Members andreas Posted December 3, 2009 Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 Original thread is here, if you want to catch up: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/....php?t=2498462Like I suspected, I did a quick and dirty setup test before starting to mess about with rebuilding parts of the pedalboard to fit the power supply. I loaded the supply up, hooking up a simple chain:EX-7 (off the 9vAC output on the Power Plant)compressorTS-9Loop strip with a boost + 2xdelay pedalsPhaser (I needed a pedal there to make use of the cable coming out of the loop strip, so I wouldn't have to mess about rewiring that bit)Big disappointment... the whole board had a steady hum that was quickly traced to the 9vAC output. As soon as I disconnected that cable (using the stock EX-7 adapter instead), everything was dead quiet. Not a whisker of hum anywhere. Which was nice - with the other setup I had, I was forced to use batteries in the dirt pedals, and they still were noisy, due to the electro-magnetic fields emitted by the power supplies.So - DC outputs work perfectly, and that part of the rig is now dead quiet. But.. the 9vAC output, which was the main reason I bought this over the PP2+, is all but unusable It could be the cable (I'm thinking a properly twisted pair cable with shielding might be quieter). But I'm not sure - the noise doesn't seem to change when I move the cable around, so it doesn't seem to be the cause. Time to start measuring voltages, I suppose. And measure the actual current draw of the EX-7 - who knows? It might even be over the 1000mA the Power Plant has to offer (in which case I'm the one with egg on my face).../Andreas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 Update... I measured the EX-7 to draw 300mA, so that's not the problem. I tried running only the EX-7, as well as disconnecting the ground to the power supply, but no dice. It still hums badly - and it's worst in the middle of the guitar's volume control sweep (less hum at 0 and 10, thus). Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thezeng Posted December 3, 2009 Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 could it be that you have got a faulty one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 I don't know. And I'm not about to ship it back to Utah to find out... not just yet, at least. I measured the output voltage (unloaded) on the 9vAC output to 10.7vAC, which seems reasonable enough. It's almost exactly the same as the stock Digitech adapter measures unloaded, so it seems to check out. Time to email Modtone, I think. /Andreas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Husafreak Posted December 3, 2009 Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 Yikes! I got a modtone power plant for my pedalboard too, I got it because I use an EX-7 wah, but my wife is giving it to me for Christmas, I dont know if she got it yet but if she did I can try it on the EX-7 friday (she'll love that!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Husafreak Posted December 3, 2009 Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 and heres a question, where do you put your ex-7 in th chain, normally a wah would go at the beginning but this wah also does things that you want at the end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 3, 2009 Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'd heard a report that it doesn't work with the Whammy either, despite that being advertised as a key feature. Sorry to hear about that. Can you run the power supply for the EX-7 from the Modtone's courtesy outlet? Or is it US plugs only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2009 Husafreak - I'm using it first in line. It's mainly used for the wah impersonations (which are a long way off a real wah, but people doesn't seem to mind) and the Space Station sounds. Mike - the 9vAC output is definitely what sets it apart from the other isolated power supplies (PP2+ etc). So if that doesn't work (and it's not only mine), it definitely gives Modtone a really bad rap. Where did you hear about it not working with the Whammy? The courtesy outlet is US only, so the Digitech supply won't fit there. I have a US 2-prong plug, though, which I'd planned on using for the SCF. I will get to the bottom of this... for now (for the upcoming gigs), I guess I'll just use a short mains cable for the supply, and keep using a power strip up by the board. It did take care of the hum problem I had, so in that sense it's an improvement. But had I known I'd still have to use the EX-7 adapter, I'd have bought the PP2+ instead (for just a tad more) or imported a Supacharger from the US (for a lot less). /Andreas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Husafreak Posted December 4, 2009 Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Got my Power Plant todeay, I'll check it out tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Husafreak Posted December 4, 2009 Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Dead quiet my brother from another mother... Alternated EX-7 with Digitech AC wall wart and Power Plant 9V AC. No difference. Gibson SG straight thru pedal to Mesa 5:50 clean. Sounded just like Santana Maybe try it on 120v from a tansformer? It's either defective or doesn't like your supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Good to know. It has a voltage selector on the back, so it *should* work properly from 220v mains. If I get my hands on a step-down trafo, I'll be sure to try it. Unless the problem somehow is in the different AC frequency (we have 50Hz over here, instead of 60Hz) - in that case, it'd be the same with the transfomer.What I can't really fathom is how it could be defective - the 9vAC source comes straight from the transformer (i.e. there are no other components there to go bad), and if there's a problem with the transformer itself, the 9vDC outputs would also be affected... