Bootleg Power Supply Question

pedrobot · January 12th, 2008, 05:05 AM

I have another newbie question. My wife got me a 4-pack of Danelectro Fab pedals for Christmas. The only other pedal I had was a Boss Distortion (the orange one).

I am sure that I am not the only person out there with a box full of old AC adapters from miscellaneous dead electronics. I am wondering if and how I can use these to power my effects pedals. I picked up one of those daisy chains, with the hopes that I can power all of my pedals using just one AC adapter.

I know that I need adapters that spit out 9V for my pedals, (which all could also run on 9V batteries). Am I right in assuming that the other key info for the adapter is the mA output? The one I was using for the Boss pedal is rated to 200mA, and has always worked fine. When I put it on the daisy chain and hooked it up to all 5 pedals it gave enough power to turn everything on, but not enough for any significant sound to come out.

The Fab pedals say to use a max of 300mA. But what if the if the adapter is on a daisy chain? Does this divide the mA among the pedals? I have 9V adapters with 200mA, 300mA, 350mA, and one that does 888mA. Can I hook any of these up to the daisy chain with enough power to make them work, but not so much that it fries my pedals?

I recognize that I could just go buy an adapter made for this for 20 bucks, but I am totally broke. Also, now I want to understand how this works.

Thanks.

laundromatt · March 28th, 2008, 05:05 PM

i'd like to know this as well. can someone enlighten us?

backalleyblues · March 28th, 2008, 05:27 PM

With ma, they add together, think of it as capacity, as opposed to impedance. I would spring for the One Spot, if you have the jack, but otherwise use the biggest (highest rated) supply you've got.

Also check to make sure that the polarity on the supply matches the pedals...

Franc Robert
Back Alley Blues Band

eryque · March 28th, 2008, 06:24 PM

There are 3 things you need to check:

Voltage: Needs to be equal to what's required by the pedal. Usually 9V

Amperage: Needs to be greater than the sum of the current draw of all the pedals. Most pedals are less than 100mA. In fact, most are around 80mA or less. If you have 5 pedals you want to have powered on at one time, 500mA should do you.

Tip polarity: Most pedals require an adapter with a negative tip. The symbol for it is this:

Notice how the (-) sign points to the inner part? That's the tip, or the inner sleeve of the plug. The outer sleeve is (+).

Those specs should be listed on both the pedal and the AC adapter.

laundromatt · March 28th, 2008, 08:22 PM

awesome - thanks everyone for the answers!

JimiBryant · March 28th, 2008, 08:48 PM

I used to hit thrift stores for old AC adaptors to power my various effects,
but then I picked a One Spot on the cheap and I haven't looked back.

I used to just plug 'em in and see if they would power-up, never fried any
boxes they would simply function or not function - yes, I realize that's a
fairly "caveman" manner to go about it but that's just me.

January 12th, 2008, 05:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
pedrobot NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Murrieta, CA Age: 32 Posts: 9	Bootleg Power Supply Question I have another newbie question. My wife got me a 4-pack of Danelectro Fab pedals for Christmas. The only other pedal I had was a Boss Distortion (the orange one). I am sure that I am not the only person out there with a box full of old AC adapters from miscellaneous dead electronics. I am wondering if and how I can use these to power my effects pedals. I picked up one of those daisy chains, with the hopes that I can power all of my pedals using just one AC adapter. I know that I need adapters that spit out 9V for my pedals, (which all could also run on 9V batteries). Am I right in assuming that the other key info for the adapter is the mA output? The one I was using for the Boss pedal is rated to 200mA, and has always worked fine. When I put it on the daisy chain and hooked it up to all 5 pedals it gave enough power to turn everything on, but not enough for any significant sound to come out. The Fab pedals say to use a max of 300mA. But what if the if the adapter is on a daisy chain? Does this divide the mA among the pedals? I have 9V adapters with 200mA, 300mA, 350mA, and one that does 888mA. Can I hook any of these up to the daisy chain with enough power to make them work, but not so much that it fries my pedals? I recognize that I could just go buy an adapter made for this for 20 bucks, but I am totally broke. Also, now I want to understand how this works. Thanks.

March 28th, 2008, 05:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
backalleyblues Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay, FL, USA Age: 45 Posts: 320	With ma, they add together, think of it as capacity, as opposed to impedance. I would spring for the One Spot, if you have the jack, but otherwise use the biggest (highest rated) supply you've got. Also check to make sure that the polarity on the supply matches the pedals... Franc Robert Back Alley Blues Band __________________ "It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that TWANG!!"

March 28th, 2008, 06:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
eryque Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: albany, ny [not chicago] Posts: 7,126 44 Photos	There are 3 things you need to check: Voltage: Needs to be equal to what's required by the pedal. Usually 9V Amperage: Needs to be greater than the sum of the current draw of all the pedals. Most pedals are less than 100mA. In fact, most are around 80mA or less. If you have 5 pedals you want to have powered on at one time, 500mA should do you. Tip polarity: Most pedals require an adapter with a negative tip. The symbol for it is this: Notice how the (-) sign points to the inner part? That's the tip, or the inner sleeve of the plug. The outer sleeve is (+). Those specs should be listed on both the pedal and the AC adapter. __________________ my blog: eryque.blogspot.com Updated 9.17.08! Subscribe_____________________

March 28th, 2008, 08:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
JimiBryant Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago Chicago that toddlin' town Age: 46 Posts: 1,842	I used to hit thrift stores for old AC adaptors to power my various effects, but then I picked a One Spot on the cheap and I haven't looked back. I used to just plug 'em in and see if they would power-up, never fried any boxes they would simply function or not function - yes, I realize that's a fairly "caveman" manner to go about it but that's just me. __________________ *we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.*

March 28th, 2008, 05:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
laundromatt TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 23	i'd like to know this as well. can someone enlighten us?

March 28th, 2008, 08:22 PM	#5 (permalink)
laundromatt TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 23	awesome - thanks everyone for the answers!