AC Adapters for Pedals

I bought this T-Rex Fuel Tank Jr copy to have something more decent than my Visual Sound One Spot daisy chain. And it worked out well. I incidentally gained 5 isolated outputs which I currently use for several TC Electronic Toneprint pedals: Everything works fine, although, in theory, they are not very temperamental. The PSU seems solid from the outside, in any case, it's pretty heavy given its size. It comes with 5 connectors (1ft and 2ft), a Y-cable to double the intensity and a daisy chain. Every output is isolated and delivers 120 mA into 9V, which is more than enough except for big and ultra-powerful modern DSP-based units. It's impeccable after several weeks of use, it's hard to beat in terms of value for money. I only regret that the power cord isn't detachable.

Carl Martin has released a new power supply, the DC factory, but there are a few differences from the company’s current line-up. Most importantly, this 2500mA supply does not use the typical toroidal transformer technology; rather, it is a fully digital switch mode supply. In effect, there are five groups of two outputs (10 total), each of which is fully isolated and offers 500mA of power. Four of those groups are 9v and the other group is 12v. There’s also a cable/voltage doubler if you have an 18v pedal. Now, each group has two outputs of 500mA of power, which can be divided in any manner. For example, if you have a power-hungry digital pedal at 400mA, but an older analog pedal that may required only 20mA, then you can hook up those two pedals to one of the groupings. Keep in mind that the two pedals could be any mA amount (e.g., 250mA each), so long as they do not exceed 500mA total (and if you have a pedal that requires the full 500mA, then you use only one of the outputs). The above is a basic understanding how this power supply works, but as important is how clean and quiet the unit is. You can have several wah pedals hooked up to DC factory and you will not hear any hum or buzz. The unit also comes with ten 18-inch (50 cm) cables, as well as the voltage doubler mentioned. It’s grey adonized chassis makes it attractive enough to place atop a pedalboard, although it can be mounted underneath with typical Pedaltrain brackets (screws supplied, but brackets not included). The DC factory may not be as exciting as a pedal, but its form factor and function does make this a nifty piece of hardware for consideration. I’ve been using it for the past week with zero complaints… powerful, noise free and looks good; everything you could want in a power supply. List price is $169 USD. For an overview of features and its function, refer to the demo video below.

This is a power supply for effects pedals. These things can be tricky, and picking a good one is really particular to the pedal choice of each player. That's why I'm not going to give this a 5-star review. Don't get me wrong, it's good. There is little to no noise (at least additional noise beyond the pedal(s) itself). There are about 6 outputs, meaning the pedal can power 6 pedals at once. One of the main selling points of this power supply is that it has an additional output that serves a few distinct pedals that can't usually be powered by a multi-jack power supply. A good example of this, one that I have had a hard time with recently, is the Electro-Harmonix Melody Man. I haven't seen an adaptor like this that worked with that pedal, which is a shame, because I love that pedal. However, having to lug around that additional power supply was starting to get somewhat frustrating. That's why I'm happy with this supply. If you don't have a Memory Man, but have another pedal that is impossible to power with a central power supply, then you should check this guy out, chances are that it will work with this guy. I haven't encountered a pedal that it doesn't work with, granted I haven't tried all pedals but I've played a lot. I think that beyond the funny name, this is still a really good power supply. My only beef is that it doesn't power more than six pedals at a time, I might need or want more than that in my live setup soon. This might not be for you if you have more than 6, unless you want to buy two, which would likely be more than enough, unless you are a wild effects enthusiast.

Here you are dealing with a basic and simple power supply generating 9V DC on five (5) outlets. You have a total of 280mA to share between the five outlets. The outlets are filtered, but not isolated, which means, that do you have some sort of hum, it gets shared between all of the outlets! If you have a power conditioner somewhere in you setup, then you should have no problems at all. I can't remember wether the center is positive or negative, but switch cables does exist, giving you the possibility to use pedals with reversed polarity on this power supply as well. Per default, this power supply works straight up, with Boss pedals, using normal polarity cables. Extra cables are a bit on the expensive site (around 5$ + VAT), but when buying it in a store, they usually give you enough cables to fill out every outlet socket on the power supply. As with any other device requiring power, it comes with a standard two pole power connector, so make sure, that you plug it into the power socket the right way around, otherwise you might have some phase issues. I tend to change the power connector on my equipment when I receive it, to three pole power connectors (phase, ground and null). This way, I always have the phase the right way round, unless the building has some old electrical installations. If you are looking for a new power supply, then I would recommend that you look for something else. The Cioks Baby is good, no doubt about it, but the problem is the non-isolated outputs. The difference in price between the ones with isolated outlets as opposed to the non-isolated outlets is minute, compared to the advantage you have.

