Wah proximity hum, has anyone solved this?

Ossyrocks

I’ve had issues with my wah on the board for quite some time, but today I got fed up of it. 

I have moved my wah off the board completely and all the hum has gone away. 

It’s a power supply issue. I have a Pedal Power 2 and if the wah is anywhere near it, it hums like a bastard when switched on. I have tried 2 different pedals, same issue. If I even just use batteries and put it alone between guitar and amp, but then move it over the board the hums starts.

Has anyone actually solved this?

Rob

Modulus_Amps

is this a wah issue or a PP2 issue, I never had any issues with Wah pedals humming using boss/wall wart power supplies

skunkwerx

Do you mean it still hums when its battery powered and the only thing in chain - guitar - wah - amp? 

With the power supply switched off completely? 

ThorpyFX

Ossyrocks said:

I’ve had issues with my wah on the board for quite some time, but today I got fed up of it. 

I have moved my wah off the board completely and all the hum has gone away. 

It’s a power supply issue. I have a Pedal Power 2 and if the wah is anywhere near it, it hums like a bastard when switched on. I have tried 2 different pedals, same issue. If I even just use batteries and put it alone between guitar and amp, but then move it over the board the hums starts.

Has anyone actually solved this?

Rob

Ok, an inductor in a Wah is a coil of wire. The PP2 has a toroidal transformer in it. Essentially that hum is likely to be transformer “splash” or electromagnetic radiation inducing current in the inductor....  not ideal really

so to solve this.....move them apart. Add a muamp shield around the inductor..... buy an inductorless Wah. Or a new power supply. 

ICBM

It’s a wah issue, when the wah is physically close to the power supply - as Thorpy said it’s hum from the power supply transformer being picked up by the wah’s choke.

Moving the power supply slightly, or rotating it if it’s possible to do that, can sometimes find a null spot even when they’re quite close together, but if that’s not possible then you’ll simply have to move them further apart or use a wah without a choke, eg a Morley.

skunkwerx

I know I push these things like I'm being paid to.. but: https://www.strymon.net/effects-pedal-power-supplies-white-paper/

That article explains some stuff about it too. 

But if you google 'strymon zuma wah pedal' theres a few videos on the tube of people putting wahs right on top of the zuma and not having any issues while comparing it to other power supplies. 

Thing is, they aint cheap. 

Though like others have said there are other options for cheaper! 

fastonebaz

The new red Morley  20/20 wah looks v very tasty

Ossyrocks

Thanks for the input.

I have tried various things. If I take the wah off the board, powered just by a battery and run guitar -> wah -> amp, without going through the board, if I move the wah anywhere over the board whilst powered it hums. This happens with both my wahs, a Dunlop and a Fulltone Clyde. 

It's only a small board (Pedaltrain Jnr) so I can't get the wah far away enough from the power supply anywhere on the board. The power supply is a Voodoo Labs PT2+ and I'm reluctant to buy a different supply if the same thing is going to happen.

The only solution I have found is to run the wah off the board, then all is fine.

Rob

JonP

I had the problem and then changed PS to Cioks DC10 - problem went away

Ossyrocks

JonP said:

I had the problem and then changed PS to Cioks DC10 - problem went away

That's good to know. Looks like a third new power supply is in order, the current one (Voodoo Labs) was an upgrade from a T-Rex because I needed more outputs (and the Voodoo Labs ain't cheap either). At this rate I could have bought a new amp with what I have spent on power supplies!

Rob

ICBM

The Cioks and the Strymon must either be switch-mode power supplies or be magnetically-shielded - or both, since SMPS tend to cause high-frequency buzz rather than hum.

This sort of thing is one of the reasons I ditched pedalboards and went back to a multi-FX .

clarkefan

Maybe try moving the wah off the board totally and using it on the floor, you might prefer the lack of board angle underfoot anyway.

The 1-Spot doesn't have this problem I used to have a wah on a Jr pedaltrain with another 9ish pedals all powered by a 1-Spot, no issues.

Ossyrocks

Well, I have just bought @JonP ‘s  Cioks Dc10, with accompanying pedalboard. 

Fingers crossed...........

Maynehead

I like my wah noisy.. I only use it for leads and it helps to thicken the tone 

p90fool

Just thinking aloud, would it be possible to design a kind of dual-choke, humbucking inductor for wah pedals? 

ICBM

p90fool said:

Just thinking aloud, would it be possible to design a kind of dual-choke, humbucking inductor for wah pedals? 

Yes - humbucking chokes were actually what gave Seth Lover the idea for the pickup, apparently.