How To Make Custom Power Cables
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Learn how to build your own custom size DC POWER CABLES for standard polarity, reverse polarity, voltage doubling, current doubling, and y-cable/splitter cable (daisy chain).
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intro - 00:01
DC Cable Overview - 00:55
Materials Overview - 04:36
Standard Polarity Power Cables - 04:49
Reverse Polarity Power Cables - 09:26
Voltage Doubler Cables - 11:28
Current Doubler Cables - 16:46
Y-Cable/Splitter Cables - 20:45
Outro - 24:36
#TheRigDoctor #PedalPowerCables #DCPowerCables
Learn how to build your own custom size DC POWER CABLES for standard polarity, reverse polarity, voltage doubling, current doubling, and y-cable/splitter cable (daisy chain).
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⬇️ CLICK BELOW FOR ALL DIAGRAMS & MATERIALS ⬇️
vertexeffects.com/diy-power-cables
⬇️ CLICK BELOW FOR RIG DR APPROVED MATERIALS & ACCESSORIES ⬇️
vertexeffects.com/rig-dr-recommended-pedalboard-materials
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Intro - 00:01
DC Cable Overview - 00:55
Materials Overview - 04:36
Standard Polarity Power Cables - 04:49
Reverse Polarity Power Cables - 09:26
Voltage Doubler Cables - 11:28
Current Doubler Cables - 16:46
Y-Cable/Splitter Cables - 20:45
Outro - 24:36
I just watched your maximize your power supply video. Built a couple y cables. Thanks my friend
@@rockinrew4925 this one will take that even further - you learn to make everything, plus all the diagrams linked in the description. You can make all your 18V, 24V doubler cables, current doublers, and more :)
@@VertexEffectsInc thanks so much for your content. In these times it's more valuable then ever.
I ordered mogami 2319 and pancake and right angel ends. Made all my own patch cables.
I'm not using a switcher but I gig all the time. That's probably my next upgrade. I will be adding some buffers. What do you think of the templ audio buffer mods? I have a temple board with some custom modules I made for usb power and a 10 pin din for my foot switch for my egnater tourmaster amp.
And happy birthday.
@@rockinrew4925 Thanks again for watching! I have my list of recommended buffers in the description. Thanks for the birthday wishes!
@@VertexEffectsInc I was thinking of 2 bonified buffers for the easy of mounting under the board. I use a wireless so I was thinking output buffer for my front of the amp and the return of my fx loop.
That is the exact info I was looking for right now and it appeared to me without searching! :) Thanks from Spain!
I’m so glad!
To the point and excellent instructions ! I love these DIY tutorials . Thanks Mason ! You are one of the main reasons me and a soldering iron get along much better these days ! My DYI confidence is MOBetta !
Wow, thanks! So glad you find it helpful!
I really love your videos Mason. I am an amateur home musician who started building pedals and pedalboards for myself in 2010 and learned from making mistakes. I wish your videos would have been around then.
We did not get much of the stuff you get in India so I built my own isolated linear power supply (it was heavy). Then I saw Truetones SMPS supply and was kicking myself for not thinking about the idea first.
I know you like the cables from Belden and Bestroncis BPTA and they are great for pedalboards but I would also suggest considering making guitar cables using Sommer Cables Classique cables. I have made several for my friends and myself and they last forever.
Navin, so glad you dig the videos - sometimes trial and error is the best way to learn a lot of this stuff. Sommer are good cables too, I also like Gotham (I think those are made in Switzerland). I mostly use Mogami however (made in Japan) for most of the builds you see, in particular the 2319 which is under $1 per foot from most retailers, even less sometimes.
Great video. This was perfect timing. I have to make two splitters so I can take the second power supply off my son's pedalboard.
Yessir! Be sure to reference those wiring diagrams and materials list, it has everything you need!
This is teaching mad game for people who cant get this info else where. Bless your soul brother!
Thanks for watching!
This video is pure gold. Thank you!
Thanks for the video! Really like that Dan Huff track in the backround ✌️
You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed and and we earned your subscription.
Hi Mason, can you do a video soldering the Ciosk ones? they look weird with the RCA plug.
@Vertex Effects Agreed, can you show us how to solder our own for the Ciosk supplies??
Same as what I did here, just reverse the leads - or do the opposite of how I wire things for the RCA plugs (red to the sleeve, black to the tip).
Vertex Effects thank you!
Great, I have a CIOKS CIOKOLOLATE and I’m confused by what reversing or doing the opposite means
@@Dogger1230 probably a good idea to not wire things yourself then.
