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The Perils of Too Much on a Small Board

Thought I'd share the experience of breaking two pedals in case it saves someone else from possibly doing the same :)

I was actually pleased with my ability to cram so many pedals on to a Temple Audio Solo18 board. I just learned a hard less though. A couple of lessons actually.

First lesson: Always lay pedal board cases flat, well inside the car, and not standing up close to the back hatch of an SUV. Mine tumbled out right into the concrete. However, all the pedals would have survived and all but one did, and one other got damaged for the same reason.

The top end of the MojoMojo and the Polytune 3 hang over the top of the board where the power input is. The case tumbled out of the car landing "top first" and the power cables pushed the inputs into the pedal. The MojoMojo is toast. While my absolute fave OD for any amount, they are easily found used for $50 Canadian close by where I live. The Polytune amazingly still powers up, but the extra power out got toasted (and I actually use is to power the Radial Switcher).

In future ... 1) I won't be such a dope when packing gear in my car and 2) I'll unplug the power cables from pedals that overhang the board when transporting.
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I did the same with my Fender road case. Stuck it on top of my cab in the back of my SUV. Was talking to someone outside the venue as I popped open the hatchback, case slid out onto sidewalk. Not a huge drop, maybe 2 feet. Smashed the plastic end of the roadcase completely that came with my 2018 elite jazz. Fortunately, zero damage to my bass but I must say I was a little disappointed in how easily the case broke.
 
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Thought I'd share the experience of breaking two pedals in case it saves someone else from possibly doing the same :)

I was actually pleased with my ability to cram so many pedals on to a Temple Audio Solo18 board. I just learned a hard less though. A couple of lessons actually.

First lesson: Always lay pedal board cases flat, well inside the car, and not standing up close to the back hatch of an SUV. Mine tumbled out right into the concrete. However, all the pedals would have survived and all but one did, and one other got damaged for the same reason.

The top end of the MojoMojo and the Polytune 3 hang over the top of the board where the power input is. The case tumbled out of the car landing "top first" and the power cables pushed the inputs into the pedal. The MojoMojo is toast. While my absolute fave OD for any amount, they are easily found used for $50 Canadian close by where I live. The Polytune amazingly still powers up, but the extra power out got toasted (and I actually use is to power the Radial Switcher).

In future ... 1) I won't be such a dope when packing gear in my car and 2) I'll unplug the power cables from pedals that overhang the board when transporting.
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Looks like you're going to need a bigger board.
Yes, a hard case is necessary, be it a matching one from the board manufacturer, an Anvil(style)briefcase, Pelican style, or repurposed luggage/sample/attache case. Cramming that many pedals, often in awkward positions, onto too small a board is counterproductive, and leads to not only the potential damage like you encountered, but also hinders the efficiency of use. Not only having to do the surgical strike switch tapdance(even with those plastic switch caps), but in your situation, now you have to unplug the power plugs? That sort of thing is what you hope to get away from when setting up a board. Convenience should be an end result.
Getting the next size up shouldn't be an imposition. It wouldn't be like going from Pedaltrain Nano to a P3, if portability is an issue. Just even an extra inch either way could do away with the overhang, relieve the claustrophobia, and could allow for a more ergonomic arrangement. Beyond that, with that many boxes involved, I ditched wall warts, daisy chains, etc, and am an adamant Cioks user, especially with all the variants of pedal voltage and mA draw, and only use the power out of the tuner if there's a straggler pedal with low power demands. Plus I cut George L's to specific lengths. The mini pedal revolution was great and all, but sometimes you reach a point of diminishing returns.
 
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