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I plugged 18v of power into a 9v pedal


mbengs1

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It's good it didn't break. Is this coz the power supply was designed not to break pedals with the wrong power running into them ? It was my boss dd-20 digital delay. maybe if I plugged something else it would have broke ?

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You're lucky it didn't fry - overvoltage can do that if the pedal isn't designed for it.

 

However, SOME pedals are designed to run on anything from 9-18V. But before you plug a higher voltage power supply in, make sure you have read the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the allowed voltage, and especially the power supply type (AC or DC) and the plug polarity - get any one of those three things wrong and it can potentially mean a fried pedal.

 

 

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I'm surprised the 18V plug was even the same size. I know most 12V units use a different sized jack and pin size to prevent accidents.

 

The Center pin hole needs to match the center pin on the pedal and the outer circumference needs to be right to activate the jack switch.

He may not have done any damage because the jack is the wrong size and never made the proper electrical contacts.

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Some 'universal' power adaptors have selectable voltage levels and switchable polarity as well as several different plugs to fit a variety of different devices. I don't recommend using such adaptors.

 

Like Daddymack said, using one of those is typically a recipe for noise, hum, and general unreliability. Like you, I'd recommend against using them.

 

 

 

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You'll have to go quite a bit higher than 18v to do any damage to the electronics but 18v will push most electronics into clipping/distortion. One pedal company ships with 18v to give their pedals more head-room and they work on most 9v pedals I've tried.

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I'm sure my Joyo power supply has some feature in it protecting pedals from this case. coz it's silly to break pedals this way.

 

A power supply would have a difficult if not impossible time anticipating if an arbitrary pedal can handle 18 volts or not.

There's no device identification/arbitration buss involved here... the PSU simply supplies a voltage to a pedal, up to the current limit of that PSU.... the pedal's functionality (literally, it's operational input voltage impedance) is what determines the current.

 

If the pedal starts to fry (goes into overcurrent scenario), the PSU may have a crowbar circuit that stops output on that line, but it is only a response to the immolation of the pedal and is there only to prevent the PSU from going up in smoke as well. In that case, the pedal is probably toast.

 

If the pedal's normal operation demands a current level over/above that which the PSU can output, a couple things could happen.

A decent PSU should have an over-current sensor with a shut-off circuit built in.

In some cases/designs, the PSU might attempt to provide the current demand, but at a lower (saggy) voltage.

The PSU might reach an over-temp condition and hopefully there's a sensor and shut-down for that.... otherwise expect smoke from the PSU.

 

The bottom line is:

The PSU will not typically 'protect the pedal'. It cannot sense if the supplied current or voltage is damaging the pedal vs whether the pedal is a high-current-demand device (think : a big Strymon).

 

There are more scenarios that can play out, but rarely in the pedal's failure.

As Phil pointed out, it is incumbent upon the Player to have checked with the pedal manufacturer and make sure that a proper voltage at the proper current-capability is provided to the pedal.

 

You wouldn't want to put 18 volts on a Klon...the vast majority of Klon/klones use a step-up DC/Dc convertor that will go up in smoke if given more than 11 volts... here again, there are devices that can handle 18 volts, but they are more expensive and pedals need to economize on parts to have an acceptable price.

...besides, if all pedals were made to be safe up to 18 volts, then someone would complain that they fried one at 24 v.

 

 

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