throwfirewoodatme
Hello all!
*Disclaimer, I have no idea what I am talking about beyond basic theory*
I'd like to run my pedalboard on 12 volts across the board (no pun intended) as my Nova stuff runs on 12 volts and I'm looking to preserve headroom throughout the chain. What are the technical (please bore me with details!) reasons for running at 9 volts rather than 12, can I damage anything? Is there a benefit to running all 12 volt pedals or should I suck it up and live with a 9V/12V/9V/12V chain? 8)
Paul
AlanRatcliffe
If the 9V pedals can run at 12V, then they'll give you a little headroom. However, not all pedals can - and yeah, you can do damage to some. Usually if a pedal can run at a higher voltage, they will tell you in the manual (usually up to 18V), but when in doubt, check with the manufacturer.
Most good power supplies can do both and if you have one, there is no reason not to run each at the correct voltage. Just be aware that some pedals - like the Novas - draw a huge amount of power - especially on powering up. The batch of Nova drives that all blew just over a year old (mine was one of them), blew due to a slight undervolt on startup (and during slight brownouts) which stressed the voltage regulator each time, until it blew.
throwfirewoodatme
Wow. Thanks.
I have the Nova Drive in the line and I am making sure it's getting the 400ma it needs by parallel chaining 4 x 12v 100ma outputs of my BBE Supa Charger. The compressor and the chorus are the 9v boys, at this point I just don't want to cook anything, so I think I'll keep it as it is unless I hear differently from a manufacturer source.
Strangely enough my MI Audio compressor is rated 9 to 25 volts. But when I mailed them to double check, they said that spec (in the manual itself!) was in error, and its now 9v ONLY.
Eish!
peterleroux
Pedal circuits respond to higher voltage in three ways:
They could sound better I.e. have more headroom, as Alan said
They could sound exactly the same if there is some kind of voltage regulation or protection
They could sound worse for a few different reasons, eg. if a transistor that was biased with a 9V circuit is out of its proper bias range in 12V operation.
Finally, there is a chance that a sensitive circuit could be damaged by a higher voltage, and in general running at a higher voltage shortens life of capacitors.
exsanguinator
I wouldnt run 9v transistor pedals on 12 v supplies..it puts unnecessary strain on the protection voltage diode connected to the dc input...
Those multi volt adaptors from game etc.., although say 12v output... it depends on the current draw of the item plugged in,
also trying to run a 12v+ pedal on a 9v adaptor,it strains the pedal,low voltage can be as bad or worse,some have a constant hum,others sound fine,but for how long...
Its different if a battery runs down,you can hear the degrading sound eventually,without any immediate damage as the battery normally dies out enough for the pedal to not work at all..
voltage specs are pretty important specs at point of approval for release to market,if any pedal is multi voltage it must be stipulated...
playing with voltage to get a tonal preference...geez...too much time on your hands in my eyes...LOL...in this day and age there plenty other options..LOL
AC voltages?geez its been awhile,I cant remember the formula..i guess multiply the risks of above by 3 or 4 i think...but its worse anyways..
throwfirewoodatme
Thanks guys. I appreciate the detail! I'll leave all as is then. At this point I am meeting all the stipulated specs and its sounding great, so I suppose... Don't fix it if it ain't broke?