Man i Did it!, reverse polarity, Your the best Dude! Thank you Sooo
Killer! Great news!
Thanks for the videos! I haven't soldered in over ten years but I had to fix my bass so I bought a new iron. You've inspired me to make my own power and patch cables. I've got the power cable supplies, just waiting on the vice 😁
If only this video existed 20+ years ago. I had an old 80s boss power supply that had its plug cut off. I tried soldering a long cord from a random wall wart to the boss power supply but it did not work. I've got a cs12 now. I have a gcx & gcp coming tomorrow so your videos will come in handy soon. I want to rack the majority of my pedals.
Thanks for this video, Mason! And thanks for the recommended parts list.
Any time!
Very helpful! Thank you for sharing this information. Its really cool to learn how to sort out my own modifications.
🥳🥳🥳
Time for some cable Voodoo for my Voodoo labs supply. Great DIY!
👍😀✌
Good luck! Enjoy!
Your answers are always spot on and to the point thanks for the content it’s actually really helpful
🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for the zip tie trick ! I hated that kind of connector because the housing did not stay in place. The zip tie will solve that issue !
Glad it was helpful!
This is amazing. You always make great content.
🥰🥰🥰🥰
This video is pure gold!
Thanks for watching!
Mason! Loving the videos, keeps me inspired and love your work. Got a weird one for you, you mentioned the current doubler? What would happen if I wanted to double current from two mismatched outputs, say one 9v and one at 12v both at 500ma to make 1a. Is it possible? I read voltage leaking can occur but I don't trust random comments on old forums haha. All the best!
Not advisable, the 12V one will try to source the 9V one which will try to sink the voltage.
Working on my board and wired up the way you mention standard cables here with truetone wires and they were reverse polarity. Make sure if using the truetone cables you take black to the top, not red.
If found that they can change run to run. The best way is to test them first to see where the black and red wires are.
21:55 I can use this method to power my overdrive pedals that draw less than 20mah each! I have a 9v 500mah output on my power supply. thank you this is very very helpful and cost saving!
You can parallel your overdrives in most cases so long as they have the same voltage and current and don't exceed 500mA total when combined.
@@VertexEffectsInc the pedals are boss sd1 / bd2 and ehx east river drive all three don't consume 100mah😂👍🏻
Great stuff Mason, Thanks! The fade out sounded like EJ...
Yes indeed!
Excellent as always, cheers!
🙏🙏🙏🙏
I keep finding more and more gems on your channel - thank you so much! A quick Q, would you be able to combine the above techniques to make a current doubler that has reverse polarity? Trying to power an Effectrode PC-2A compressor and it’s been a nightmare.
Excellent and informative video, thanks again!
I will keep everything exactly as it was except change the one on the guitar pedal input so that the black and red wires are reversed there only.
Thanks for the zip-tie tip. Have you considered using color-coded zip ties to identify things like reverse-polarity cables? Maybe even the doubled cables in case the actual power supply is not visible when attaching the cables to the effect.
No, usually I use heat shrink but that's a great idea.
thanks rig doctor!
no problem! Enjoy!
Been having some trouble trying to figure out exactly how to wire up custom length cables for cioks rca to dc supplies, would you consider doing a video on this ??
I would buy the individual pre-made cables from Strymon or Voodoo Lab in the 36" or 42" lengths and then cut them down to size and re-terminate the end going into the Cioks. I use the mini RCA straight plugs from Switchcraft. Remember too on RCA plugs the shield goes to the tip and the center conductor to the sleeve for normal polarity (basically the reverse of what's in the diagrams in this video).
@@VertexEffectsInc y’all are bad ass thank you sm ✊🏼
Thanks Mason!
Any time
Hey Mason, thanks for the tips! I'm curious - would making a custom daisy chain/Y-cable with more than two plugs, would the concept basically be the same? I have three OD's I'd like to chain together (rather than buying a new power supply...) but don't like the messy look of an off-the-shelf daisy chain.
Yes, I'd just be careful the more you add to really test it first.
Hi, thanks for your highly informative video for the regular mortals like me. Quick question: is there any way to test this “before you plug it” to your pedal... like a meter or something, but how? What should I be looking for on the meter? I don’t know how to use a meter... just to make sure a my cable was done correctly. Thank you again.
