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Power solutions/requirements

#22
40Hz said:
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.
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Extremely helpful! I have my eye on an MXR power brick. Possibly getting a good deal on it with a pedalboard. i don't play live a ton, so buying a Cioks isn't really cost effective for me.
 
#23
The one spot is good for Mr. Sushi's pedals which need a lot of current. He even recommends them. They also are designed to not occupy more than 1 spot on most power strips. And I like Mr. Zac Childs who works for TrueTone. The CS12 should be plenty if you would like to try TrueTone. I have OneSpots that have been run over by caster and still go. Never felt the need to go Cioks. I guess we can do test with the scope how stable each power supply works, how they deal with sagging AC mains voltage, mechanical drops and run over with a car tests. I think current doubling can be done with True Tone CS as well and Voodoo Labs as well and not exclusive to Cioks
 
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#25
bassplayertom77 said:
Extremely helpful! I have my eye on an MXR power brick. Possibly getting a good deal on it with a pedalboard. i don't play live a ton, so buying a Cioks isn't really cost effective for me.
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My guitarist SO doesn't use pedals when she plays out. And those few times when she does, she just packs a drive/dirt pedal. So PS size and portability weren't checkboxes on her requirements list.

She opted for the MXR brick (she found one on sale) when she assembled her home studio board for the very same reason. And it's served her quite well for several years now.
 
#29
Really dumb question, but the owner's manual for the MXR M237 power brick says this:

• Eight 9V outputs can handle an average of 150 mA each, or a total of 1200 mA in any configuration

Does that mean if I have a 300 mA pedal, I can't use it since it only handles 150 mA?
 
#31
bassplayertom77 said:
So as long as I meet or exceed mA with the correct voltage, all is welll?
Click to expand...

Basically, yes, although there are two more things to consider:

-Pedals that need AC must never be plugged into a socket that provides DC (and vice versa) That would mean instant disaster! Nearly all guitar pedals use DC but SOME, often tube pedals, need AC.

-Digital pedals need to be on a separate, isolated power output. Mixing analog and digital pedals on the same power output can often cause severe noise issues. Digital pedals also need a LOT more power than analog pedals (analog tube pedals excepted).

If your pedals are all analog, non-tube pedals you will most likely not have to worry about DC, isolated outputs, or high power demands. In fact, you probably don't need an expensive power supply like the ones from Cioks at all (although they make for a more tidy pedalboard). A simple, relatively cheap Boss adaptor with a daisy chain will probably work great. I say "IF" your pedals are analog, etc. because I'm not familiar with all of them and you don't specify which tuner pedal you have.

If your tuner is a Boss TU-2/TU-3 you probably won't even need a daisy chain cable, as you can probably power the rest of your pedals through the tuner (if they are all analog pedals with low power requirements). The simple Boss PSA-120S or 230S (depending on the voltages in your country) works great! Do NOT get any cheaper adaptors of this type though, they can be very noisy in certain situations. The Boss PSA is actually very good in my experience.
 
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#33
Bermuda Ron said:
Would any of you recommend a Rechargable Lithium power bank for the OP?
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If I was going to go that route, I would use a Cioks 4 and power it with a cell phone battery bank. That way you could have the option of plugging in or running battery.

Also, just to add to my previous praise of Cioks. I have three Cioks power supplies (two DC7s and a 4) as well as a Strymon Zuma and Trutone CS12. I would recommend the new Cioks stuff well ahead and beyond the other two every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The only reason I would go with something else, is to go with the Trutone is if you had pedals that required AC power. Yes the Cioks stuff uses RCA jack power cables which can be annoying because they aren't as readily available, but they are also more secure (IMO). I was hesitant for a long time to go to Cioks because I had a ton of power cables hanging around from the years I used a Voodoo Labs power for many years but the switch and investment was worth it. Since you don't have a bunch of cables then I would just jump into the Cioks.
 
#34
bassplayertom77 said:
Really dumb question, but the owner's manual for the MXR M237 power brick says this:

• Eight 9V outputs can handle an average of 150 mA each, or a total of 1200 mA in any configuration

Does that mean if I have a 300 mA pedal, I can't use it since it only handles 150 mA?
Click to expand...

That power supply is not isolated, think of it as a fancy daisy chain with 9 and 18 volt outputs. My guess (no experience) is that it would work fine to run a 300ma pedal on one outlet since they are all connected, and just subtract that from your total mA available. Personally I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't isolated.
 
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#35
I was in the market for a new power supply and though the Cioks and the Trutone are both great, I decided to try a battery pack supply for 1/3 the cost and have one less thing to plug into the wall. It will fit under the nano pedalboard, has a 1500ma spot that I can use to power my HX stomp, and like eight other spots to power up to an additional 2000ma of other pedals. I'll be trying it next week.
 

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