mA on pedalboard discussion

rratajski · #1 07-01-2008, 03:04 PM

My buddy and I both own powered pedalboards.

I do not use the on-board 9v power b/c the mA output is lower than what the pedals require. (Ex - I think Boss pedals ask for at least 200mA). I baby my pedals.

He uses the on-board 9v power on all his pedals. His Akai Head Rush I just died. I am blaming the mA requirements for decreasing the life of the pedal.

So, do you baby your pedals and follow the power requirements or do you just plug in and let the energy Gods do the work for you?

Vic Winters · #2 07-01-2008, 03:22 PM

Few if any Boss pedals (standard size) need 200mA.

bongomania · #3 07-01-2008, 03:24 PM

Most Boss pedals do not draw that much. AFAIK only their larger digital units draw 200mA or more. I would say the majority draw under 100mA.

Insufficient amperage can certainly cause a pedal to not work properly while insufficiently powered, but I do not believe any damage would result.

IOW you have to "baby" pedals by providing the amperage necessary for them to power up and operate properly; they won't work otherwise. But if they are working, they are working- no further "babying" is needed or rational.

bigchiefbc · #4 07-01-2008, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Most Boss pedals do not draw that much. AFAIK only their larger digital units draw 200mA or more. I would say the majority draw under 100mA.

This page lists the actual amperage draw for almost all of the Boss pedals

bongomania · #5 07-01-2008, 04:36 PM

Good resource there, I forgot about them. I clicked through a couple dozen of the compact pedals, and the vast majority draw between 15mA and 65mA. The distortion types tended to be at the lower numbers (a couple as low as 4mA) and the digital ones were at the 60-65mA end.

JanusZarate · #6 07-01-2008, 04:54 PM

As Bongo mentioned, too little is a problem, but few pedals ever use 200mA.

The AC adapter does NOT tell you how much the pedal uses - it only tells you how much the adapter can deliver. A Boss PSA-120 can power multiple pedals as long as the total current usage of said pedals is under 200mA. Any more than that, and you've created a hazard... but anything less is A-OK (and the excess available power is left unused - pedals only draw what they need).

The manual of almost all Boss pedals will tell you how much power they draw on average. They're typically very low. Other brands of pedals are less predictable... some will tell you what they use, and others will be silent.

There are some helpful resources that have been referenced on TB for figuring out how much your particular pedals might be using, so you can give them more than enough available power.

Now, given this, it's still possible that he didn't meet the power requirements of his pedals... a lot of built-in power supplies on boards don't offer much current because of the limitations of their AC adapters. But I wouldn't jump on that as the explanation until you've verified how much current he's actually using with his pedals.

Plus, unless the pedal has buffered bypass (as with most Boss pedals and some others), it actually will use nothing at all when it's off... so again, unless he fired up all of his pedals and they drew more than the supply was designed to provide, the issue probably isn't a lack of power.

JanusZarate · #7 07-01-2008, 04:56 PM

Oh, and posting what you and your buddy are actually using (pedals AND board/power supply) will help us immensely. It's hard to diagnose a problem without the facts.

coreyfyfe · #8 07-01-2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

As Bongo mentioned, too little is a problem, but few pedals ever use 200mA.

Except all the EHX XO series pedals. Found that out the hard way when I switched to a powered pedal board which had 100mA outputs.

B.C. · #9 07-01-2008, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

This page lists the actual amperage draw for almost all of the Boss pedals

Great page! Thanks!

rratajski · #10 07-01-2008, 05:51 PM

My baaaaad.

The pedalboard states that it has max 100mA output.
Pedals using the 9v jacks (in this order in the chain): Vox Wah, Boss PS-3, Boss Octave, EHX Knockout, Earthbound Supercollider, Maxon Analog Delay, Boss DD-5, and Akai Head Rush I (which is now deeeeead).

Thanks for the input! Great link, too!

bongomania · #11 07-01-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rratajski

The pedalboard states that it has max 100mA output.

Total, or per output jack?

EADG mx · #12 07-01-2008, 07:16 PM

It is my understanding that if your pedals are drawing a combinated mA rating higher than what your power source can provide, you should be more worried about the power supply than the pedals.

KarateKid25 · #13 07-01-2008, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EADG mx

It is my understanding that if your pedals are drawing a combinated mA rating higher than what your power source can provide, you should be more worried about the power supply than the pedals.

+1

I had a 9v AC adapter with about 200ma output, powering a Digitech Whammy which has a max draw of 1300ma (1.3a). I wasn't thinking straight at the time...

Anyway, after a little while of use, the sound farted out and the pedal switched off. I went to wiggle the adaptor in the wall and pretty much torched my hand. The adapter was REALLY hot! There are fire hazards there for sure. Also the breakdown of the adaptor 'could' cause an unpredicted outcome, like 240v into your pedal.

Underpowering a pedal isn't the issue. At worse, you might get some distortion. Its the power source that really suffers.

EADG mx · #14 07-01-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

+1

I went to wiggle the adaptor in the wall and pretty much torched my hand. The adapter was REALLY hot! There are fire hazards there for sure. Also the breakdown of the adaptor 'could' cause an unpredicted outcome, like 240v into your pedal.

Nail = head

JanusZarate · #15 07-01-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

Except all the EHX XO series pedals. Found that out the hard way when I switched to a powered pedal board which had 100mA outputs.

Most of them use a LOT less than that.

It's the digital XO series pedals (i.e., Micro POG) that use a lot.

Marill · #16 07-01-2008, 11:45 PM

digital pedals draw a lot compared to analog ones, and they do draw 200mA to 300mA although the manufacturers normally overstate the number to be on the safe side.

SteveMcB · #17 07-01-2008, 11:49 PM

IIRC the Akai Headrush E2 draws about 160mA. I know from experience that it gets flaky if there are too many pedals plugged into my powered pedalboard.

So I'm getting me a 1-spot. Seems like it should power all 16 pedals no problem... (combined bass and guitar board, all analog apart from the headrush, and mostly dirt).

Steve

rratajski · #18 07-02-2008, 04:40 AM

Thx everyone for your assistance! It's appreciated!