Battery Pack power for pedals

ttl100 · November 29th, 2009, 04:16 AM

I'm tired of the hum from using multidrop power supply to power my pedals. I'm thinking of building a battery pack with 6x D batteries for 9V and wire to all my pedals. Will this reduce hum? Is it a workable solution?

SackvilleDan · December 1st, 2009, 09:58 PM

By using a battery, you're not grounding the pedal in two places anymore (the adaptor and guitar jack), so this will help you cut down on noise.

Let us know how it works!!

Joe-Bob · December 4th, 2009, 11:16 PM

I've never had hum occur from pedal power. Makes me wonder what you guys are doing.

SackvilleDan · December 6th, 2009, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe-Bob

I've never had hum occur from pedal power. Makes me wonder what you guys are doing.

I don't have any issue using a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2+, but I can hear a big difference in the amount of buzz with a 9V battery vs. a wall wart.

Case in point: I picked up an old MIJ DS-1 a few years ago, and didn't have an adaptor handy, so I threw in a battery, and was impressed at "how quiet this beat up old Boss" was.

Once that battery croaked, I plugged it in with an ACA adaptor, and I heard humming like you wouldn't believe! So I checked a couple other pedals, and sure enough, same thing.

It could have been dirty power in the room, but plugging in to an unregulated/unfiltered power supply always adds hum IMHO. By using a battery, your signal is being grounded through your cable, connected to your amp, which is essentially the one point of ground (where its third prong is in your wall).

By using an adaptor, you're grounding your signal through through that as well as through your amp; and it's this loop I'm assuming creates the buzz.

yonie · December 6th, 2009, 11:31 AM

My experience is that it can also be a crappy adapter causing noise. Aka use specific adapters made for powering pedals instead of generic ones, especially avoid the ones that can be set to multiple voltages.

SackvilleDan · December 6th, 2009, 11:36 AM

Honestly, until right now it hadn't dawned on me that the adaptor could have been crappy

The adapter I used was the right voltage, so I assumed it was appropriate. In order to not use batteries, I just ended up buying a Pedal Power 2+, and the problem was solved.

winny pooh · December 7th, 2009, 01:20 PM

I was using 3 boss adaptors to power my rig but the pedal power 2 is much quieter, it may be my imagination but it even sounds cleaner (which may have to do with the fact the the older boss pedals are now running on the correct 12v)

ttl100 · December 13th, 2009, 04:56 AM

Finally done! No more hum and buzz and all those yucky unwanted noise. Very happy with the result. Cost me also nothing.

jefrs · December 13th, 2009, 08:57 AM

Battery pack do-able but expensive hobby. Use re-chargeables.

A decent mains power supply has feeds isolated from each other, no hum. The only earth point should be your amp, the supplies should have floating earths.

ravindave_3600 · December 15th, 2009, 01:10 AM

You're running 5 pedals off 6 D's. How long will this last before you run out of juice?

beep.click · December 15th, 2009, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe-Bob

I've never had hum occur from pedal power. Makes me wonder what you guys are doing.

I've run into it occasionally. I can always trace it to a combination of a certain pedal with a certain power supply... but not always that one specific pedal, or always that one specific power supply!

Bottom line, if I carry enough wall warts, I can swap out until the hum goes away.

Also: I've never had hum when using a 1 Spot (yet).

guit30 · December 15th, 2009, 02:18 AM

Put it in a fancy metal box , call it the humdrummer and sell a few hundred
J

November 29th, 2009, 04:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
ttl100 TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Malaysia Age: 33 Posts: 97	Battery Pack power for pedals I'm tired of the hum from using multidrop power supply to power my pedals. I'm thinking of building a battery pack with 6x D batteries for 9V and wire to all my pedals. Will this reduce hum? Is it a workable solution?

December 1st, 2009, 09:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
SackvilleDan Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sackville Posts: 233 2 Photos	By using a battery, you're not grounding the pedal in two places anymore (the adaptor and guitar jack), so this will help you cut down on noise. Let us know how it works!! __________________ Tele/Strats->Huckleberry Fuzz->Pitchblack->Diamond Compressor->Timmy->Marshall Jackhammer->Cool Cat Vibe->Outlaw Supply Big Blue Tremolo/Boost->Eventide TimeFactor->Boss RV-3->Boss RC-2-> Marshall 1962 RI w/ KT66s

December 4th, 2009, 11:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Joe-Bob Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dallas, Texas Age: 47 Posts: 5,928	I've never had hum occur from pedal power. Makes me wonder what you guys are doing. __________________ The lone voice screaming in the wilderness might be wrong, but that he is alone is never the reason why.

December 6th, 2009, 11:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
SackvilleDan Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sackville Posts: 233 2 Photos	Honestly, until right now it hadn't dawned on me that the adaptor could have been crappy The adapter I used was the right voltage, so I assumed it was appropriate. In order to not use batteries, I just ended up buying a Pedal Power 2+, and the problem was solved. __________________ Tele/Strats->Huckleberry Fuzz->Pitchblack->Diamond Compressor->Timmy->Marshall Jackhammer->Cool Cat Vibe->Outlaw Supply Big Blue Tremolo/Boost->Eventide TimeFactor->Boss RV-3->Boss RC-2-> Marshall 1962 RI w/ KT66s

December 7th, 2009, 01:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
winny pooh Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South London Posts: 2,306 7 Photos	I was using 3 boss adaptors to power my rig but the pedal power 2 is much quieter, it may be my imagination but it even sounds cleaner (which may have to do with the fact the the older boss pedals are now running on the correct 12v) __________________ my afro ambient side project: http://www.myspace.com/theswyambusessions I play dancy bass here: http://www.myspace.com/casabellamusic

December 6th, 2009, 11:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
yonie Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Netherlands Age: 27 Posts: 151 3 Photos	My experience is that it can also be a crappy adapter causing noise. Aka use specific adapters made for powering pedals instead of generic ones, especially avoid the ones that can be set to multiple voltages.

December 13th, 2009, 04:56 AM	#8 (permalink)
ttl100 TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Malaysia Age: 33 Posts: 97	Finally done! No more hum and buzz and all those yucky unwanted noise. Very happy with the result. Cost me also nothing.

December 13th, 2009, 08:57 AM	#9 (permalink)
jefrs Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 55 Posts: 2,738	Battery pack do-able but expensive hobby. Use re-chargeables. A decent mains power supply has feeds isolated from each other, no hum. The only earth point should be your amp, the supplies should have floating earths. __________________ There's two kinds of people, those that hear the music and those that don't.

December 15th, 2009, 01:10 AM	#10 (permalink)
ravindave_3600 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Boise, USA Posts: 1,315	You're running 5 pedals off 6 D's. How long will this last before you run out of juice? __________________ Want my guitar to sound like BBQ tastes! Check out the band at www.brightredtie.com

December 15th, 2009, 02:18 AM	#12 (permalink)
guit30 Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Abington Age: 56 Posts: 794	Put it in a fancy metal box , call it the humdrummer and sell a few hundred J __________________ Wampler Ego Compressor Edan Analog Nashville Hot Boost Jim's Country Reviews www.geocities.com/guit30

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