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Topic: High Pitched Squeal with One-Spot Power |
Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 12:57 pm |
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| I have a small pedal board that I use for gigs where I go directly into the P.A. It consists of an Ethos pedal (as the pre-amp), MXR Carbon Copy and Boss Reverb. I have been using a One-Spot power unit for the two effects. In the last few weeks, there is suddenly a high-pitched squeal when plugged in. When I unplug the One-Spot from either pedal, the squeal stops. It is obviously some sort of ground or power loop problem. Is there any solution for this? FYI, I read on an effects Forum that others have had the same problem and say it was caused by the One-Spot. I just don't have enough room on the board (which I fly with) to add a better power unit with a bigger footprint. Does anyone know if the Godlyke power unit (which looks just like the One-Spot) is any better? Thanks in advance for your help and input. Boo |
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George Macdonald
From:
Vancouver Island BC Canada
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 1:31 pm Power source
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| I use the Godlyke "Power All" to supply power to a DD3 delay and a Wet reverb pedal with no problems of any kind. But likely there are others that use the "One Spot". Maybe you just got a bad one. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 2:15 pm
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I think you got a bad One Spot.
I have used a One Spot for quite a while with NO problem. |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 2:26 pm
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Some pedals don`t like One Spot. Holy Grail for example.
_________________
Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 3:20 pm
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| Thanks, George. Maybe someone who uses a One-Spot can weigh in if they've had -- or heard of -- similar problems. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 3:23 pm
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Sorry, in the time it took me to post, I already had some responses. Thanks all!
FYI, I've had the One-Spot for a number of months with no problems; maybe it's gone bad! |
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George Macdonald
From:
Vancouver Island BC Canada
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 3:35 pm Power All
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| Boo, What I like about the "Power All", is that you can get a Y cord for it to power just two pedals, instead the five plug wires that are more commonly supplied with the One Spot. The Power All comes with either five, or nine depending on the package but the Y cord is an option that a dealer can order. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 5 Mar 2012 4:58 pm
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| George -- The Y cord sounds good. I wonder if it would be compatible with the One-Spot; they're only about $5.00 and I could see if that improves the situation. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2012 4:53 am
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I posted this on another forum:
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| I love those OneSpots or the equivalent Rocktron "OnTap" etc., but when you start running a series of things off of a single OneSpot and some polarity or grounding issues arise, yeeks - if you're out on a gig, a handful of 9v. batteries FIXES the problems right then and there because it isolates each effect. I don't even really know what technically goes wrong, but it sure can suck. |
And the response from a trusty source:
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A surprisingly large number of special effects manufacturers use the center pin on their power connectors as ground, as opposed to the sleeve, leaving the hot side of your power supply exposed all over the place just begging to be shorted to ground on some exposed metal somewhere. It's poor practice, but it seems to have become almost standard. Still, there are those who do it right and oddly enough they're the ones who leave you in trouble.
Then there are one or two effects manufacturers out there - I think Digitech is one - who don't use a DC supply. Their wall warts are simply step-down transformers that supply 12-18 vac, and it gets rectified/filtered/regulated inside the effect. Not a bad idea, but if you do it in isolation from the rest of the industry, then you cause problems for the users. |
So it's not just a matter of getting the right polarity and plugs, there are interactions between the effects. They're like, garbage-quality electronics, as most engineers can tell you. A few battery-powered boxes duck-taped to a plywood board may run a lot cleaner than a zoomy new powered pedalboard with lots of sheet metal area.
If it's just on gigs that it's blowing up, switch to batteries just for those, because it will isolate each box. The 1Spot, Godlyke and Rocktron are all the same, but there are expensive Voodoo power supplies with separated power outs. Or - go multi. The Digitech RP ".5." series - 150, 250, 350, 155, 255 etc - do a frighteningly good job at a variety of things. |
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Randy Beavers
From:
Lebanon,TN 37090
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Posted 6 Mar 2012 6:08 am
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| Boo, I've had that high pitched squeal happen to me as well, but the problem was the splitter cable rather than the power supply. Evidently one of the little wires somewhere in the chain was broke or either shorting. Bought a new splitter and all was well. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 6 Mar 2012 2:32 pm
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Thanks to everyone for your input.
Randy, I just ordered a new splitter cable and I'll try that out. Thanks for your advice.
David, that's exactly what I did this weekend; I unplugged one of the pedal (ran it on battery power) and the squeal stopped. That said, in the long run, it's just not practical to depend on batteries when I play so often -- the MXR is not the easiest compartment to access, especially while traveling.
Interestingly, I had been using this set-up for months and it suddenly started happening so I suspect something changed ... hoping the new cable will solve the problem.
Thanks again. Boo |
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Eric Gross
From:
Perkasie PA, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2012 5:24 pm
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| Make sure none of the unused ends are touching each other or a grounded surface (or the floor), that can generate noise. |
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