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Tried e-mailing Modtone, but they only seem to have a contact form on their webpage, where they want to have my home address, phone # (only US and Canadian addresses work, apparently), and they want to know how I found out about Modtone etc... Just to send an e-mail? I fired away an e-mail to info@ - I guess I'll have to see if that works. Edit: no dice... I guess the contact form is the only way to talk to Modtone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Update: I did get hold of Modtone, and they're working on figuring the problem out. They seem both reasonable and eager to help, so thumbs up so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claytonjohn18 Posted December 4, 2009 Members Share Posted December 4, 2009 Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 5, 2009 Members Share Posted December 5, 2009 Cool, I hope they can do something about it. I'm very interested to see how this turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 6, 2009 Members Share Posted December 6, 2009 Any progress with this Andreas? What exactly did they say? Was it an issue with European power? I'm debating whether or not to get one; I'd love to be able to do away with the Whammy wallwart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andreas Posted December 6, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 6, 2009 At the moment, they don't know. When I e-mailed the, they had already seen the thread here and started testing the units they had on site. All of theirs worked fine, of course, so it could just be that I got a dud. But... had the problem been with one of the DC outputs, that would have made sense (a bad filter capacitor, regulator or something like that). The 9vAC output comes straight off its own transformer secondary, so there's really nothing there to go bad. I haven't been able to get hold of a stepdown transformer to try it at 110-115 volts (I assume they haven't had the chance to test theirs with a step-up transformer either), so this far there's no news if it has anything to do with that. There doesn't seem to be anything funky with the mains power (it was a steady 231 volts, and a Furman power conditioner I had lying around didn't help), and all the measurements I've done (output voltages etc) match what they're seeing, so it's a bit of a conundrum.I'm going to try a cable (between the Power Plant and the EX-7) with beefier gauge wire, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Other than that, nothing new has happened over the weekend - most likely because it's the weekend. /Andreas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 15, 2009 Members Share Posted December 15, 2009 Here are a few reports about the Whammy not working with the Power Plant: "The Modtone doesnt power my Whammy properly"http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...5&postcount=16 "Strangely I could not feed my WH-4 has the same electrical characteristics as the FM-4. Bizarre. Weird. Anyway I think it would have been limited to connect the 2 in Garland, amperage was too tight. So I keep the transformer suitable for Whammy." [Google's translation from French]http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...N%26start%3D10 "So I tried out my new board at band practice for the first time tonight, and I kept having issues with my Whammy IV. I am powering it using a modtone powerstation that I just got. It has an AC out that is rated at 1000 mA, and I have been told that the Whammy only actually draws 750 mA. Anyway the Whammy kept going into the treadle setup mode in the middle of playing. I am assuming this is because of some sort of power issue."http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpo...14&postcount=1 Not particularly promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nno Mar Posted December 16, 2009 Members Share Posted December 16, 2009 Man, I just received mine and haden't seen this Well, I'll try it and let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 16, 2009 Members Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm desperate to get one of these but I need to read some more positive reviews first! Let us know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeartfeltDawn Posted December 16, 2009 Members Share Posted December 16, 2009 Originally Posted by andreas Mike - the 9vAC output is definitely what sets it apart from the other isolated power supplies (PP2+ etc). So if that doesn't work (and it's not only mine), it definitely gives Modtone a really bad rap. Where did you hear about it not working with the Whammy? Hasn't the Burkey Flatliner got a 9v AC output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wiklund87 Posted December 16, 2009 Members Share Posted December 16, 2009 hey Andreas! I'm planning on buying a used EX-7 from USA.... and wonder if this adapter will work? http://www.thomann.de/gb/digitech_ps0920_netzteil.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted December 16, 2009 Members Share Posted December 16, 2009 Originally Posted by HeartfeltDawn Hasn't the Burkey Flatliner got a 9v AC output? We're talking reasonably-sized power supplies here. The Burkey is bigger than a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hb1969 Posted December 17, 2009 Members Share Posted December 17, 2009 I wonder if there is a design fault with the 9V AC outlet? I was thinking about a Power Plant so I could power my captain coconut as well as my other pedals but so far it's not looking promising. As far as the Burkeys go, they're WAY outta my budget, especially down here in NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind_Riot89 Posted January 1, 2010 Members Share Posted January 1, 2010 Any news? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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