New Pedal Power Day

SkyMonkey said:
Well, I took the plunge with the Ammoon Isolated Power Supply that @jtcnj bought.
It will take a while to get here though, 3-4 weeks through Amazon UK.
The situation with Thomann is getting quite complicated in the UK since Brexit (damn you Farage!).
So I decided it wasn't worth the hassle and hidden costs for the Harley Benton version.
Fingers crossed it's a winner.
Click to expand...

FAIL!!!
It never even got here!
I placed the order on the 12th of Feb and the absolute last day they said for delivery was the 18th of March.
That came and went, so they said wait until the 22nd.
No show.
Official reason: (and I quote) "Your package was returned because it did not sign for the package in time."
Something lost in translation there!

I just got the refund yesterday and have now ordered the clone Harley Benton ISO-1 PRO from Thomann.
I'll post when (if) it gets here after all the customs checks and extra VAT costs.

HB ISO-1.jpg
 
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syscokid said:
I'm always skeptical about very inexpensive knockoffs, but this product constantly gets decent reviews. In fact, I did not find a single negative review by anybody who actually has one of these... (y)
Click to expand...

I have been using a JOYO one for a while now.
reverb.com

Joyo JP-02 Power Supply 2 | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
reverb.com reverb.com
Never an issue, quiet and always worked perfectly....until I plugged into my new Ge Sunface. Some of these lower dollar units claim to be isolated but actually aren't. I have read that claim for years and didn't believe it because these run everything I have thrown at them with out issue. I even bought a 2nd one in January to use on that big board. So since I need 10 outputs on my board I just ordered a Cioks Adam to use instead of the 2nd Joyo. I hate having to keep pulling the plug on my Sun Face so it doesn't kill the battery. Hopefully this takes care of the issue or AM Mike said there is a 1% chance a power wire to the board could be shorted, it works perfectly fine on battery but I paid for a fully optioned Sun Face so I want it working right :unsure:
reverb.com

CIOKS Adam Link 100/250mA 4-Outlet 9/12v Power Supply | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
reverb.com reverb.com
 
The HB Power Plant ISO-1 was delivered yesterday.

No messing around in customs.
No extra charges.
7 days to deliver is a tad longer than before Brexit.
But I ain't complaining because this fecker actually arrived!!!

Not had time to install it yet, but the Harley Benton packaging is something to behold.
The presentation box is on a par with any high end products I've had in the past.
It doesn't seem like a budget product line so far.

Install and test tomorrow.
 
jtcnj said:
Another try at cheap but quiet pedal power. This claims to be isolated.
I considered the Caline unit popular in the Great White North, which seems to be similar or the same as Donner, or several similar out there.

But I went with this one for under $40 USD:

View attachment 37035


Running it along with a One Spot
Only tried it as above, quiet so far.
Re-routed the power setup but will plug it all in this evening.
Took almost 2 weeks to arrive.

www.ebay.com

VITOOS ISO4PLUS Compact Guitar Effects Power Supply Power Pack Station 8 S1V2 | eBay

Power Adapter:100-240V input, DC 12V/ 2A output, US/ EU/ UK/ AU Plug(optional). Output: 8 DC 9V (each max. With short circuit protection, can ensure the stable working condition; support self-protection mode, and it will auto-restart in about 2s once you unplug the short-circuited pedal. ).
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...

I'll let you in on a mystery.
The deal with DC power supplies is:
if you have a 50 ma load, you should have a 500ma power supply.

Otherwise, the more load -----the more noise you will get.

If you have 200 ma of load, and a 200ma power supply, you will get maximum noise.
The more load, the more ripple in the DC voltage. The ripple = audio hum.

Let's say for example your total power load is 550 ma.
Then ideally (for the lowest noise) you should be using a 5000 ma power supply.
The more headroom the DC power has ---- the lower the noise will be.
Every time you test this, it will turn out to be true.

Batteries:
Don't have hum, but batteries have do noise of their own also.
And this noise is hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

2. If you want to take advantage of a power supply :
The power should be located far away as possible from any audio signal path.
It is preferable to add more shielding to a power supply box.
The power supply has a magnetic field all around the box.
If this magnetic field is too close to the audio path, noise will be amplified.
 
RobV said:
How do you like the OD-20, always been curious about that line from Boss but never picked one up.
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It is a decent (discontinued) pedal.
I got it fairly cheap, 2nd hand in mint condition.
The COSM sims are very good.
I had a BD-2 that I A/B tested against the OD-20 and I couldn't tell the difference, so I sold the BD-2.
The newer OD/Distortions they made just for the OD-20 (Yellow ones) are a pile of :poo: though, except the Boost.
The main problem with an OD-20 is that when you recall a preset, you have no way of seeing what settings you used, or even which OD!
The new OD-200 can display the preset settings, but has no Amp Control function, which I use to select the VS65R OD channel in one preset.
 
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Amp Mad Scientist said:
The deal with DC power supplies is:
if you have a 50 ma load, you should have a 500ma power supply.
Click to expand...
I think that is a bit OTT.
The ISO-1 has 2000mA available and I need about 750mA in total.
I get no noise.

Batteries are not an option if you Velcro all the pedals to a board and the compartments are underneath the pedal (TC Electronics, Boss Twins, ZOOM MS, etc.).

Amp Mad Scientist said:
If you want to take advantage of a power supply :
The power should be located far away as possible from any audio signal path.
It is preferable to add more shielding to a power supply box.
The power supply has a magnetic field all around the box.
If this magnetic field is too close to the audio path, noise will be amplified.
Click to expand...

That is the beauty of the HB ISO PSU range. All the transformers are 'off-board'. So their magnetic fields are away from the signal path. Again, no noise.
It's also the Achilles Heel, because the Wall-Wart transformers are inferior and exposed to damage potential.
If I gigged I wouldn't have gone for the ISO. But for home use it's great.
 
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Harley Benton Powerplant ISO-1 PRO update:

One of the outlets on the ISO-1 died. The blue LED still lights up but there is no power coming out. I tried swapping leads and pedals. No go. :(
So I contacted Thomann as they give a 3 year warranty. I was expecting to have to take a hit on shipping to send it back for replacement, but they replied:

"We are sorry to hear about the problem with your Harley Benton PowerPlant ISO-1 Pro.

In this case, as one time exception, we will send you a replacement without taking it back."

So shortly I will have two ISO-1's (one slightly defective). No shipping hit, and half the expected wait! :D
Time will tell if the first was a wildcard dud or not. :fingersx:
 
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