MXR ISO Brick

[Darg1911]

Not in the market for a supply but I'm wondering if anyone has tried one of these things. It seems pretty interesting. I'm not an electronic tech but I can only think of two ways to get isolated outputs. One is separate transformers or multiple secondaries. The other, I think it can be done with optocouplers. There may be numerous other ways that I have no clue about. The ISO Brick uses a single 18Vdc supply, so one transformer/secondary. But the outputs are supposed to be truly isolated. Unlike the regular MXR Brick, or those cheap supplies that also use a wall wart.

At any rate, aside from the tech stuff that I don't know much about anyway, I'm curious if anyone is using one of these or knows anything about them. Price is real good for the number of outputs, voltage options and current available IF it works well. And it's small.

 

[Hank-]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

http://basstalk247.com/forum/home/threads/mxr-iso-brick.2755/page-5

That should help with some info on this. I think the new visual sound 1spot pro units are also based around similar/same concept.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

Thanks Hank. I found that site with more searching after I posted this. I think time will tell when more user reviews are available. But, if I needed a supply with that many outputs, I think I would buy one from a place with easy return policy and give it a try. It looks like a pretty well thought out box. May need a work around for the wall wart supply with the short cord but other than that ...

 

[zanshin777]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

Actually I was just about to ask this.

Which one is produce less noise Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 or MXR ISO Brick? Is there much difference as noise-wise?

 

[Hank-]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

Thanks Hank. I found that site with more searching after I posted this. I think time will tell when more user reviews are available. But, if I needed a supply with that many outputs, I think I would buy one from a place with easy return policy and give it a try. It looks like a pretty well thought out box. May need a work around for the wall wart supply with the short cord but other than that ...

Yeah, you get a aftermarket adapter with a longer cord or extend the cord on it & correct the polarity as well & use it as a substitute. It looks cheapish though, i think that link had pics of a bent knob as well.

Actually I was just about to ask this.

Which one is produce less noise Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 or MXR ISO Brick? Is there much difference as noise-wise?

Hard to say, but the new brick should be quiet enough for most people's use.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

Yeah, you get a aftermarket adapter with a longer cord or extend the cord on it & correct the polarity as well & use it as a substitute. It looks cheapish though, i think that link had pics of a bent knob as well.

Hard to say, but the new brick should be quiet enough for most people's use.

I saw that but I would hope that would not be typical. It's a board mounted pot that wasn't mounted flush to the board. Shouldn't have passed QC. Personally I would have exchanged it.
Maybe my expectations are low but it doesn't look that bad. They stuffed a lot of stuff on 3 boards, with a couple small transformers (for isolation I would guess) to get it into a small case. Made in China I would guess. Lots of surface mount stuff but looks like there is some pretty decent filtering. My biggest concern would be heat. Again, I'm not a tech but some of the outputs can deliver some decent current and, unless they are doing something different for regulation that is outside my understanding (which wouldn't be difficult), regulators can get damned hot and I don't see any heat sinks (cant see into the middle of the board). Personally, I could do without the variable voltage but I'd probably still give one a try if I needed that many outlets.

 

[Hank-]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

They may have skipped the heatsink since the current supply is not very high for the outlets. Still not a very good idea, maybe they found a way around the heat dissipation.

I agree, i was expecting more along the lines of pp2+ when i heard an iso brick was in works, this is different & QC seems okay but not excellent

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

I'll stick to Voodoo Lab.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: MXR ISO Brick

They may have skipped the heatsink since the current supply is not very high for the outlets. Still not a very good idea, maybe they found a way around the heat dissipation.

I agree, i was expecting more along the lines of pp2+ when i heard an iso brick was in works, this is different & QC seems okay but not excellent

They are calling it a "hybrid". So, not a true/pure linear supply. Though they only mention it for the variable voltage outputs, the switching would keep the heat down. But I'm skeptical that some type of switching isn't applied throughout. That would probably change my mind.


http://www.jimdunlop.com/blog/power-to-the-people-the-iso-brick-power-supply/

"Yes—aside from isolating the outputs from each other, we’ve ensured that each fixed voltage output receives a stable, low-noise voltage source by using linear regulators. The variable outputs are regulated by a hybrid design consisting of an adjustable buck regulator and two LC filters—which block switching noise—to simulate the smooth output of an adjustable linear regulator. This was done to minimize heat and power loss in the circuitry while preserving the output characteristics of an adjustable linear power source."