Yes use a multimeter set to DC and you can measure the voltage and polarity before you plug into your pedal.
hi Mason, thank you for the great explanations. You said that your Steel String can be operated at 18V also. I just bought one in January and I love it, but I use it with the classic 9V power. what are the advantages of operating it doubling the voltage? Thank you 💪💪💪
Only v1 can go up to 18V, MKII already is running internally at max headroom.
@@VertexEffectsInc yes, I bought a refurbished MK1. That's why I asked you. So 9V means half of the headroom?
I guess you learn a lot of things while in quarantine
edit: Belated happy birthday btw!
Thank you so much!
This video is exactly what I was looking for!
Best!
I'm so glad!
This really helps me. I appreciate it. One quick question, how do you test your cables effectively before plugging them into the power source? I want to make sure everything is spot on before a chance ruining a pedal.
tester?
Awesome video. Thank you! Subbed and followed 🤘🏽🤠
🙏🙏🙏
@@VertexEffectsInc I made a Y cable for my MXR Kfk EQ and Doubleshot Distortion, both running on 18 volts.
Very cool
Hey Mason, I think you've consistently mixed up hot and ground/shield. With the common "center negative" wiring, ground is on the center pin of the plug and the barrel is hot.
Michael - if we were talking about the inside of the pedals, you'd be correct. But we're not talking about that, rather we're using the existing power cables that come with your power supply and adapting them based on how they come from the factory with every major power supply. Every major brand of power supply (Strymon, Truetone, etc.), the DC cables have the Red (hot) conductor wired to the tip, and the shield (black) going to the sleeve or ground. Equally, on the shielded versions of DC power cables (like those form Voodoo Lab), their power cables have the center conductor (white) wired to the tip, and the shield wired to the sleeve (ground). Again, we're adapting the existing power cables that are provided with the supply, and re-terminating it to match the opposing end that's molded from the factory. Now, if you wanted to cut off both ends of the provided DC cables that come with your supply and re-wire it so the shield would be located in the correct position to match what's in the pedal (which would actually make a more effective shield if it's like the Voodoo Lab style ones), you can do that. But, in the case of the dual conductor DC cables (like the Strymon) that aren't shielded, if you were to cut away both of the molded ends, it doesn't matter which end you connect to the tip and the sleeve as long as they match on both sides, or if it's reverse polarity that you invert the wires on one side. Hope that clarifies for you.
@@VertexEffectsInc- I'm trying to point out that it doesn't make sense to talk of "hot" and "ground" without reference to how the cables are used. Being hot or ground is not a mechanical property of the conductor. (Being a shield arguably is a mechanical property when referring to the outer mesh of a coax cable. As long as it's not meant to imply ground.) The tip, on the pedal side, is only hot on reverse polarity cables (your #2). On standard polarity cables (#1) the tip is ground and the sleeve is hot.
To be nitpicking, as far as the power supply is concerned, both tip and sleeve are floating with the tip at -9V DC relative to the sleeve. Neither is tied to ground. Otherwise it wouldn't be possible to wire to outputs in series for voltage doubling. The ground reference comes from the (standard polarity) pedal where the tip is tied to the signal ground.
@@MichaelSchuerig From what I can understand, you are disputing semantics - my use of terminology versus yours. I think the confusion for you results from what terms I use for hot, shield, ground, etc. in relation to the physical aspects of the cable - shield, center conductor. I specified what is equivalent for this video and discussion, so it should be understood that when talking about the shield or center conductor, it is the cable I am talking about. When it is the center pin, ring/barrel/sleeve, I am taking about the connector and when talking voltage it is positive and negative. With that said, the information relayed here is correct, as are the diagrams in relationship to the provided cables with the power supplies we spoke of and are commonly used by the overwhelming majority of the industry.
@@VertexEffectsInc - Of course I'm talking about semantics. Semantics is about the meaning of terms. "Hot" means there is a voltage relative to ground. So, if the pin itself is ground it cannot at the same time be hot.
I don't think I'm confused here at all, but I'll leave it at that.
@@MichaelSchuerig Michael, maybe I can help smooth this. It seems you understand this stuff well and I always agree that terminology should be correct. I for one would like to clear up a lot of terms used wrong in the industry by many people, especially those that should know better, let's say like using "phase" when they mean "polarity", not realizing they are two different things? (it is rampant throughout the industry!). Or "dampen" / "dampening" when they mean "damp" / "damping" - dampen is to make moist, not what they really want I would think? Drives me nuts just like it does you, but for the typical person, it makes no difference. I know that most non-technical persons understand terms in a different way that make no sense to people like you and me and that is who Mason is talking to.
