Members catscurlyear Posted May 4, 2016 Members Share Posted May 4, 2016 hi there can anybody point me to a set of instructions on how to fit a 9 volt power point to the pedal,which will also cut out the battery from the circuit when plugged in ,thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted May 5, 2016 Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 What I'd do is install a jack and route the battery wires to it. You wouldn't be able to run it on the battery any more but you could always rewire it if you wanted to put it back to the original configuration. Like most electronics, the insides are mostly air. Here's what the guts look like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 5, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 ok thanks deepend ,i was wondering about still running the battery aswell so that the pedal isn`t allways stuck in the same place all the time, but i definatly want to be able to run it off the mains. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted May 5, 2016 Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 Copy a Boss or something. I don't think it's a grounding trick. I think the jack needs a disco switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 5, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 Copy a Boss or something. I don't think it's a grounding trick. I think the jack needs a disco switch.ta for your reply ,i wouldn`t know what i was looking for in a boss pedal ,i`v not done anything like this before,i could copy it if i was looking at a moded fuzz face i suppose ,realy i need a list of parts to buy and fitting instructions . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 5, 2016 Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 Adding a jack isn't that hard. The toughest part is drilling a hold for the jack. The jack itself has a "Make Contact" connection when the power supply is unplugged, and a "Break Contact" when the power jack is inserted. The break contact disconnects the internal battery so it doesn't get charged by the wall wart. Here's a description of what's involved. http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/...-a-power-jack/ This is how your pedal is currently wired. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31733064[/ATTACH] This is how the power jack gets modded in. Be sure the jack is the plastic type which will not short the hot wire to the frame. You can buy the jacks at most electronic parts stores and they come with a nut which screws them in place. Be careful of the metal shavings when drilling a hole for it and do it where you have enough space to solder the wires on and not have it touch any covers. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31733065[/ATTACH] One very important item. Older pedal circuits have no filtering at all. They were designed to run on a battery that produces no AC Ripple.I suggest you use either a Boss or a Dan Electro Zero Hum 9 Vdc adaptor when powering the pedal. I've added AC adaptors to tons of vintage pedals and know these have the correct current rating and produce no hum. A One Spot might work but I haven't had a reason to try them. I have had hum issues with the One Spot on a heavily loaded chain so I haven't chanced using a vintage pedal with one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 5, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 Ta Bill ,that`s great thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted May 5, 2016 Members Share Posted May 5, 2016 It's important to get the polarity right. Some circiuts, depending on the transistors used, may operate on a negative voltage with the postive side of the battery going to ground. The way to check for this is to follow the red and black wires from the battery connector. One of them will go to the circuit board and the other will go to the input jack. If the red wire goes to the jack, then the device uses a negative voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 7, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 7, 2016 thanks onelife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 9, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2016 One very important item. Older pedal circuits have no filtering at all. They were designed to run on a battery that produces no AC Ripple. I suggest you use either a Boss or a Dan Electro Zero Hum 9 Vdc adaptor when powering the pedal. I've added AC adaptors to tons of vintage pedals and know these have the correct current rating and produce no hum. A One Spot might work but I haven't had a reason to try them. I have had hum issues with the One Spot on a heavily loaded chain so I haven't chanced using a vintage pedal with one. hi Bill ,yes it is humming with the power supply i`m using, i have a couple more (different brands) to try but they are at different locations at the minute,it aint actually harming it though is it? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 9, 2016 Members Share Posted May 9, 2016 hi Bill ,yes it is humming with the power supply i`m using, i have a couple more (different brands) to try but they are at different locations at the minute,it aint actually harming it though is it? thanks So long as the current rating is around 200~300ma you shouldn't damage anything but I wouldn't use those cheap K-Mart type wall warts. Their filtering sucks badly. I have like a dozen of them I've collected over the years and only use them for non audio applications. If the adaptor is higher like 1000ma don't even try to use it. Vintage pedals were never designed to run at higher current levels. Also the pedal has no AC filtering or reverse polarity protection like modern pedals. Many newer pedals have a diode that protects against accidental reverse polarity if you use the wrong adaptor. It may protect against ac ripple too. In my experience the cost of a zero hum adaptor is well worth the $8~10 you spend for one. They even make some generics that are low cost and do a good job. http://www.amazon.com/ADAPTER-CHARGER-PSA-120S-PSA-120T-ACA-100/dp/B00L50OQ6S http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply%C2%AE-Multi-effect-Controller/dp/B00KO2C4XU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1462794133&sr=8-7&keywords=boss+psa-120t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 9, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2016 So long as the current rating is around 200~300ma you shouldn't damage anything but I wouldn't use those cheap K-Mart type wall warts. Their filtering sucks badly. I have like a dozen of them I've collected over the years and only use them for non audio applications. If the adaptor is higher like 1000ma don't even try to use it. Vintage pedals were never designed to run at higher current levels. Also the pedal has no AC filtering or reverse polarity protection like modern pedals. Many newer pedals have a diode that protects against accidental reverse polarity if you use the wrong adaptor. It may protect against ac ripple too. In my experience the cost of a zero hum adaptor is well worth the $8~10 you spend for one. They even make some generics that are low cost and do a good job. http://www.amazon.com/ADAPTER-CHARGER-PSA-120S-PSA-120T-ACA-100/dp/B00L50OQ6S http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply%C2%AE-Multi-effect-Controller/dp/B00KO2C4XU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1462794133&sr=8-7&keywords=boss+psa-120t ta Bill ,this is the one i tried so far and it is 450ma a bit too high maybe?http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/9v-power-bank-for-guitar-effect-pedals-vv33l , other pedals i`ve run on it are ok but like you said this is vintage gear ,i did briefly get the polarity the wrong way at my first attempt but did work once i corrected it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted May 10, 2016 Members Share Posted May 10, 2016 If a power supply is rated for 450mA or even 1A it does not mean that it will force that amount of current into your device. What the rating does mean is the power supply is capable of supplying that amount of current - if the load draws it - without a drop in voltage. The load will not draw more current than it requires unless the Voltage rating of the power supply is too high. You are safe using a power adaptor rated for 1000mA on vintage equipment as long as the Voltage and polarity are correct. As has been suggested, it is better to use quality adaptors with adequate filtering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted May 10, 2016 Author Members Share Posted May 10, 2016 thanks onelife ,i am useless regarding how electicity makes stuff work ,i have an old tranny amp that has just started playing up but it`s no big deal cause i have plenty of amps ,but it`s frustrating when you have to rely on other people to sort things out and the amount of time i have spent with gear, i realy should know alot more about it,it is one of those to do things and i have not yet ticked the box for ,i realy do appreciate yours and everybody`s time .thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 10, 2016 Members Share Posted May 10, 2016 I read the reviews on that supply. Here's one - Leads are too short, makes MASSIVE hum through my amp, doesn't have a power LED so you have to lean down to see when it's on. Overall a big disappointment. Not recommended, sorry. Apparently someone else had issues with that same power supply with their particular pedal. Like I said, I've converted many vintage pedals over to running on an ac adaptor. Some wont work in a daisy chain arrangement and require an independent supply. I never really sat down to figure out why but I'm sure it has something to do with the circuit design. You can ride DC on an input using a battery and never hear it in the amp. Try it with a AC adaptor that has even the slightest ripple and you'd think you plugged the guitar cord into an AC outlet. It may be even be ground loop issue, not an ac ripple problem. I think some of the Fuzz Faces used a positive ground so daisy chaining them with other pedals wont work. The NPN are negative ground and the PNP are positive ground. Their adapter jacks may be wired the same way, but that's not why it works or don't work. Some pedals are NPN but others use PNP transistors. I'd need to know the numbers on the transistors to be sure. Since most other pedals are negative ground you may need to give the pedal an independent power supply so you don't create a ground loop through its (or other pedals) circuitry. In any case I was able to get all those old pedals to run without any additional modifications by simply using a zero hum 200~300ma adaptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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