Power solutions/requirements

[bassplayertom77]

I'm new to the pedal board building world. I am getting a daddario expander board, and want to know what the ideal power supply would be. I have a tuner, aguilar octave, mr. black fwonbeta, barker assmaster, and a volume pedal. Not that all of that matters too much, but my main concern is getting the appropriate Ma numbers and seeing if it is ok to just use a 9 volt power supply with daisy chains. I want to be smart about this and not fry pedals/avoid power issues.

 

[Killing Floor]

Cioks. Don't second guess it.

 

[TheBassPreacher]

Cioks. Don't second guess it.

This is the way. Don't waste your time with anything else. Cioks might cost a bit more on the front end but it will last you forever. Get a Cioks and call it a day.

 

[bassplayertom77]

Do I need to be too concerned about the Ma values? I don't quite understand what that means

 

[TheBassPreacher]

Do I need to be too concerned about the Ma values? I don't quite understand what that means

No, the Cioks will be able to handle whatever you throw at it. The mA is the current each pedal draws, you just don't want to exceed whatever the power supply can do because then your pedals won't power on. Unless you are running digital pedals, they shouldn't draw all that much power.

 

[bassplayertom77]

Thank you everyone. These look like they are worth the extra money.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

On my three separate boards, I have two CIOKS DC7 and one CIOKS SOL. In terms of their form factor (very thin - about an inch thick) and power capacity (660mA @9V, etc.), CIOKS is the best alternative, AFAIK. Highly recommended...

 

[logdrum]

Get a OneSpot - daisy chain and post it here to the dismay of everyone specially the OCD folks. Or go up scale and get a regulated power supply that designers use. They only weigh 20 - 30 lbs.

 

[micguy]

One challenge with Cioks is that they use their own cables - you can't use cables made by other folks, with limits the lengths and such that you can get for power cables.

 

[micguy]

Unless you are running digital pedals, they shouldn't draw all that much power.

If you aren't running digital pedals, you don't need the current capability of the Cioks stuff. But designing a pedalboard today without planning for current capability for at least a couple of digital pedals is probably a bad idea. The Truetone CS 6 has a similar form factor to the Cioks stuff, has some high current outputs, and uses standard cables (more flexible there). It isn't quite as flexible as far as voltage/current options - you need to look at what you are going to put on the board to figure out what it best for your needs.

 

[jTrolt]

+37 on the Cioks.
Wasted money on a few in between, but the ONLY thing I've found to stump the Cioks setup is an older Jam Man Looper that requires AC. Each port individually configurable from 9,12,15,18 volts DC, and even flexibility for high current devices. Nothing else compares. Its a great example of the "buy once, cry once" moniker.

 

[Gervais Cote]

On my three separate boards, I have two CIOKS DC7 and one CIOKS SOL. In terms of their form factor (very thin - about an inch thick) and power capacity (660mA @9V, etc.), CIOKS is the best alternative, AFAIK. Highly recommended...

Tha DC7 really looks the the best buy and forget solution indeed.
Do you know if all the cables are included with the power supply or if they are sold separately ?

 

[joel the bass player]

Included Flex cables:

• 7 x Standard Flex type 1 — black with 5.5mm/2.1mm center-negative DC plug
• 1 x Standard Flex type 2 — red with 5.5mm/2.1mm center-positive DC plug
• 1 x Standard Flex type 4 — green with 5.5mm/2.5mm center-positive DC plug
• 1 x Standard Flex type 5 — black with tip positive 3.5mm Jack plug
• 1 x Split Flex type 1 — powers 2 pedals off a single outlet
• 1 x 3-way daisy-chain Flex type 1 — powers 3 pedals off a single outlet

 

[jTrolt]

Do I need to be too concerned about the Ma values? I don't quite understand what that means

YES, pay close attention to those for each device you are powering.

The mA is milliamp values, and your current device power supplies need to be met or exceeded by the output current ratings at each output terminal of your universal power supply, regardless what brand you purchase. If you starve them, you strain the pedal and the power supply. If you meet or even exceed, they will still only draw the volume of current in mA they need, = safe, clean, cool operation, as long as the correct voltage is selected.

EG: you have a high draw item, like 580 mA at 9 volts, but your Cioks output at a given terminal is only rated at 320mA output at 9V. You simply buy an accessory splitter (often one is included with the Cioks power supply you purchase), you may draw off of 2 output jacks using the Y cable to assure you have enough amperage to suit the current needed by the pedal in question. Still 9V, you just have twice the current draw available now (320x2 = 640 available, but drawing just 580 mA)
Brilliant. I've seen no other that is this incredibly flexible.