I do think you and Mason had a slight communication misunderstanding, a "shielded cable" is a commonly misused term for "coax cable", I find myself saying that as it seems that is what people understand, correct or not, they may not understand what a "coax" cable is. So yes you are totally correct, but the world we live in is not, LOL.
I am curious as to your background, if it is electrical engineering, maybe we can get together and chat about things engineer to engineer sometime?
A question I keep meaning to ask you, regarding power, but especially audio cables - how do you get the lengths perfect? More than once, I've measured twice then cut and soldered and cut and soldered and cut and soldered to get it perfect. You may have a video on this issue, but in all the best practices and build videos that I've seen, there's never been a 'here's how I measure all of those cables before I make 'em' segment. I mean, with the long wire chases you make with all of those tie-wrap adhesive blocks, how do you accurately measure the exact length of the run? Also - do you leave free-play on both sides for installing/deinstalling/reinstalling? Would love some close ups of board installs with switchers too. Keep up the great work!
Route them in place and then terminate them at the power supply. We have a few videos showing this technique.
Great Vid, slightly unrelated but I can't find the answer anywhere. Is it better to mount a power supply on the top of the board or the bottom? if space isn't an issue on top and there is plenty of room underneath. Is it just convenience or is there more to it?
If you have a switching power supply, you can get away with putting any place on the board for the most part without issue. If you have a linear supply, you need to be careful as many digital effects will have some noise issues in this environment, also some pedal with clocks in them, like phaser, flanger, chorus. Also, Wah pedals with inductors and have issues if it gets too close to the transformer. You can look at my recommended power supplies in the links and most of those are switching power supplies as opposed to linear supplies.
Thanks so much for this video! Curious, what setting heat do you set your Weller too?
Nothing beyond 500 degrees is really necessary for most circumstances. Usually I adjust the heat depending on the tip. The larger tips take longer to cool down, so they don't need a lot of heat to maintain temp. Smaller tips might require more heat because they loose heat very quickly when in use.
What *is* standard polarity? I see center negative more than anything else. So is standard polarity center negative or ground? That implies ground goes to what would normally be the 'hot' connection.
Exactly, I see center pin negative on all my pedals and power supply - only exception being an old dunlop vibe. Confusing the heck out of me.
Thanks you seem to be a cool guy
Thanks for watching Bob!
Fantastic info
Glad it was helpful!
I am hearing Dann Huff and GIant on the background NICE!
Yes! The best
@@VertexEffectsInc been a fan of CCM musicians during the late 80s....
bpabustan I think he was even doing some of the Amy Grant stuff back in the late 70s
@@VertexEffectsInc As far as I can recall, he started as guitarist of Whiteheart (a Christian version of Toto) started working with Amy Grant on Straight Ahead album. He is first heard with this WICKED guitar solo on Where Do You Hide Your Heart. After leaving Whiteheart and gaining exposure with Amy Grant, he became like the Steve Lukather of Nashville during the 80s, though he also worked with Michael Jackson and some other recordings in California. His work with David Benoit on the album Freedom At Midnight is one of my favorite works of Dann Huff.
could you maybe do a video on how to make your own cioks cables with the RCA connectors. I absolutely hate the cioks DC cables. but I also read that you have to solder them differently. the sleeve of the RCA to the center of the other end, then the center of the RCA to the sleeve of the other end. I guess that's how cioks does it but it doesn't make sense. Im so confused
ooooooooooh reverse polarity...... ok i get it
Yes a video on this would be awesome 😎
Love this channel--my go-to for DIY content and help. Question I have is, with the 1 Spot CS12, there is 1 9v AC outlet with 800mA output. Is it possible to make a reverse cable to run a DC pedal off of it? Specifically looking to see if I could power an Iridium off of it with the right cable? Thanks!
Seth, you could perhaps make or buy a converted box to do it externally, I haven't researched companies that make this for a pedalboard application.
Great video! 🙂 question: can the current doubler combine different current outputs? Eg an 800ma and a 300ma to make 1100ma? Or would it need to be two identical outputs (like the 2x 500ma you mentioned)
Thanks so much!
Yes
Nice video. Can you recommend a bulk cable for building them from scratch?
No reason to, just use what comes with the supply and use KobiConn 2.1mm ends.
If I wanted to build my dc cables from scratch, what cable do you recommend? Please tell what diameter or characteristics should it have. Should it be shielded in any way or a normal cable should do?? I am not a pro in this matters...any info is appreciated! Thank you very much.