This is a combo pack version of the 1 spot which includes a daisy chain and I believe some extra cables with different ends for specific pedals that don't have the regular boss style adapter end. This is a great deal, the overall package is less than $40 bucks and includes everything you need to power at least 5 pedals from the start. Not only that, it's very small and takes up little to no space on your board vs a brick power supply. But of course it's different for each player depending on the size of their board and what kinds of pedals they're using. The 1 spot has become to renowned that almost every other company is now making variations of the same thing to market. There has been some debates about noise issues with adapter style plugs but to be honest I haven't had any of these noise experiences with gigs or just playing at home. Nothing seems to be any noisier than without the 1 spot. Oddly enough I haven't even heard of the 1 spot cable being torn apart or anything like that either, it is rather thick compared to an older red tag boss style adapter and those have always eventually had the cable torn out somehow. This is slightly sturdier, as it is thicker. As I've said in an earlier review, I've seen many players using the 1spot and have had no troubles with it at home or live etc. So it seems to do the job, I have used both brick power supplies as well as the 1 spot and find them all to be very useful with the 1spot being the one I use the most merely for more space on my board. Just gotta make sure you clean up all the extra cables from the daisy chain etc to not tangle it up and mess it up when stompin!!

I bought the Fuel Tank Classic to power my Line6 wireless. The wireless needs 500mA, otherwise you will have issues. I was using a Boss adaptor that was rated at 500mA but it wasn't working out so I contacted T-Rex about the Fuel Tank. They told me the 9v outputs actually can handle more than 500mA so I should have no problem. And they were right, I got it, installed it in the rack and it has performed flawlessly ever since and the wireless works perfect. Excellent customer service from T-rex, even before I bought the unit!! I'm only using one output but the Fuel Tank can do a lot more, it's also nice to have the additional 12v AC or DC output. The 9v outputs are NOT isolated so you could have some issues with it but it depends on your needs. The Fuel Tank comes with a number of cables to hook up your pedals and you can always order more or special cables! They even include a daisy chain cable so you can hook up 5 pedals to 1 of the outputs, good thinking on their part! When using it on your board, make sure to test it out with your pedals because some of them need to be on isolated outputs. If you don’t have this problem, the T-Rex Fuel Tank Classic is a very good unit for the price. Another thing to keep in mind is the max rating of 500mA. A typical pedal only uses 20-40mA so you shouldn’t have a problem there but make sure to check this before you overload the Fuel Tank! The build quality is excellent for sure, I have mine in a rack so it’s not seeing the abuse of a pedalboard but it’s a pretty sturdy, metal, box so I don’t expect any issues.

•For which specific applications or uses have you chosen this product? Our main pedalboard featuring a jammman looper (9V AC, ~ 1.2A (recommended), a forest green compressor (9V DC, 5 mA), a rc booster collector (9V, 5 mA). these two are powered respectively in 18V and 15V. We do not use a Y-cord but the ports offering a different voltage selection by dip switchs. No interferences noises are to be noted. The case is very solid and very well constructed. •In what context do you currently use this product? We use it since two months now. •Have you tested other comparable or competing products before purchasing this one? A daisy chain to connect five effects from a non-isolated power supply block. Temporary solution but presenting a systematic buzz. •What are the pros and cons of this product? The small usb lamp that heated and then burned in stride (a week barely). Really some shit ! We will contact the manufacturer about this and then we will give feedback about customer service.

The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus is a power supply that can take up to 8 different effects pedals. It only cost around 150 dollars, and it has short circuit protection from burn outs and all the outputs are isolated. It is very quite with low noise and provides a lot of power for a little device. It will only take a few minutes to set up your Power 2 Plus and have it running, I am extremely happy to use this and it has become one of the best smaller purchases that I have made for our band. I have tried many other similar power supplies but none from Voodoo, I was really surprised with how well built the Power 2 Plus actually is. For the price of it I expected to get something a lot cheaper built. The short circuit protection on the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 is a must have for us because from time to time some of our pedals may have some sort of an issue, but on this device if there is an issue the Pedal Power 2 Plus will automatically shut of for a while to make sure the unit doesn’t get damaged. There are no interactions between pedals because everything is isolated, the power supply for each pedal will not be the same which keeps everything separate and running seamlessly. The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 comes with more cords than I expected, it has right angle connectors , straight connectors , the 9v battery and a few other cords. It comes with everything you need to just plug in and play and not have to worry about reading manuals or trouble shooting. It is very easy to use and it will last you a lifetime! I recommend this to anyone that is a guitar player, you will need to add this to your set up and let it power your pedals. It is very quite and will remove your ground noise.