Suggestion: make a list of the pedals you have, with a column for voltage and mA. Refer to that list as you study the output options for any random supply you're looking at. Chances are, you'll have one oddball that most cannot accommodate. If you find one that gets you by okay today, remember, it only takes one oddball future pedal purchase to render most pedal supplies out there in need of replacement. (= cry again)

Not affiliated with Cioks in any way. Just bought their master set of a DC8 and DC7 a month or two ago. Hurt like crazy, but it's over.

 

[Kashofa]

I like the CIOKS options the best. I do have one setup using a Trutone 1 Spot CS6 and have not had any trouble with it. But honestly if I was building setup new today I'd use the CIOKS Sol.

 

[SoCal80s]

Forget daisy chaining, it creates noise problems. It doesn't take much to run out of power if you buy a cheap power supply, so just get a good one. I have a wireless receiver, a multi-effects pedal, and a preamp. Those 3 take more power than a normal pedal and I had a hard time finding a power supply that could handle it. You may not have any of those today, but someday you will want more. I decided to go with a Strymon, but Ciok's looks good too.

 

[DonaldR]

Get a 1-Spot first, it's cheap and there's a good chance it will work with your all-analog setup.
Suppose you decide later on to get a Cioks then you can use your 1-Spot for the time you want to use 1-2 pedals for something else instead of the full pedalboard.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Cioks power supplies are great but make sure you know what voltages you need and how the dip switches on the Cioks supplies work. You don't want to fry your pedals with the wrong voltage if you set those dip switches in the wrong position. The Cioks manuals can sometimes be a bit confusing IMO.

 

[bassplayertom77]

YES, pay close attention to those for each device you are powering.

The mA is milliamp values, and your current device power supplies need to be met or exceeded by the output current ratings at each output terminal of your universal power supply, regardless what brand you purchase. If you starve them, you strain the pedal and the power supply. If you meet or even exceed, they will still only draw the volume of current in mA they need, = safe, clean, cool operation, as long as the correct voltage is selected.

EG: you have a high draw item, like 580 mA at 9 volts, but your Cioks output at a given terminal is only rated at 320mA output at 9V. You simply buy an accessory splitter (often one is included with the Cioks power supply you purchase), you may draw off of 2 output jacks using the Y cable to assure you have enough amperage to suit the current needed by the pedal in question. Still 9V, you just have twice the current draw available now (320x2 = 640 available, but drawing just 580 mA)
Brilliant. I've seen no other that is this incredibly flexible.

Suggestion: make a list of the pedals you have, with a column for voltage and mA. Refer to that list as you study the output options for any random supply you're looking at. Chances are, you'll have one oddball that most cannot accommodate. If you find one that gets you by okay today, remember, it only takes one oddball future pedal purchase to render most pedal supplies out there in need of replacement. (= cry again)

Not affiliated with Cioks in any way. Just bought their master set of a DC8 and DC7 a month or two ago. Hurt like crazy, but it's over.

So as long as I meet or exceed mA with the correct voltage, all is welll?

 

[40Hz]

The only way to know for sure how well a daisy chained 1-Spot is going to work for your setup is to try it. Some pedals (mostly digital pedals) can get a little fussy when sharing a non isolated power feed, or when running on the same feed with an analog pedal.

To size a power supply you need to check the voltage and mAmp requirements for each pedal which is available from the manufacture's website - or from its manual which most people never bother to read.

Looking at your stuff;

• tuner - 9 VDC @ for 100mA (just a guess to cover for most tuners)
• aguilar octave - 9 VDC @ 60mA
• mr. black fwonbeta - 9 VDC @ 60ma
• barker assmaster - 9 VDC @ 180mA
• volume pedal (most likely passive so n/a)

Total current draw is 400mA and you need four 9 VDC taps for what you're using. So your power supply needs to be able to supply at least that. However, it's usually not a bad idea to get something that can provide a more than the minimum to provide a safety margin. You also want to think about the possibility of changing or adding pedals down the road and needing more power.

A 1Spot wall wart power supply delivers 1700mA. So that combined with the 8-tap daisy chain cable that comes with the combo pack, there's more than enough plugs and grunt to drive your current signal chain. Whether or not it'll get noisy is another story. If noise turns out to be an issue then you'll need to invest in a more expensive isolated power supply.

I agree with others here that Cioks power supplies are a top choice if you can justify the cost. But it's one of those "buy once, cry once" purchases. So it really all depends on your signal chain. With a daisy chain it's basically a question of whether or not you can get away with using one. I own a couple of Cioks power supplies. And they're a joy to own and use. But I have also used a daisy chained 1Spot supply with a lot of pedal combinations with no issues. So it really all depends. Most times I've run into problems with a daisy chain were when: combining vintage pedals with modern pedals; mixing analog with digital effects; having more than 5 pedals in the signal chain; and attempting to use some high end digital effects that specifically recommend only using an isolated regulated power supply.