Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

[Gunsmith1971]

Hi everyone. I am going to build a simple small pedalboard this week and want to run it the cheapest way possible. I was thinking about just having a surge protector power strip in the back of it and buying some power plugs for the pedals that didn't come with them. I am also looking at the MXR M238 ISO-Brick power supply if I have to spend the money. Zzounds has it in stock and I can afford it through their 4 month payment plan. I am totally new to pedal boards and back 30 years ago, I used my buddies rack and a couple of my own pedals when playing. Since then I have been sticking to playing my acoustic guitars and even stopped playing those for a long time. So I am just getting back in to playing and went out and bought an electric guitar, amp, some effects and the FBV Express MKll from Line 6. So for my effects I have the MXR DD-11 Dime distortion which has it's own power supply, Deltalab DGFX1 multi effects that comes with it's own power supply, FBV Express MKII foot pedal that connects to the back of the amp for power, Rogue GEQ-5 graphic equalizer pedal, Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor pedal, Donner Blues Drive pedal, Donner Ultimate Compressor pedal and I am ordering the Donner Fuzz pedal today. So I will have a total of 5 effects pedals that don't have a power supply for them. All together I will have 7 power supplies that need to be hooked up. So I was thinking about just ordering the power supplies for them and then plugging them all in to a surge protector power strip. I am not in a band and I just play at home so I don't need a professional set up. So I am looking for some help on all this please. I don't have a lot of money these days because I am still recovering from back surgery. I purchased the Truetone 1 Spot daisy chain power pack but returned it because I read reviews saying that it hums a lot. Also if the surge protector power strips is the way to go then does anybody know of a good single power supply for the Donner pedals. I don't want to daisy chain them because people say that causes noise problems. I am just looking to build a simple pedalboard that I can put beside me while I am stuck in bed. Thanks for all your help everyone. Much appreciated!

 

[Gunsmith1971]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

After talking to someone who uses the MXR M238, I decided to start out with ordering that and then go to the local shop and electronics supply store to see what I would also need for wiring, plugs and about possibly adding mini fans to each side to Keep the board cool. This should be a fun project!

 

[Hank-]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

Well, I hope it doesnt end up frying your pedals down the road. Good luck

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?319227-Power-supplies

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

I'm with Hank here. With the recent threads about that M238 taking out pedals, you may want to reconsider. Don't even open the box, just send it back. Just not worth the risk, IMO.

If you only need 5 x 9 volt outlets, T-Rex has the Fuel Tank Junior. It's 99 bucks and all 5 outlets are isolated. Not all of the T-Rex supplies have individually isolated outlets, but the Junior does.

For 20 dollars more (and 30 bucks less than the MXR) you may want to consider the Truetone One Spot Pro CS7. It's not the same as the one spot. It's not a "wall wart" that you daisy chain. It's a 7 outlet supply. Each outlet is fully isolated. 6 x 9 volt outlets and 1 x 18 volt. 4 of the 9 volt outlets are selectable for 12 or 9 volts.

If you still need more isolated outlets, Truetone has the One Spot Pro CS12. It has 9 x isolated 9 volt outlets. One of them is variable from 4 - 9 vdc and 4 of them are selectable between 12 volts or 9 volts DC. It also has 2 x 18 volt DC outlets and 1 9 volt AC outlet. Personally, I think it's probably the best bang for the buck isolated supply available if you need/want a good number of outlets and need (or may need down the road) the AC outlet and/or the 18 volts DC outlets. It is 30 bucks more than the MXR at $179. Both Truetone bricks come with mounting brackets for Pedal Train pedal boards.

There is the staple, Voodoo Lab. They have the Pedal Power 2 Plus which has 8 x 9 volt outlets, fully isolated. 4 are selectable between 9 or 12 volts DC. Two are adjustable between 4 - 9 volts DC. $169 bucks. Probably the "safest" bet for the money if you don't need anything other than 9 volts DC. Although, two 9 volt outlets can be combined with a cable to provide 18 volts if needed. I say "safest" because Voodoo Lab has been around a good while, with a good reputation for their supplies.

