Heard that it is not a good thing to have one power supply with a loop wire to every stomp box. Is this true? Probably the best is a power supply for every effects pedal individually. I haven't got that many plugs! Of course one should be able to drive all pedals from one power supply! Hear it is not good for the electronics on different pedals when powered from a central source. If I make sure the power supply can handle the current of all the padals - what can go wrong? Is there any such power supplies that you guys can recommend and tell me where to get it? One power supply for all my pedals is so much more comfortable!
Effects pedals power supply
There are two problems you can have when daisy-chaining power supplies:
-insufficient power to supply all the pedals at once can lead to strangeness, including unreliable operation and possibly damage to pedals
-bad design/poor power conditioning on one pedal can cause noise on other pedals. this is why some pedals are recommended to be run isolated.
You should use a high-quality, purpose designed power supply, make sure the lotal current for all the pedals (i.e. the total of all the mA ratings of the pedals) is less than the rated current for the power supply, and keep all your power cables as short as possible.
-insufficient power to supply all the pedals at once can lead to strangeness, including unreliable operation and possibly damage to pedals
-bad design/poor power conditioning on one pedal can cause noise on other pedals. this is why some pedals are recommended to be run isolated.
You should use a high-quality, purpose designed power supply, make sure the lotal current for all the pedals (i.e. the total of all the mA ratings of the pedals) is less than the rated current for the power supply, and keep all your power cables as short as possible.
Okay, you get two types of these power supplies: A). With this one you get one wire running from the power supply, looping from the one pedal to the next. B). With his power supply you get the central power supply and a wire running from it to each pedal. I believe B is the best, but A is less expensive. Looking at the type B power supplies on eBay - they are very expensive! What option should I take when I make sure that my current usage is under the amp rating of the power supply?
You get 3 types of power supplies..
1. Block with multiple outputs, such as:
Or
These are the same thing as one another. So you are splitting 9v and however many amps they put out through all your pedals. This can sometimes create noise/hum in your pedals and as Peter said, if you run too many pedals on one, it will cause issues. These are the cheapest and if you have 2-3 pedals, probably safe to just use this.
2. Block with individual leads, such as:
Now, this is essentially the same as the above. It is ONE supply, but you can send cables individually. This allows you to keep your pedals neatly wired on your pedalboard as you don't have a million wires. These are often labeled as Non-isolated (more on this in the last option). This is more expensive than option 1 and it gives you slightly more amps, usually, and your pedalboard looks a lot neater.
3. Isolated block supply, such as:
This looks the same as num 2 above, but it's not!! Each output on this type of power supply is isolated, so basically, you are running a separate plug from the wall to that individual pedal. Removing ground hum problems, noises, power defences, etc. These are the most expensive P/S.
This really is the short version of it. There is more to it than this. But, depending on what pedals you have, I'd just stick with option 1 unless you're getting problems like noise, pedals that cut out, etc. You are not going to notice any huge difference in tone or sound if you're running 2-3 pedals.
1. Block with multiple outputs, such as:
Or
These are the same thing as one another. So you are splitting 9v and however many amps they put out through all your pedals. This can sometimes create noise/hum in your pedals and as Peter said, if you run too many pedals on one, it will cause issues. These are the cheapest and if you have 2-3 pedals, probably safe to just use this.
2. Block with individual leads, such as:
Now, this is essentially the same as the above. It is ONE supply, but you can send cables individually. This allows you to keep your pedals neatly wired on your pedalboard as you don't have a million wires. These are often labeled as Non-isolated (more on this in the last option). This is more expensive than option 1 and it gives you slightly more amps, usually, and your pedalboard looks a lot neater.
3. Isolated block supply, such as:
This looks the same as num 2 above, but it's not!! Each output on this type of power supply is isolated, so basically, you are running a separate plug from the wall to that individual pedal. Removing ground hum problems, noises, power defences, etc. These are the most expensive P/S.
This really is the short version of it. There is more to it than this. But, depending on what pedals you have, I'd just stick with option 1 unless you're getting problems like noise, pedals that cut out, etc. You are not going to notice any huge difference in tone or sound if you're running 2-3 pedals.
Thanks Paul E. Thanks for pointing out the last one - the isolated power supply. Will definetely start with no.1 and see what works best. Thanks for this info!
3 months later
As long as the wires are thick enough to carry the accumulated current there is no problem with looping.sarel0 wrote: Heard that it is not a good thing to have one power supply with a loop wire to every stomp box. Is this true? Probably the best is a power supply for every effects pedal individually. I haven't got that many plugs! Of course one should be able to drive all pedals from one power supply! Hear it is not good for the electronics on different pedals when powered from a central source. If I make sure the power supply can handle the current of all the padals - what can go wrong? Is there any such power supplies that you guys can recommend and tell me where to get it? One power supply for all my pedals is so much more comfortable!
7 days later
I looped 5 Boss pedals for years and it worked very well, then about a year ago I got a Fuel Tank Jnr. and it's awesome. It just sounds neater, looks neater. The fact that you can put a three prong plug on the other end and never have to worry about the two points being bumped from it's socket.
It's one of the two most important things: a good power supply and a good tuner.
It's one of the two most important things: a good power supply and a good tuner.
I went through hell and back trying build my own pedalboard. You can look up the thread. It contains some VERY valuable advice from the much more knowledgeable GFSA'ers who have done this sort of thing before.
Here's my advice (learned the hard way) - don't skimp on a proper power supply. I had option 2 noted in the thread above and had endless noise issues depending on the venue. All my problems disappeared after I got the Fuel Tank Jnr. It's expensive I know...that's what I also said...but believe me you won't regret getting a proper power supply.
Here's my advice (learned the hard way) - don't skimp on a proper power supply. I had option 2 noted in the thread above and had endless noise issues depending on the venue. All my problems disappeared after I got the Fuel Tank Jnr. It's expensive I know...that's what I also said...but believe me you won't regret getting a proper power supply.
I have one of those but the power supply burnt out in no time, and it kinda sucks because you cant use a kettle chord with it.Paul E wrote:
2. Block with individual leads, such as:
Now, this is essentially the same as the above. It is ONE supply, but you can send cables individually. This allows you to keep your pedals neatly wired on your pedalboard as you don't have a million wires. These are often labeled as Non-isolated (more on this in the last option). This is more expensive than option 1 and it gives you slightly more amps, usually, and your pedalboard looks a lot neater.
Ive modded mine a bit with a new transformer and to take a kettle chord, looks like crap but it works XD
