Can anyone explain pedal boards to me?

[Soul Power]

I'm a seasoned player but I lack knowledge concerning effects and electronics...
I have 3 pedals, a Qtron envelope filter, a roland RC50 loop, and a source distortion pedal..
I am planning on getting a few more in the future, but I am completely lost as to the concept of a pedal board.
questions:
1. How many cables would I need? Do pedal boards come with them?
2. Do pedal boards have DC/AC power chords for every pedal? Or do I need to hook that up somewhere else?
3. Do pedal boards allow you to use more than one effect at a time?
4. Is there anything else I should know?

[Mark Latimour]

A pedal board is just a convenient way to set up and store your pedals so that you don't need to "set them up" for each gig.

The baord itself is just a way of holding the pedals, usually by velcro, to a fixed surface in a set order. You then conenct each to the pedals in the order you want using patch cables and your chosen power supply. Most pedal boards don't come with a built in power supply (although some do) because different pedals have different power requirements.

The real advantage of a pedal board is that once its wired up how you like it, its portable and easy to set up. For example, at a gig, you usually just plug in the power, the cable from your bass and the cable to your amp and you are ready to role. It saves having to mount the three pedals (or more) on the floor of the gig each time.

I'd sugest starting with something small like a Pedaltrain Mini and building up from there. The more space you ahve a vailable, the more pedals you will buy!

[Munjibunga]

You'll need a short cable for each pedal. I suggest getting George L's cables, which you cut to length and assemble the ends yourself. No tools required, it's very simple. I use the right-angle version. Then, you're going to need to get power to each unit. Some pedal boards, like SKB and Furman, have power supplies built in and they give you a "daisy chain" power cable that supplies power to everything on the board, as long as the voltages are compatible. Most effects use 9 volts, but others use 12 or 18. I think the Radial effects use 15. Some pedal boards, like Pedal Train, require you to get a separate power supply. I use a T-Rex Fuel Tank, but it costs as much as some pedal boards. There are plenty of others out there, like the Dunlop Power Brick, Voodoo Labs Pedal Power, Godlyke Power-All, and others. I'm sure people will pop in with their favorites.

Here's what mine looks like.