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check current draw from your pedals - 1Spot mA meter


mcnach
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Just got one... pretty useful tool when you're playing about with a bunch of effects and wondering how to power all the pedals.

Not much more to say... it just works... plug it in, see the reading, make a note.

 

Here's a handful I just checked...

First, a digital pedal that I thought was very power-hungry. The Source Audio Bass Envelope Filter... wasn't as bad as I thought, at just 120mA.

IMG_20191107_213046655.jpg?dl=1

 

Then, the EXH Bass MicroSynth... I had no idea how much current it required. I thought it would not be a crazy amount, but I was not sure. Now I know. Just 40 mA.

IMG_20191107_213318660.jpg?dl=1

 

How about the little Caline Reverb "Snakebite"? 33mA

IMG_20191107_213459448.jpg?dl=1

 

And what about an overdrive? A lot of this kind of pedals are between 10-15mA, so how about the Valeton Tube Refiner (which sounds GREAT on bass)... just 10mA. Cool.

IMG_20191107_213709052.jpg?dl=1

 

And finally... a monster. I got this valve overdrive pedal. It's a really strange thing, but sounds really nice. It's a Nobsound (yes, I know) G3 Little Bear that cost something like £35-40. A battery cannot power it. It's just very bad. It recommends a 500mA supply, if I recall correctly. I plugged into a 250mA supply and it worked ok, but it does work a bit better with a bigger supply. So, what does this one measure? 343mA!!! Makes sense.

IMG_20191107_213605474.jpg?dl=1

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48 minutes ago, Dood said:

Frankly, I think everyone should now send you pedals and you could turn this in to a super blog :) Great work chap! Do more! It will be really useful!

 

That's an idea!

Anybody wants me to measure the current draw from a Source Audio C4? I've been wanting to try one of those for a while 😛

:D

 

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While the meter, and database, are both convenient, the current draw is usually specified by the manufacturer in the manual or somewhere. 
For example, the Source Audio C4 user guide can be downloaded and states “9V DC, minimum 165 mA (maximum 195 mA when connected to a power reliant external controller)” in the specs. 

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56 minutes ago, pineweasel said:

While the meter, and database, are both convenient, the current draw is usually specified by the manufacturer in the manual or somewhere. 
For example, the Source Audio C4 user guide can be downloaded and states “9V DC, minimum 165 mA (maximum 195 mA when connected to a power reliant external controller)” in the specs. 

 

It is *sometimes* given, many times I have not been able to find it anywhere. Can you find the specs for all your pedals? I know I can't.

Sometimes they say something like "use power supply rated at minimum 300mA" and they clearly draw a lot less because they work beautifully out of a single 120mA outlet... If anything they're going to give you inflated numbers to avoid customer complaints... which is why I'd rather measure it myself. In addition, if you measure it yourself, you get to unequivocally see what difference there is when the pedal is active or switched off... It may not matter a lot of the time, as I only ever care for this when putting a new bunch of pedals together and checking which power supply would be best to use. No point taking the big powerful supply off my big board if it turns out one of the smaller ones in my box of bits will do the job.

 

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I also have the 1-spot meter and have found it to be extremely useful, largely for the same reasons mentioned by McNach. Very quick, easy and convenient to use.

One small caution:
When measuring the power consumption of a pedal, I have found that you need to ensure that its audio input and output sockets aren't connected to other pedals. This can throw the 1-spot meter reading out, for reasons that are well beyond my technical understanding!
 

1 hour ago, pineweasel said:

While the meter, and database, are both convenient, the current draw is usually specified by the manufacturer in the manual or somewhere. 
For example, the Source Audio C4 user guide can be downloaded and states “9V DC, minimum 165 mA (maximum 195 mA when connected to a power reliant external controller)” in the specs. 

Very often, power consumption figures stated by pedal manufacturers are quite inaccurate, or, alternatively, reflect the output current capability of the included power adaptor, rather than the power consumption of the pedal.

The Stinkfoot power list as mentioned by jrixn above is also very useful, but, as itu notes, seems to not be kept very up to date these days. I too contributed some measured figures for which I received an acknowledgement, but which haven't been added to his list. A shame, as it's a very useful resource.

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