Power: Power Pad II, BBE Supa-charger, G-Bus, Voodoo PL 2+; relative merits?

[Barnabyhuggins]

I've decided to take the plunge into a pedalboard power supply.

 

I'm planning on running a HOG, Timefactor, 16 Second Delay, and RC-50 off of this power supply so I want something that won't break my pricey and complex pedals.

 

I know the PP2+ is the top of the line standard. However, is the BBE significantly different or wanting in any regard?

 

Likewise both the Power Pad and G-Bus are cheaper. Has anyone tried any of these out? Do their prices belie a {censored}ty product?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to take a dive blind.

 

Thx

[thezeng]

it depends what you need. those look like power hungry pedals, so the BBE and PP2+ probs wont get you there. each tap only has 100ma max on them, with the exception of 2 which have 200/250ma max.

 

get a Burkey Flatliner is my suggestion.

[Barnabyhuggins]

Won't the pedal draw what it needs? The standard boss PSA says 200mA. The adapters for both the HOG and 16 sec say 500mA. The timefactor say 1200 mA. However, this doesn't mean that the pedal draws that amount does it? The adapter doesn't seem to be a good measure of what is drawn by the pedal.

 

Perhaps I'm wrong....probably am.

 

So what can't you power with a power supply like a Supa-charger or PP2+? How would you know?

[Barnabyhuggins]

Ahhhh....I see....looking at the PP2+ manual (http://www.voodoolab.com/manuals/pp2plus_manual.pdf) it appears as if it is designed to power pedals that can run on batteries. It says any pedal that runs on a 9V battery won't draw more than 65mA.

 

Does anyone use it (or a different one) to power pedals that can't use batteries but use a wall wart power supply?

[Barnabyhuggins]

bump for day crew

[andreas]

 

Won't the pedal draw what it needs? The standard boss PSA says 200mA. The adapters for both the HOG and 16 sec say 500mA. The timefactor say 1200 mA. However, this doesn't mean that the pedal draws that amount does it? The adapter doesn't seem to be a good measure of what is drawn by the pedal. Perhaps I'm wrong....probably am. So what can't you power with a power supply like a Supa-charger or PP2+? How would you know?

The pedals will only draw the amount they need, yes. So you need to figure out how much current they use, what voltage they need and what polarity the plug must have, to be sure how to power each pedal.

 

The PP2+ and BBE can provide 100mA from each output (200mA for outputs 5-6). You can also combine outputs in parallel to double the mA available, if need be. But aside from the two higher current outputs, these power supplies are mostly designed to power battery pedals cleanly and quietly. They are not designed to handle big power stuff like the Timefactor, tube preamps etc.

 

The adapter each pedal uses is not a very precise indicator, no. But it will give you an indication of which range the pedal is in. The HOG and 16 second delay uses a 9vDC, 500mA adapter. If the pedals used less than 100mA, E-H would have used their 100mA adapter, so you can be fairly sure those pedals use a bit more - I'd guess they're in the 250-300mA region. The 1200mA adapter for the Timefactor is most likely not there for show - a pedal that advanced can easily draw 7-800mA or more.

 

/Andreas

[Barnabyhuggins]

Thanks a bunch. I've been mining for answers on these questions for awhile.

 

One last question; so would the 1spot or Godlyke supply the necessary mA's? I've heard the 1spot will go up to 1700 mA. Is that the ceiling for the total amount drawn by all the pedals that are on?

[rdm]

I had the power pad 2. It was an awesome power supply. Highly recomended if you're on a budget. It powered both my DL-4 and DD20 with NO issues, plus about 11 other pedals. No noise at all. I switched to a pedaltrain, which is why I now use the PP2+

[gorebuc]

i can't imagine the PP2+ not doing what you need. it has so many options, just get one and if it doesn't work, sell it to me on the cheep.

[willburford]

I think that you are in a pickle here.

 

I'm fairly positive that none of the power supplies can power the timefactor, which probably has something like 1000 mA or around there.

 

Actually, a 1spot would. the 1spot could also power your rc-50, and you could get another for the 2 EHX pedals (except that they take 24 volts...?)

 

I think you could do it all, mA wise, with 2 1spots. I'm just not sure about the voltage... that could be the issue.

 

my advice would be just to use the wall warts for them. Safer (I'm assuming), easier, and there's nothing to worry about.

[Barnabyhuggins]

Yeah, looks like I'll be sticking with the wall-warts with the 1spot for my other, battery compatible, pedals.

 

If it is 9VDc and it has a negative center plug a pedal drawing under 1700mA should work with the 1spot, correct?

 

Can anyone comment on this question: "One last question; so would the 1spot or Godlyke supply the necessary mA's? I've heard the 1spot will go up to 1700 mA. Is that the ceiling for the total amount drawn by all the pedals that are on?"

 

Thanks again.

[NITEFLY182]

FWIW - everything youre looking to power is pretty much a wall-wart only pedal. The Timefactor draws a huge amount of current as does the HOG and the RC50. You could get a y cable to power the 16 second delay but I really dont see the point. Youd probably be better off with a decent power strip wired neatly on your board.

[Barnabyhuggins]

Agreed. But I don't keep my strip on my board. A strip that can hold 8 wall-warts, 6 of which are filled, is simply huge. An annoyance but oh well.