I don’t know this for sure. But my understanding is that there are actually two types of potential power supply through MIDI connectors.
I don’t know the technical details but one is “just the way it is” and is baked in according to the MIDI spec; the other is what I believe is known as “MIDI phantom power” which uses the two unused pins of the midi cable.
In short, if this were the case, one would be present in nearly all properly designed devices, while the other is for higher power needs and would need to be specifically planned for and implemented.
I am guessing if this is the case, that barring some specific implementation issue the FI would most likely have the first and probably not have the second.
Back in the day - I’m thinking late 80s and 90s - we used to use large-matchbox-sized Midi processor boxes to add functionality to our chains - midi thrus, midi rechannelizers, midi CC converters, midi breath control receivers. You would plug them in-line after your keyboard. While I suppose some of them could have been passive, I know for a fact that none of them had batteries but some of them had power LEDs. And they didn’t work with some older keyboards, and we were told that’s because they didn’t supply power.
What I can’t seem to get a clear answer to is - if these two specs exist, one common and ubiquitous and one specific and pre-planned, which one does the WIDImaster use? And unfortunately there’s such a cloud of vagueness that it looks likely the only solution is to buy one and plug it in and see if it works.