I don't recommend it, it's not an advantage like for your instrument or patch cables. The molded ends are usually more robust than the DIY ends from KobiConn that I use. If you were looking for a DC cable, any coax will work that meets the voltage and current requirements of the pedal. I'd look for something around maybe 1A of current and 18VDC for the specs.
Great tips! I have a mxr pedal m300 reverb (9v 240mA) that not function with a power supply T rex Fuel tank junior (5 outputs/9v 120 mA). Cable#4 (current doubling, keeping the same voltage) would allow to resolve this problem?? that's to say using two outputs of the power supply for this pedal?
I like how you can't stress enough how important the power supply is for boards. You can have all the pedals in the world but a bad power supply and poor cable connections are the difference in that things performance. It's like buying a race car and putting 87 octane in it.
Definitely not sense in buy $200+ pedals and using a noisy supply with them. The foundation of good tone is a quality power supply and cables.
Great Video. Has anyone figured out the amp draw for the POD GO in case we want to put it on a proper power supply rather than the wall wart.
Not sure what it draws, but you could get a current reader to figure that out. Truetone makes one.
What gauge (type)of cable are you using. regards, great videos full of information.
Thanks for the videos, they are some of the most informative on RUclips. I’ve got a EHX QTron+ 24v and I need to power it with my MXR IsoBrick. I want to power with a Y-cable from the 18v jack and the variable jack next to it set to 6v. Is that safe or do I need to use two equal outputs at 12v? On the ISOBrick it is possible to use the 2 variable jacks set @ 12v but they are on opposite sides of the pedal and the cable management won’t be as clean so I’d prefer the 18&6. Your guides have really improved my board, thank you!
You shouldn’t have a problem, you should just use a multimeter to make sure that it’s getting the voltage that you need, because sometimes there are some tolerance differences. Also make sure that you check with the polarity matches what’s on the provided power supply of the device
Will do, thanks!
Hi! Great video as usual!
I just don't understant why would you use zip ties?
That's so useful
Thanks so much! I hope we earned your subscription!
I subscribed a long time ago
is there bulk DC cable I could buy?? Much like you buy a ton of Mogami cable and the like by the foot. I don't want to spend 25 to chop up a bunch of cables and STILL have to get connectors. Is there a bulk cable I could buy?
I recommend the shielded Voodoo Lab cables I linked in the description. This isn't like audio cables where you're going to need anything crazy expensive to have quality power. You could use Mogami, but it'll be really big and not dress very well.
For the current doubler (parallel connection) the outlets must be dame current?
No, but you'll only get the amount of the combined current, so if it's on 100mA output and one 200mA output, you'll only get 300mA.
Does standard polarity mean center negative?
That's standard for guitar pedals.
Hey Mason, do these techniques work for the Cioks flex cables (on the 2.1mm ends, not the RCA ends)? Thanks for the great video!
Similar but you would reverse the wires if you were using my diagrams to retrofit for RCA for the proper polarity.
@@VertexEffectsInc Thanks! Just to clarify: the RCA connectors are wired for reverse polarity (center positive), but the 2.1mm DC connectors are still wired for standard polarity (center negative) in the same cable?
Hey Mason - wondering if you have plans for, or would consider doing a video dealing with custom cables for Cioks if you haven't already (how to make, lengths, best materials, keep it all tidy etc)? Would truly appreciate that! Love the channel and just subbed. Cheers from Australia 👍
It's the same as this only the inverted polarity is standard polarity for RCA and standard polarity is inverted polarity based on my diagrams.
Hey there, thanks for the video. Wondering one thing - if you're not very experienced with soldering, is it just as good to cut apart a Daisy Chain to achieve a Y Cable? I'd prefer to construct custom cables in the long run, but I have a new build that I want to test thoroughly before a couple of return periods have ended for devices I've purchased. It seems that anywhere I can source cables from will be a week or more out for shipping.
You could but you'd have to make sure it could reach your pedals and you'd be waisting a lot of the daisy chain. If at all possible, it's better to split from the source (meaning the power supply), then from the pedals themselves.
Hi Mason! Im just curious about the Current Doubler / Y-Splitter Cable.. There were Current Booster Cables available in the market.. My question is, were these current booster cables wired the same with yours?
I can't make a DIY cable as of this time, so Im planning to buy a Current Booster Cable and use it as a Y-Splliter cable instead.. Is it okay if I do that? Thanks!!!