Voodoo Lab also has the Iso 5 which is 120 bucks. 5 isolated outlets. 3 x 9 volts, 1 x 9 or 12 volts and 1 x 18 volts.

I must have been bored to type out what you could have looked up yourself but, there it is.

Good luck with whatever you decide on. Especially if you decide to risk it by keeping the MXR brick.

 

[Gunsmith1971]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me on choosing a better power supply. They do have a couple of those that you suggested at Zzounds so I could get it on their payment plan. I also have more stuff laying around that I could sell to be able to afford the higher end ones that you suggested. I don't play out so I have time to get myself hooked up right. I am definitely going to return the M238 when it arrives in the mail. Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated!

 

[Gunsmith1971]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

Thanks for the heads up. The guy on the phone said he used it so I ordered one but it's definitely getting returned when it arrives! All the ones on Zzounds that I can get on a payment plan are pretty expensive and they don't have a large selection of them to choose from so it looks like I am going to have to save up to buy one from another company. Thanks again for saving my pedals! That would have sucked!!!!

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

Thanks for the heads up. The guy on the phone said he used it so I ordered one but it's definitely getting returned when it arrives! All the ones on Zzounds that I can get on a payment plan are pretty expensive and they don't have a large selection of them to choose from so it looks like I am going to have to save up to buy one from another company. Thanks again for saving my pedals! That would have sucked!!!!

It would really suck to lose pedals for sure, especially when money is tight. I notice that ZZ does seem to carry the full line, or most of the Voodoo lab supplies. How many outlets of each voltage do you need? There may be a Voodoo Lab supply that would give you what you need for not much more than the MXR. If so, financing would still be an option through ZZ Sounds. It's a shame that they don't sell the Truetone stuff. The CS12 would probably work well for you at 30 bucks more than the Iso Brick. That wouldn't raise payments but by a few bucks.

 

[nsnate02]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

I also tried the Trutone One Spot daisy and it worked fine for me. However, the Zoom MS-50G I had tended to be noisy with it. I tried this off Amazon https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Isola...5484&sr=8-6&keywords=pedal+board+power+supply and it worked great. Never had an issue with 10+ pedals running through it and you wouldn't have to finance it. However, when I decided on a pedal board I went with the Voodoo Dingbat with the 2 Plus and it is fantastic. Even has the Line 6 outlets and switches where you can change the input amperage. Worth every penny IMO. I'll keep the AGPtek as a backup or secondary board supply.

 

[Hank-]

Re: Need help deciding on small pedalboard power supply.

I also tried the Trutone One Spot daisy and it worked fine for me. However, the Zoom MS-50G I had tended to be noisy with it. I tried this off Amazon https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Isola...5484&sr=8-6&keywords=pedal+board+power+supply and it worked great. Never had an issue with 10+ pedals running through it and you wouldn't have to finance it. However, when I decided on a pedal board I went with the Voodoo Dingbat with the 2 Plus and it is fantastic. Even has the Line 6 outlets and switches where you can change the input amperage. Worth every penny IMO. I'll keep the AGPtek as a backup or secondary board supply.

The zoom G1on(x) I have found to give out whining/microphonic sound when daisy chained, I suspect the MS series might react the same way.

The AGPtek you linked is similar to caline/donner/kokorest/etc. stuff I've seen on ebay & amazon, looks like they come rebranded from the same factory or something. I would go with the joyo jp02 if I were looking into one of these.

I have a joyo jp04 iso supply, its the proper iso supply they make. The insides look fine except for the 12V/18V toggle outlet, that one outlet they screwed up during the design process. It needs a heat sink for the SOIC size regulator IC but they missed it and ended having to hand install a normal DIP size chip in the spot . While the rest of the remaining outlets are safe & well designed, I still wouldn't recommend it to everyone out there.

The truetone cs7/cs12, trex fuel tank jr./chameleon, voodoo labs stuff, mxr cae 403, cloicks stuff are some I'd recommend.
Edit: Also +1 for the BBE supacharger