power source for effect pedals question

Michael Dene · Post by **Michael Dene** » 16 Jun 2019 9:53 pm

I guess there's no general correct answer, because of variations between pedals, but how many pedals can you "daisy chain" off one regular 9 volt power source?

.... or in other words at what number of pedals is a bigger power source needed?

... and if you exceed the number does it all just fail, or does the quality drop off, break up, or what?

... sorry that's three questions.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 16 Jun 2019 10:54 pm

Depends on the pedals and the power supply. . If it works for your rig then no worries. Didnâ€™t work for me though.

I use a CIOKS DC8
https://cioks.com/products/dc8/

It works great and lets me change voltages when I travel.

Barry Coker · Post by **Barry Coker** » 17 Jun 2019 3:42 am

The answer will be depending on the AMP draw rating of the
pedal and the amp output of the wall wart. Most pedals are rated in Milliamps (mA) there are 1000 Milliamps in an amp
so if you have a pedal with 200mA draw and one with 500mA draw you need a power supply greater than the 700mA of the two pedals.

Good luck Barry

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 17 Jun 2019 4:07 am

You can do your homework at this site. Even if you can't find your pedal, it will give you a real good idea of the current draw of similar pedals. Digital pedals draw a lot more and can sometimes play badly with other pedals on the same daisy chain.

Exceeding the current specs of the power supply can burn it out. Look for the very fine print on the wall wart to see its rating.

http://stinkfoot.se/power-list

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 17 Jun 2019 6:58 am

As you said, there is no single answer.
And all of the other posters are correct also.

It depends upon the pedals, the supply, and other factors.
Some digital pedals do not want to play well with others when using the same supply.
And not all analog pedals want to play well with other analog pedals as well (I have a couple in this category).

Since no one else asked: Is there a reason that you ask?

Daniel Morris · Post by **Daniel Morris** » 17 Jun 2019 3:13 pm

Never use a daisy chain.
Use Strymon, CIOKS or any other high quality isolated outlet power supply.

Harry Dove · Post by **Harry Dove** » 17 Jun 2019 5:23 pm

I use a Pedal Power 5. It has a lot of sockets to plug into and they are sorted by how much your pedal needs. So you check how much your pedal needs and match that to a connection that has that output. I'm sure there are a lot of similar power sources but this one works great for me.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 17 Jun 2019 6:31 pm

I use a 1 Spot. 9v / 1700mA. Daisy chaining 3 pedals.
No problems.

Gabriel Edell · Post by **Gabriel Edell** » 18 Jun 2019 6:22 am

Daniel Morris wrote:Never use a daisy chain.
Use Strymon, CIOKS or any other high quality isolated outlet power supply.

Totally agree here. Daisy chaining pedals will generally introduce a lot of noise into the signal. A power supply with isolated outlets is the best way to go. I use an MXR MC403 which has a ton of outlets and voltage options, including AC. But you can get smaller and simpler units with isolated supplies. The MXR Iso-Brick costs $149:

https://www.jimdunlop.com/product/m238- ... cCategory=

Dustin Rigsby · Post by **Dustin Rigsby** » 18 Jun 2019 9:54 am

Batteries ! I jettisoned everything that needed a wall wart. Iâ€™m running a zoom ms 50,a Hilton digital sustain, and a Peterson strobo stomp. All offer superior battery life.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 18 Jun 2019 10:30 am

As stated above, one size does not fit all. What is needed depends on the number, type, and current draw of the set of pedals in question.

I use mostly pretty simple, relatively low-current-draw, non-digital pedals and a simple, daisy-chained One-Spot 9VDC power supply works fine on 3 different boards I have set up right now with from 5 to 8 pedals each. Each has a digital reverb (Catalinbread Topanga, Oceans 11, and Wampler Faux Spring). But even with that, none of these pedalboards use even a quarter of the One-Spot's current capability (1700 mA). An isolated supply yielded no noise improvement for these boards (I tried one), and I like the simplicity and price.

It's dead easy to just try a simple power supply like this - if it doesn't work, you'll know iat quickly. Multiple heavily current-sucking digital pedals with a lot of clock noise will likely hum like hell on a single daisy-chained supply, and if there's a problem, it will be noticeable. But many basic, low-draw, non-digital pedals can often be daisy-chained on something like a One-Spot. Definitely go for a good, regulated supply - cheap junk will probably give you trouble.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 18 Jun 2019 12:58 pm

Dave Mudgett -- precisely.

I've been gigging a 9 pedal pedalboard including digital delay and reverb for a while now and I've been powering it on a chain with a regulated single power supply. I have done the calculations and I know that I am well within the power supply's capacity.

If I were to run into other noise problems, then isolated outputs would be the first thing I would consider but it has not been an issue. I did once have bad hum that seemed to relate to some other amps on the circuit and I resolved that with a Volto.

"I don't use a daisy chain", especially if qualified by a statement that you use a number of high draw digital devices and the daisy chain was a problem, is a fair statement.

Never use a daisy chain.

.....is just silly.

Ken Morgan · Post by **Ken Morgan** » 18 Jun 2019 2:36 pm

Also consider is the rated power draw when the effect is off or running at full capacity. Iâ€™ve run 9 with a 1Spot easily (when effects were switched on or off) with daisychaining...but encountered some noise when using a bypass loop device, in which all pedals were always on.

Michael Dene · Post by **Michael Dene** » 18 Jun 2019 10:59 pm

Thanks to all for the information and your experience.

I know I was asking "How long is a piece of string?" question, and I appreciate your patience.

Jon Light ... the site you suggested, short-cut most of my question.
Over the years I have collected many pedals that either never had, or have worn off their power usage data.
Now I can determine exactly, or at least approximately, the likely power needs for the pedals I am using.

Ken Morgan · Post by **Ken Morgan** » 19 Jun 2019 3:43 am

Start your search here:

http://stinkfoot.se/power-list

If not there, there are youtube things that can show how to measure power demands and predict battery longevity.

James Winger · Post by **James Winger** » 19 Jun 2019 7:53 am

Michael Dene wrote: I know I was asking "How long is a piece of string?" question, and I appreciate your patience.

15 inches.
that was easy
I await the next question so I can hand down the gift of my wisdom to all the little people