A Current Doubler is the same as the Y-cable you're just doing it on the power supply end rather than the pedal end.
Hey Mason, thanks a lot for making these fantastic videos! So many great tips! One question: I want to build my own custom dc cables and use those with a Strymon Zuma power supply. However, I'm a bit worried: What if there happens to be a short in one of the soldered connectors (for example if somebody accidentally pulls at the cable)? Could that damage the power supply? Greetings from Germany!
A short actually just shuts the output down and the LED goes out. You can always test you DC cable with a multimeter first to make sure it's reading properly before adding it to your board.
hi! im planning to cut my dc cables to length but i have wires with the same color. how do you distinguish which one is positive and negative? tnx
You’ll need a multimeter
Amazing content brother! I have a question. Would it be just as effective to snip down the wire length and just re-solder the red and black wires back together without having to do anything to the DC ends of the wires that came with my power supply? If so, are there any extra tips you might have? Thank you!
You could do that too but I don't think it will be as stable - long term - compared to re-terminating the ends. The other complication is it would be difficult to do the parallel cables or voltage doublers in that fashion. But, YES, that will work as you've described, it just won't be as clean. You'll want to head shrink the inner conductors as well as the outside to be sure you don't get a short.
Vertex Effects Thank you Doc!
@@SaulRamirez-rk9nj my pleasure
Mason what are the zip ties for just to make sure the housing of the jack doesn't come apart or? and have u had that problem without the zip ties?
Yes and yes, or you can epoxy them shut like Best Tronics does however once you do that and you have a failure (which is more often the cable than the plug) you can reuse it. I typically re-terminate the side that connects to the power supply.
Hey Mason! building a lil rig based on all your awesome vids. I'm wondering how you end up measuring your cable lengths? assuming youre tying down the cables to the board with zip ties, how do you practically measure and cut to length accurately?
I have an Hx Fx unit, in the manual says the power supply is 3A minimum, and here you mention that 1A is enough, and a friend told me that i need 2A minimum, which current should i use?
Well...if you're under the current limitations, that won't damage the pedal, it just won't work. I've powered the Line 6 HX Stomp from 1A out of a paralleling of two 500mA outputs from a Strymon Zuma and/or Truetone CS12. There are some videos from CIOKS and Truetone showing the actual draw being way below 3A, and somewhere in the 900mA to 1,100mA (1,000mA = 1A). See here: ruclips.net/video/DccNM_5NJts/видео.html
@@VertexEffectsInc Ok nice, thanks a lot man, i'll check it out and see how it works ;)
Most pedalboard builds never look into Galvanic Corrosion issues about the grounding schemes of the metals connecting to the ground for a good electrical connection. If you take your Milliohm meter and measure the milliohm resistance from power supply ground ports jacks to the AC plug earth ground to the guitar pedals chassis ground and guitar pedals DC port ground they will all have different milliohm resistance REFERENCED to the AC plug earth ground. If you have different milliohm resistance measurements REFERENCE to the AC plug earth ground which is Galvanic Corrosion issues because the chassis metals aren't electrical contact with the guitar pedals circuit ground to the guitar pedals chassis housing has a potential difference from the metals are different types of metals. The type of jack washers on the output of the guitar pedals connecting the guitar pedals housing and nuts causes Galvanic corrosion so when you plug your guitar to the guitar pedal there is a milliohm resistance measurement from the guitar jacks ground to the first guitar pedals input jack because of the type of washers, nuts, jacks metal materials used is all causes Galvanic Corrosion issues of dissimilar metal types not electrically making a good ground connection. Daisy chaining guitar pedals in series makes it worse because all pedal designers and different jacks, washer, nuts used makes the ground not at zero volts which is between 0 ohms to .5 ohms resistance. If I had my pedalboard professionally done I would want the EE engineer to show me the criteria of the measured Galvanic Corrosion resistance in a criteria range. This helps reduce signal to noise ratio and a better grounding scheme for pedal boards. You have to look into the jacks metals, washer metals, nuts metals, transformers mounting brackets used internally to the power supplies and measure the milliohm resistance of the transformers chassis to the power supply housing. If you take your AC current meter and clamp if on the AC plug earth ground and measure the leakage current which will be in micro amps of current it should be zero but if you're measuring 1uA or 20uA there is a major problem on your pedalboard. There should be only one AC power plug going to your pedalboard and measure the leakage current on the earth green wire.
