Power strip or which power supple for pedalboard

jdh3000

jdh3000

May 16, 2016
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#1
I've wound up with a few more pedals on my board than I intended.

I have a couple of power strips mounted under the board and nothing is daisy chained. These are just the heavy duty kind of strips like you'd get from lowe's.
The plugs are secure and don't fall out and I just run them up through holes to the pedals.

It has seemed to work ok so far. Is there any advantage to getting a power supply like voodoo lab or one spot?

Is anyone just using this kind of strip on their board?

If I should get a power source supply, which would you recommend?

Thanks!
 
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#2
I’d say it depends on what pedals, how much power they need, and how many of them you have to feed.

For a small board, a power strip with AC Adaptors may work fine if done right and secured well.

My board has escalated to the point that I’m starting to seriously consider a monster like the Walrus Audio Pheonix, that will power 15 pedals at a go.

Ciosk, TrueTone, and Voodoo are also some of the better Isolated power supply’s with flexible volt and milliamp settings for different pedal needs.

At some point, it just gets to big and awkward running a bunch of AC Adaptors and power strips. A purpose made power supply with the right connectors will be much smaller and more secure from getting knocked loose.
 
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#3
gh0st42 said:
I’d say it depends on what pedals, how much power they need, and how many of them you have to feed.

For a small board, a power strip with AC Adaptors may work fine if done right and secured well.

My board has escalated to the point that I’m starting to seriously consider a monster like the Walrus Audio Pheonix, that will power 15 pedals at a go.

Ciosk, TrueTone, and Voodoo are also some of the better Isolated power supply’s with flexible volt and milliamp settings for different pedal needs.

At some point, it just gets to big and awkward running a bunch of AC Adaptors and power strips. A purpose made power supply with the right connectors will be much smaller and more secure from getting knocked loose.
Click to expand...


Yes, I'm adding a new pedal and I'm become concerned if by having so many, and one pulling 18v, that I'm going to start having issues.

Thanks!
 
#4
You can't go wrong with Voodoo Labs or Cioks, but it does depend on how many pedals you need to run and how much power those pedals require. My personal fave and the one that's powering my main board is the Strymon Zuma. It's got 9 isolated outputs, each putting out 500mA, with two outputs switchable between 9/12/18v, you can use all 9 at the same time, AND you can expand it with the Strymon Ojai expansion block, which gives you an additional five 500mA outputs with two switchable. You can still use Voodoo Lab cords and adapters.

It ain't cheap, but it's the lightest, most powerful power supply available. Not exaggerating, switching from a VL 4x4 to the Strymon netted me, like, an additional 2,500mA and shaved off almost 200g, and gave me one more usable outlet.

If you have less than 7 pedals, I'd say get the Strymon Ojai or Ojai R30. If you have more than 8, get the Zuma. Like I said, they ain't cheap, but you will never want to use anything else...;):thumbsup:
 
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#5
Small board: CIOKS DC7
Large board: CIOKS DC7 or Strymon Zuma

I had two large boards. My guitar board was powered by a Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus and Voodoo Lab ISO-5; the bass board was powered by a single Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus.

The guitar board had three Strymon pedals, requiring 2x 250mA and 1x 300mA. It was a mess. I needed the two power supplies and a number of adapter cables.

I switched to the Strymon Zuma. As @pbass6811 says,

It's got 9 isolated outputs, each putting out 500mA, with two outputs switchable between 9/12/18v, you can use all 9 at the same time, AND you can expand it with the Strymon Ojai expansion block, which gives you an additional five 500mA outputs with two switchable.
Click to expand...

For my bass board, I downsized to a Pedal Train Nano+. I went with the CIOKS DC7. It fits under the board and has seven isolated outputs that you can choose between 9V/660mA, 12V/500mA, 15V/400mA and 18V/330mA. Like the Zuma, it's also expandable.

Had I known about the DC7 before I purchased the Zuma, I probably would've went with two CIOKS. That said, I am happy with the Zuma.
 
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#6
GenghisKhan said:
Small board: CIOKS DC7
Large board: CIOKS DC7 or Strymon Zuma

I had two large boards. My guitar board was powered by a Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus and Voodoo Lab ISO-5; the bass board was powered by a single Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus.

The guitar board had three Strymon pedals, requiring 2x 250mA and 1x 300mA. It was a mess. I needed the two power supplies and a number of adapter cables.

I switched to the Strymon Zuma. As @pbass6811 says,



For my bass board, I downsized to a Pedal Train Nano+. I went with the CIOKS DC7. It fits under the board and has seven isolated outputs that you can choose between 9V/660mA, 12V/500mA, 15V/400mA and 18V/330mA. Like the Zuma, it's also expandable.

Had I known about the DC7 before I purchased the Zuma, I probably would've went with two CIOKS. That said, I am happy with the Zuma.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, can you daisy chain a 2nd CIOKS off of the first, just using a single AC Power cable in?

I’ve considered just adding a 2nd smaller power supply, but don’t want to deal with multiple power cables to feed them.
 
#8
GenghisKhan said:
Small board: CIOKS DC7
Large board: CIOKS DC7 or Strymon Zuma

I had two large boards. My guitar board was powered by a Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus and Voodoo Lab ISO-5; the bass board was powered by a single Voodoo Lab Power 2 Plus.

The guitar board had three Strymon pedals, requiring 2x 250mA and 1x 300mA. It was a mess. I needed the two power supplies and a number of adapter cables.

