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| Quad power, baby! |
Anyway, this is how you can re-purpose old 9V power supplies for FX pedals. I got this honker here out of the trash.
This is what you want to look for, a supply that will deliver 9V and at least 1000mA. This is a typical connector configuration, with the positive voltage on the center pin, and the negative voltage (ground in this case) on the sleeve. Most effects pedals are exactly the opposite. Using this power supply as is on guitar pedals will, at best, not work. Worst case scenario, you damage your expensive pedal, in a glorious flash of smoke, and a beautiful electrical fire. No one wants that.
Lucky for us, switching the leads is easy, and takes only a few minutes.
You will need:
Solder Iron
Wire cutters/strippers
Solder (I recommend lead free solder. Lead is poisonous, take precautions if you use it. A little lead solder here and there shouldn't hurt you, but prolonged exposure is not good)
Heat shrink of various sizes. I bought a huge pack at Ax-Man surplus for less than $4.00. It's lasted me for more than a year, and the heat shrink also makes great cat toys. Seriously...
Voltmeter (a cheap one will run you about $5.00. A high quality meter can cost a $200 or more.)
Optional: Hot air gun to shrink the heat shrink (a hot air paint stripper works best, hair dryer will work, but you can also use a solder iron)
First... plug in your power supply, make sure it works by measure the voltage on the connector. Use the red lead in the center hole, and the black lead on the sleeve. It should read 9-12V. Wait a minute... why is my 9V power supply reading 12V? Well, when there's no load (I.E. Guitar pedals) sucking power, the voltage can be higher.
So, you power supply works? Great! Unplug the supply, and continue monitoring the voltage with your voltmeter until it reads 0V. These power supplies can still have energy stored in them, and you can get shocked if you don't let the power supply discharge. Power supply doesn't work? What I usually do is snip off the wires close to the plug. You can use the connector and wires on your variable power supply, like me! Or you could use the extra length of wire/connector to extend the range of a working power supply.
Second. Cut the wires. I usually do this 3-4'' from the connector. Pull the two wires apart, and strip a small amount of insulation from each wire. Using your soldering iron, place a bead of solder on each of the exposed wire tips. This is called "tinning the leads".
Next, the miracle of heat shrink! Seriously... you need heat shrink. It's far superior to electrical tape. Since I'm going to be soldering the wires back together, I need to put the heak shrink on before I solder.
Do you notice that only one wire has a white strip on it? This is how you can identify the correct way to re solder the wires. It's nice to have a third hand, or a clamp for this part. I just popped the connector end into a pedal to hold it on place.
Solder the wires together by melting the beads you applied when you tinned the wire, do it as fast as you can so you don't heat up the wire too much, and then just hold the wires in place until the solder sets. It's usually only a second or two.
Once your wires are re soldered, you can move the heat shrink into place and use the collar of the solder iron or a hot air gun to shrink it.
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| Slide the heat shrink over the solder bonds and use the solder iron to shrink them. |
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| A larger diameter piece of heat shrink holds the two wires together |
Plug in your supply and measure the voltage on the connector. If you put the red lead on the sleeve, and the black lead in the center hole, your voltmeter should be the same voltage as your first measurement.
That's it. It's a 5 to 10 minute endeavor, and you can save yourself the cost of purchasing the expensive effects pedal power supplies.
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