True isolated power supply on a budget?

lincolnblue

I know a lot os talked about with regards to power supply and the need for true isolated outputs. Lots of these units are over £100 which is not affordable to many. There are a lot of units which boast true isolation but in reality aren't. 

What is the cheapest true isolated power supply?

vasselmeyer

The answer to this question, as long as you don't need more than 150mA per output, is almost always the Harley Benton Powerplant Jnr which gives you 5x150mA isolated outputs for about £35 from Thomann. Make sure you get the Jnr which is isolated whereas the bigger version actually isn't.

Dopesick

vasselmeyer said:

The answer to this question, as long as you don't need more than 150mA per output, is almost always the Harley Benton Powerplant Jnr which gives you 5x150mA isolated outputs for about £35 from Thomann. Make sure you get the Jnr which is isolated whereas the bigger version actually isn't.

It's actually 5x120mA but yes still an absolutely ludicrous bit of kit for the money. I've had mine for three years and it has been absolutely fantastic.

John_A

These are a steal too

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOSKY-5-Isolated-Power-Supply-Output-for-9V-12V-18V-Guitar-Effects-Blue-UK-T5H0/152996647102?hash=item239f4f90be:g:N9AAAOSwZTJa8bzO

lincolnblue

What about a unit with more outputs?

John_A

lincolnblue said:

What about a unit with more outputs?

The one I linked to has a 500 and a 300ma output, you can daisy chain a few pedals from one of those, most analogue pedals don't draw a lot of current and are happy running on a daisy chain.  

If you need more outputs, buy two of them, that way if one fails you can still finish a gig

vasselmeyer

If you link your dirt pedals with a daisychain (because they draw virtually nothing and don't interfere with each other,) you can keep the hungrier pedals or the ones that might generate noise to their own outlets. I even ran a Zoom G3 off one using two outlets to make a current doubler. It never even broke a sweat. Here's (quite an old) pedal board I ran it from:

https://i.imgur.com/jgCnwLP.jpg

Slimbert

The Harley Benton PowerPlant Jr is ridiculous value for money.

If my board wasn't so power hungry that's probably all I would use. Sadly, having 18v pedals, and some needing upwaeds of 250ma, I've had to buy some bigger power supplies but the PowerPlant Jr really is great for the price tag.

Even though it's currently hooked up to nothing at all, since it's so cheap, I still have one under my board as a just-in-case unit!

poopot

this:
https://www.musicstore.de/en_GB/GBP/Fame-DCT-200-Multi-Power-Supply-/art-GIT0019066-000

not the smallest but it works faultlessly and is truly isolated outputs. Been powering my board for years with it.

vasselmeyer

That Fame supply really is very good. It's bloody huge though. 

jacooper68

Has anyone used the Gig Rig stuff?

vasselmeyer

I have a Gigrig system on my big board. The title of the thread contains the word "budget". Those two words don't often go together unless you say "I have a large budget. I think I'll spend it all, and some more, on a Gigrig power system".

It is fabulous though.

normula1

I bought one of the Vitoos ISO4plus supplies on the last fleabay offer so paid around £25 or so. It seems OK with "normal" pedals but my PocketPod was unusable due to digital noise.
I wish I hadn't bothered now.

english_bob

lincolnblue said:

 Lots of these units are over £100 which is not affordable to many.

Come on. If you're deep enough in to guitar to need something like this, you've sunk way more money than that in to your rig. Just about any guitar or amp worth playing is going to be twice that, and most decent pedals are at least as much.

Sure, a good isolated PSU won't be the most exciting £100 you ever spent on guitar gear, but can you really call £100 "unaffordable"? 

From what I've seen so far, the budget end of the PSU market is some seriously murky water in terms of what's promised vs what's actually the case. Isn't it wiser just to bite the bullet and spend the money *once* on something good?