This is really only a problem with marine and devices with a lot of moisture, marine, water pipes, etc. You mention measuring low resistances but this is not a measurement of galvanic corrosion. Yes ,the wiring itself will have the most resistance unless there is a bad connection. The issues with bad connections for audio is not galvanic, but the corrosion of the metals themselves. That is why real gold plating is used as it is one of the metals that does not have a natural corrosion (oxide) issue. To prevent this you need the right right connections, which the star washers are supposed to do, but none of the jacks do. Another option is self cleaning contacts, but none of the audio gear has. That is why we need to clean the oxides off the contacts from time to time. High pressure (pounds per square in) is how the star washers work - the very small area in contact with the metal means the pressure is high over a small area and cuts through oxides and prevents oxides forming on the contact area. No audio jacks have that kind of small area, high contact pressure. For line levels we need that, for power (AC, power amp to speaker) we need large contact area for lower resistance. So these contact areas should also be cleaned with contact cleaner. Back the milliohm resistance part, all audio and AC contacts will have milliohm contact resistances when measured, that is normal. The wire especially the small stuff has even more. These are acceptable and normal and do not impact the performance, especially with low grade stuff like guitar effects pedals.
Awesome video. How do u extend the length if the cable?
Get longer cables is the best option or you can splice two cables together
Great video! Question: Can I use 24awg stranded 2 core wires instead of 22awg? I've read that 22awg is the standard used in power cable connectors. Thanks
This video is great. Thank you. Just a question about the current doubler as I am needing to build a reverse polarity current doubler. I presume I would make the cable as directed but then reverse the + and - at the connector going into the device being powered? Cheers!
You can make the cable exactly as you see it here and then inverted the trip and sleeve on the side the plugs into the pedal. You can test it with your multimeter before you plug it into the pedal to make sure it matches the pedal provided power supply polarity as a check.
What size wire do you recommend, if I just wanted to buy a spool? 24 AWG ??? Thanks! Love the channel!
Ideally you just re-use existing ones, there's really no benefit to making them from scratch. The molded end on these is more robust than a soldered version for this application. I would look for a coax that can handle the voltage properly of your pedals and go from there.
Would the same logic apply to quadrupling the current?
I have a power supply with 8x 500mA, 9v outs. I want to power up an Ampero II Stage, which sucks up 1.4A at 9v or 700mA at 18v.
Great vid thank you!! On your recommendation I am using Cioks DC7, could you do a quick vid on how to make custom DC cables for Cioks since they use RCA connectors for one end? Thanks again!
If you wanted to use custom size dc power cable. Which one would you advise ?
Is the reverse polarity aka negative tip? Just want to make sure this is correct before I plug in on my pedals haha
Hi Mason...
Would a daisy Chain cable work as a current doubler?
Yes that would work if you plug multiple leads into different outputs
would you recommend doing this if you had an output of 800mA and you split that to two pitch shifting pedals (Whammy V (288mA) and Pog 2 (180mA)) ??
Hello from Canada. Love the videos. I just wanted to know what temp you run your soldering iron at for guitar and power cables? Thanks.
What about the type of cable for making them from scratch? I am getting crazy, there is no info around... Simple speaker cable? Shielded positive/ground cable? Or positive/negative cables inside a shielded PVC cable? I want the best. Please info! Thank you! :)
I’d go with a coax that can handle the voltage and current for your highest powered pedal and work backwards from there. There’s really no advantage to making your own compares to repurposing what you have.
Are there certain types of pedals you would never want to daisy chain regardless of their mA draw? My micro qtron for example only draw 2 mA so I figure I could chain that with something like the keeley compressor plus which only draws around 5 mA. Also have a walrus Julia, nano POG, and loop station I need to figure out who to chain with who for best results if you have any input. Thanks mane.
Generally things with clocks in them can be problematic, things like phasers, flangers, chorus, those can have issues in a certain context. I generally would only do low current overdrive devices, boost, distortion.
Thanks for the information. If my intention is to make my power cables from scratch is it possible to use 2 of these right angles and a regular cable 21awg? Thanks in advance!
You could make the entire thing from scratch but there’s not much of a reason if you already have existing power cable, there’s no benefit sonically.
Great video
Would the same technique work on #4 if you extended it with another plug for the purposes of making a Current Tripler?
Yes
Hi Mason, quick question, I have a pedal that needs 24v, 1A and center positive, is there a way use voltage doubler and current doubler at the same time?
You'll need 2x 12V outputs first of all, and something that provides 1A output - what's the pedal?
