even with an analog one I would be careful overpowering it. The X2 is also digital as well.

The Catalinbreads I believe are all analog(don't think they make any digital things, could be wrong) and the Gemni is def. analog.

With a given pedal, a good way to tell is by reading the information, usually provided online, by the manufactorer. If a delay, flanger, chorus does not specifically say analog, it would be pretty safe to assume digital. Most overdrives, phasers(except the Boss one) and tremolos tend to be analog. Octavers can be a tossup IME.

Also, if you open up a pedal and see mostly normal size components, chips with what looks like 1000 pins are probably digital. Like this, here is a boss digital delay


and here is an analog SD-1

*pictures from Beavis Audio

[TrevorOfDoom]

alright. i got word back from Mike at Catalinbread that neither the Valcoder nor the Hyperpak can run on 18V. so i guess none of my stuff can.
however, i'm planning on picking up the Fuel Tank Jr. as it has isolated outputs, and i'll daisy chain from that.
however, still not sure what to do about the Demeter. the last time i bought an adapter (for the 1Spot) it didn't work, and i haven't seen any adapters made for the phone jack, as the Demeter has. tip negative, i believe. anyone got a lead?

[seacouch]

That seems strange (about the demeter). Like I said, I've powered mine from a 1spot, as well as from a godlyke 9V daisychain, without problem. FWIW, I like the godlyke better - the plugs and connection points seem a little more solid.

[B.C.]

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

alright. i got word back from Mike at Catalinbread that neither the Valcoder nor the Hyperpak can run on 18V. so i guess none of my stuff can.
however, i'm planning on picking up the Fuel Tank Jr. as it has isolated outputs, and i'll daisy chain from that.
however, still not sure what to do about the Demeter. the last time i bought an adapter (for the 1Spot) it didn't work, and i haven't seen any adapters made for the phone jack, as the Demeter has. tip negative, i believe. anyone got a lead?

The Demeter Compulators are tip positive now I believe. You need a polarity reverser to run off a onespot.

http://www.demeteramps.com/products/pedals/comp1.html

Yup, its tip positive.

[TrevorOfDoom]

Originally Posted by B.C.

The Demeter Compulators are tip positive now I believe. You need a polarity reverser to run off a onespot.

http://www.demeteramps.com/products/pedals/comp1.html

Yup, its tip positive.

okay, that makes sense. i didn't have a polarity reverser.

hmmm... so will one of the random mini jack adapters work with the Fuel Tank Jr?
or wait... one comes with it... hmmm...

[TrevorOfDoom]

well, the birthday fairy struck again, and i got a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2! whoo hoo!!

so i think i've got everything, except i have one question... can i plug my amp into the outlet on the PP2?
it's an Ashdown ABM 500, if that helps.

ANSWERED.

here's a fun one... maybe i should ask the catalinbread guys, but would any of my pedals benefit in any way from varying the voltage?
hmmm...

[B.C.]

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

well, the birthday fairy struck again, and i got a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2! whoo hoo!!

so i think i've got everything, except i have one question... can i plug my amp into the outlet on the PP2?
it's an Ashdown ABM 500, if that helps.

ANSWERED.

here's a fun one... maybe i should ask the catalinbread guys, but would any of my pedals benefit in any way from varying the voltage?
hmmm...

IME, the only pedals that will benifit are gain type devices, in which you can but in a hotter signal without the clipping, hence the more headroom. I like to design modulation EFX to accept up to 18V just to prevent voltage overload. Otherwise, no other effect.

[bongomania]

Devices are designed for a certain range of supply voltage, and the best results are usually in that range--IOW higher voltage is not always better. Some are designed to be able to benefit from higher than 9V supply voltage (the Diamond compressor or the Fulltone FatBoost for example) but most are not designed for that. A few dirt pedals give a cool effect from reducing the supply voltage.

Congrats on the Voodoo Labs, it's a great unit.