I switched to the Strymon Zuma. As @pbass6811 says,



For my bass board, I downsized to a Pedal Train Nano+. I went with the CIOKS DC7. It fits under the board and has seven isolated outputs that you can choose between 9V/660mA, 12V/500mA, 15V/400mA and 18V/330mA. Like the Zuma, it's also expandable.

Had I known about the DC7 before I purchased the Zuma, I probably would've went with two CIOKS. That said, I am happy with the Zuma.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna do a deeper dive into the Cioks DC7. I've got an "acoustic show" board that I just put my HX Stomp on. It's a Voodoo Labs Dingbat(small)with an ISO-5. Unfortunately, There's not enough power to run the Stomp(Found that out the hard way. Yes, I did a super quick swap before my last acoustic show. No, I didn't test it before I left. Yes, I know I'm a moron.). I'm wondering if there's enough power for two outputs to run a Line 6 HXS? I know two outputs on any Strymon will do it, but I'm trying to cut back on the cost...LOL!
 
#9
gh0st42 said:
Out of curiosity, can you daisy chain a 2nd CIOKS off of the first, just using a single AC Power cable in?

I’ve considered just adding a 2nd smaller power supply, but don’t want to deal with multiple power cables to feed them.
Click to expand...

I don’t know the answer to your daisy-chain question, but you can get a Y-adaptor for your two power cords.

C32E371A-E1C4-4A97-A07A-5A60CE3420FE.jpeg 6575C3CE-FBC9-40DA-BFBE-BC089670026E.jpeg

I’m using Y-cable to power my Voodoo Labs ISO 5 and Digital power supplies, under a Pedaltrain Jr.
 
#10
From what I understand, the Line 6 HXS requires 3000mA? Combining two outputs on the Zuma will give you 1000mA. Combining two outputs @ 9V on the Cioks DC7 with the Parallel adapter Flex will give you 1320mA.

So the Zuma shouldn't be able to power the Line 6 HXS. But I guess if you manage to run the Line 6 HXS with 1000mA off the Zuma, you should be able to run it with the Cioks DC7.

pbass6811 said:
I'm gonna do a deeper dive into the Cioks DC7. I've got an "acoustic show" board that I just put my HX Stomp on. It's a Voodoo Labs Dingbat(small)with an ISO-5. Unfortunately, There's not enough power to run the Stomp(Found that out the hard way. Yes, I did a super quick swap before my last acoustic show. No, I didn't test it before I left. Yes, I know I'm a moron.). I'm wondering if there's enough power for two outputs to run a Line 6 HXS? I know two outputs on any Strymon will do it, but I'm trying to cut back on the cost...LOL!
Click to expand...
 
#12
GenghisKhan said:
From what I understand, the Line 6 HXS requires 3000mA? Combining two outputs on the Zuma will give you 1000mA. Combining two outputs @ 9V on the Cioks DC7 with the Parallel adapter Flex will give you 1320mA.

So the Zuma shouldn't be able to power the Line 6 HXS. But I guess if you manage to run the Line 6 HXS with 1000mA off the Zuma, you should be able to run it with the Cioks DC7.
Click to expand...

I've had zero issues running the HXS with the Zuma, but it sounds like it should be a piece of cake for the DC7 or the Eventide Powermax, as @mmbongo pointed out. Thanks for the heads up on that!:thumbsup:

Edit: Just checked out the Powermax vs. DC-7. It's the exact same thing, but $30 cheaper! It's the same price as the Zuma R300, but way more flexible. Looks like I'll be getting the Powermax when Sweetwater has all the extra cables I need in stock(need the Parallel adapter flex and the 2.5mm center negative cord.)! Thanks again!
 
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#13
#14
So, I switched out my VL ISO-5 on my Dingbat with an Eventide PowerMax, which is, ostensibly, a Cioks DC-7. That is a BEAST power supply! It's got, like, 120mA more than the Zuma(at all 9v), almost all the outlets are 9v/18v switchable, AND it's got a USB output! But, like the Zuma, it's not perfect. I have 2 xtra-long, r/a power cords that I use to make sure it's easy to find an outlet for my board on any stage. I like the R/A cords because they don't stick out as much, BUT, plugging a R/A cord into the PowerMax cuts off two outlets. That's not Cioks(Eventide)fault, but it is an issue, I could try to find a L/A cord, or just have one made, but it's a bummer. I'm also not a fan of the proprietary cords Cioks(Eventide)uses. With the Zuma, I can use Strymon cords, Voodoo Labs cords and adapters, Decibel 11 or One Spot cords.

Those are minor quibbles, which can be easily overcome, but they can't be perfect, LOL! I love both power supplies, they're both fantastically engineered pieces of gear! I'll probably stick with the Zuma for my "big" board(since I already have an Ojai expansion module, if I need it) and use the PowerMax for my "lil" board, since it's too good to not use. I think the Zuma is still a bit lighter, but the PowerMax is a bit more flexible. I don't think you can go wrong with either...
 
#15
From what I can tell for researching power supply for my own board.
The Strymon Zuma or/and the Strymon Ojai look the best. I haven't bought either yet but when I do that will be what I am willing to spend money on. I have a one spot and have absolutely no problems with it, I like how the Strymon products are designed to deliver ample milliamps and have the option of switching voltage for those pedals that need it.
 
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