Powering a Mu-tron III - various options

[Lindsay]

I've just bought an original Musitronics Mu-Tron III which comes with a custom (read: homemade) 240V, Australian style power supply.

See last pic: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=280308659206

Since I'm from Australia and will probably return there one day, I'm happy to hang on to this big, heavy power supply but I really don't want strap it on to my board - I'd like a more elegant solution.

I have a Dunlop DC Brick on my board at the moment. The 9V outlets on the DC Brick are all in use (so I might have to take a pedal or two off) and I have a few 18V outlets available.

The possibilities, as I see it, are:

1. Use batteries

2. Use the big heavy power supply

3. Get a couple of Voodoo labs 9V Battery Snap cables: http://www.voodoolab.com/cables.htm (Does anyone know if I can use these with a DC Brick?)

4. Get some Gigrig virtual batteries – possibly the VB-BC 18V at the bottom of this page: http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/Th...l_Battery.html

5. Buy one of these (if they’ll send it outside the US): http://www.lsound.com/Products.htm and hope I can get 220/240V wall-wart to suit.

Options 1 & 2 aren’t appealing. Options 3 & 4 appeal the most. Option 5 is OK, I guess…

Opinions? Experiences? Off-topic ramblings?

Cheers

[bongomania]

The power is +9V and -9V, so it needs two isolated 9V sources. That means either batteries, or the Gigrig isolators, or a supply with isolated outs like the Voodoo PPII, or the LSound supply.

I'm thinking the best pang-per-buck option would be a OneSpot-type switchmode daisy chain in a config that works for your locale, plus two Gigrig isolators.

[Matthijs]

Is the mu-tron 18v fed or paralel 9v? I'm not at home right now, so I can't see for myself. Since the standard connector is 3 way I'm inclined to think it's double 9 v. I use rechargable batteries myself, allthough I have to say they empty very fast.

If its 18v I'd cook something up with snap cables and the 18v source on your board.
If it's 9v lose some pedals and using the snap cables, or having a seperate feed. The modern remake seems quite reasonable, but any other 9vdc source with the same specs and the snap connection will do.

By the way, those snap connections can also be bought for a dime or even made by disassembling a 9v battery.

[Higgie]

I use mine with 2 Gigrig Virtual Batteries (was the first person to do so, in fact ). When I bought mine, it had the PS-1 that was with it soldered to the circuit board directly, so I had Dan the the GigRig put a standard 9v Boss Adaptor on it, and wire it up to the VB's, so I only actually feed my Mutron 9VDC and the VB's do the rest of the work.

A little expensive, but you get what you pay for! Awesome product

[Lindsay]

Thanks guys

Two Gigrig virtual batteries it is then. As I understand it, I can power two of these batteries using only one of DC Brick's 9V supplies - which is handy.

I can see in the long run that I'll have to get a Voodoo labs PP2 - the isolated outputs make it a winner.