This is the Supa Charger by BBE Sound Inc. it is basically a no bull power supply that up to 8 different pedals. Voltage is good for any 8 12 and 16 volt pedal. The goal is hum free power and it does a good job. I was building a pedalboard for a tour and wanted it to be as simple as possible. The BBE Supa Charger definitely makes life easier. Any plug or jack on your pedal will work. Boss style, 9-volt battery plug, 1/8' cable, 2.5mm barrel with reverse polarity, all of it. It does its job, powers everything with no additional outside noise. At $150 it is a little pricey, but it does what it should and you are paying for a quality power supply. It is somewhat bulky. The footprint will take up a good chunk think about 2 Boss sized pedals. I was able to mount it under my board. Well built and noise free. The cables are thick and not the junk you get with some cheaper sets. I'd imagine this will last me a good couple of years. If you are sick of fussing with homemade plugs, wall warts, or a spaghetti looking pedalboard check this out. Great quality and no noise. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is the Power-All Basic Kit from Godlyke Distributing. It is a 9-volt DC power, 1700 milli amp power supply. In a nutshell it will power multiple effects pedals so you don't have to run all kinds of extension chords. I bought this from Music123.com I paid around $25 for it. There are a few similar units on the market, but this offers the most pedal adapters for the money. This was purchased so I could dabble with effects pedals and not have to worry about digging up specific power supplys or finding 9 volt batteries. It simplifies power effect pedals like no other. I like how this unit simplifies my life. I can use it to power one pedal or 5 pedals. I have lost a few pedal power supplies, some have broken or sometimes I just find a deal on a used pedal without the stock power supply. Instead of spending more than the pedal's worth, I have the Godlyke to power almost everything in my pedal collection. Nothing at all. It does what it should. No unwanted noise. It has a very small foot print, so it takes up very little space. Excellent. I've dropped it, stepped on it, it has taken some high dive tumbles from the top of a half stack and keeps on ticking. The ends feel very strong. As long as it is not mistreated I do not see how it would fail. Bottom line if you need a cheap, simple to use multi pedal power supply, this is for you. At $25 there isn't much else out there that competes with it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought 2 pieces in Oroszlánb. in Budapest. They costed 4800 HUF each. (20 dollars). Got them for my pedals. I owned some AC adapters before, all of them went wrong. This unit is working still. It's not so large, has a long cable, fit into my Marshall and Dunlop pedals. No noise! What is that you dont like in an AC adapter??? Cool, man! It does still work!!! It's important that the AC adapter must work correctly. A crappy one can kill your effets as well. It has a name, so I'm not afraid of screwing my stompboxes. And it's not noisy- an important thing. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

People have been looking for alternatives to the Voodoo Lab power supply for quite awhile. However, none of them have really come close to what Voodoo offers at their price point. Dunlop decided to try their hand at it, but I really think they dropped the ball on this thing. The DC Brick is meant to power your pedals, and it does exactly that. However, it has one major flaw, and that’s that each of the sources are not isolated. In the Voodoo Lab version, all of the inputs are isolated, so you get clean and pure power. With this one, it can induce a lot of noisy. In fact, it’s nothing but a glorified One-Spot, to be honest. The pedal itself is nice and compact, so there’s no real issues when it comes to how much space it takes up. It also comes with all of the cables you need, so no issues there. It powers up the pedals fine, just like other power management systems out there, and it’s cheap. Those are about the only good things you can say about this thing. If you’re in the market for a solid power supply, just get the Voodoo Lab model. You’ll be much happier, it’ll be quieter, and it can do more. I find that the Voodoo one is much more versatile. If you ever get offered one of these, politely decline. If you can’t afford the Voodoo one, just get a One-Spot and start daisy chaining until you can afford to buy the Voodoo one. If you got a lot of money and space, you can look into the new CAE power supply. That’s an amazing one, but it costs quite a bit of money. Skrydstrup can also build you a real solid one, but that’s only for those guys over in Europe, as his prices are a bit out of hand for those of us here in North America.