Multi pedal power supply?

robgilmo

Is this actually a thing?

english_bob

"Multi pedal Power supply" like "power supply for multiple pedals at the same time"? Yes, that's a thing.

"Multi pedal Power supply" like "power supply for a multi-effects pedal"? Also a thing, although it's really only a power supply of the required voltage/amperage with the right connector.

meltedbuzzbox

Cioks/voodoo labs/strymon/one spot take your pick

robgilmo

Oooh, it is a thing, I take it all pedals run on 9v? Ive only got Boss pedals at the moment but might try a delay at some point in the future (next pay day).

smudge_lad

robgilmo said:

Oooh, it is a thing, I take it all pedals run on 9v? Ive only got Boss pedals at the moment but might try a delay at some point in the future (next pay day).

Most do, some need more. Also, not all pedals run on the same current, so need to be careful if you’re adding some stuff more wonderful than Boss. 

robgilmo

The plot thickens, so might be running a mix of battery and power if I add more, none Boss pedals. My next purchases will be a Rat and some sort of delay, I havent looked into delay pedals much, are the Boss delay pedals Ok? Im not even sure I need delay but it seems that most say they are a necessity .

Fuengi

You need delay! At least one. 

Boss make great pedals, sound fantastic, built like a tank and reasonably priced.

robgilmo

Digital or analogue? I feel a new thread coming along..

Grunfeld

robgilmo said:

Oooh, it is a thing, I take it all pedals run on 9v?

Nearly all.  Most have the Boss negative pin too.  With some notable exceptions, (e.g. Proco Rat), so always check, never assume.  Not a deal-breaker cos you just need a special connector that flips the polarity to connect those pedals to your power supply.

Some pedals have options to run at different voltages as an alternative to 9v.  A few others can only run at a higher voltage. 

A good power supply caters for these options, e.g. with Cioks (for sure cos I use a DC-5) you have DIP switches which can switch a 9v output to 18v. 

Snags

Best thing to do is look up the spec for all your pedals:
- volts
- ma draw
- +ve or -ve pin

Then go find a power supply that has enough outputs of the required specs. You can daisy chain a few if need be, but some pedals will get noisy on a daisy chain.

Things like Cioks, OneSpot (the biggies not the chains), Voodoo Labs, etc. will usually have a mix of specific outputs and switchable ones. Be aware that cheaper units may not be isolated (can add noise) and posh ones are spendy.

english_bob

^ Spendy, but the sort of purchase you might only make once or twice *ever* if you do your homework, and well worth it for the convenience of plugging one thing in each time you play, and for the confidence that your pedals will work without problems or noise every time.

robgilmo

Thanks guys, so best plan would be to get the pedals I want to keep then think about a power supply to suit, 

Snags

Well you can do it with a ballpark idea. Or just go GigRig and get super posh.

robgilmo

Don't want to go super posh, nor do I want super posh pedals, I can see some kind of distortion , possibly a Rat in the near future but cant see myself going out on expensive stuff.

Danny1969

A lot of pedals are fine with a simply daisy chained SMPS  .... I use a delay, reverb, overdrive and boost all just daisy chained off the same 9V supply and there's no noise. 
Don't buy an expensive one unless you need to basically 

robgilmo

Are reverb pedals better than tanks then? Both my amps have reverb tanks in them, the Vox sounds a little shallow but the Peavey , to my untrained ears really sounds lovely.

SteveF

Not necessarily better, but different.  And often pedals, such at the TC electronic Hall of Fame, have more than one type of reverb built in, so you have choice.  To be honest, I never bought a reverb pedal until I had an amp that didn't have reverb built in. 

In terms of a cost effective power supply, you'd struggle to find one elsewhere at this price with these features: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_iso_2_pro.htm?ref=search_prv_17 ;

8 isolated outputs, 2 of which can supply more than 9 volts (12/18V).  It also comes with a Y cable so you could link the 2 12V outputs together if you needed 24. If you did get something with a centre-positive power input, the converter cable will only cost you a few quid. 

It really is excellent value, considering some of the big name ones are double or even triple that price. 

p90fool

If you think you're only ever likely to want a board with a handful of non-boutique pedals (like me) then the Powerplant Junior is the cheapest with proper isolated outputs. 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_junior.htm?sid=5bdf855f2492b6ab792a4142e7c4ce3b