Could you make a setup for busking using the mission engineering 529 and a power bank and show how to ground pedals like the rc600.
I there. Can you put a link of the vise you're using? Can't find it anywhere. Thanks, great channel by the way, really usefull and direct.
Thanks so much for this video. One question regarding power supplies. I have a Strymoin Ojai, can you tell me if its ok to dress the EIAJ cable together with the audio cables ? Or will that cause noise ?
Shouldn't be an issue. It's still low current, low voltage. Not going to be an issue like AC.
@@VertexEffectsInc Thanks so much for answering !
I'm late to the party. I'm making a pedal board right now, and want to clean up the rats nest of DC wires from my power supplies to the pedals. I realize that the way you're reducing the size of the cables may be the best possible way, but is it also possible to just cut out the length you need, in the middle, and splice the 2 ends back together? For instance, I have say 8 inches of wire, both ends terminated with right angles. If I need 4 inches, can I cut 4 out of the middle, and splice the new, non-terminated ends back together, recycling the two original right angles?
I do have shrink tubing and a heat gun, if that helps.
You could splice, but it won't be as clean or reliable.
@@VertexEffectsInc Thanks....it was mainly to save time. I figured I'd try to use what I had on hand, rather than wait for something to come in the mail...I'll just order some ends, to make it more reliable.
@@TJEvans98 Good call!
Did I miss something, or was the voltage doubler wired backwards? At 13:30, it looks like the tips are being wired together, rather than the tip of the first being wired to the sleeve of the second. Did I miss something? Doesn’t the diagram show the tip (red) of the first to the sleeve of the second jack?
It's correct on both, I just can't make the diagram cables 3D to the point where you can match how I overlapped them in the video without looking like they're soldered together in a Y cable or paralleled. Both video and diagram are correct.
I paused at 13:47 and the red from the short connector appears to be connected to the tip of the adjacent plug. That is tip to tip, right? And at 13:58 you state that the red connector (of the longer cable) goes to the ground lug. Seems like it doesn’t match the diagram, unless I’m missing something.
yeah, I wired it up like In the video and it didn't work, gonna try tip to sleeve, im no electrician, but something isnt working right lol.
Hi Mason, thanks for the great content. If I need to shorten the main power cable for a MXR iso-brick, how would I go about that? I’m curious about the ferrite bead at the end of the cable. How do I retain that, or is it necessary to retain it? Thank you.
Hi Mason, I tried my best looking through the comments to find the answer to this question, so my apologies if you’ve already answered it. Would it be possible and safe to use the current doubler method on more than just two power outputs? I have a pedal that can be powered with 300mA, BUT has a feature that is only usable when powered by 1500mA. I have a Zuma so I was wondering the likelihood of it working if I were to try and combine the current from three of the 500mA outputs. Thanks!
this is what I was looking for also
@@illicitenergy3307 I ended up trying it and it works!
@@SaulRamirez-rk9nj thanks!
Hi, question... Current doubler cables. Can I use 3 outputs of my Strymon Ojai to make a 9v (1500ma) to power my Line6 HX effects? Thanks!
Yes you can.
@@VertexEffectsInc this is the answer i've been looking for all night lol.
@@yurasuka8624 Perfect!!!
So it's a current tripler right?
This is great info I have a whammy and it’s 1300ma and it hates anything but a proper power supply it goes out of tune and needs calibration this is great news
Does it mean that the Y splitter can be use as a current doubler as well if it is flipped?
It is the exact same cable, just how long you leave the leads coming out of the source and whether you plug in two cables in the the supply to double the current, or you plug into only one output on the supply to bring power to two pedal.
Vertex Effects Thanks!
@@Nabilabdullah my pleasure!
I bought the CIOKS DC-7 and need to power a HX STOMP and a EFFECTRODE LA-1A leveling amplifer. Each pedal needs two jacks from the DC-7 to power them ( 900mA -- 1A). As you know the CIOKS uses RCA instead of the barrell connector. How would you do that? Can I take two provided RCA jacks from the CIOKS and combine them to 1 as a current doubler? I would keep the RCA connectors from both cables and the cut off the barrell plugs and combine them into one barrell plug?
Basically do what we show here for current doublers but you'll reverse the tip and the sleeve as RCA jacks the center is the shield and the sleeve is the hot.
@@VertexEffectsInc so I soldered two CIOKS black RCA cables to a 2.1mm plug. The hots going to the tip and the grounds going to the shields and it burned up a effectrode LA-1A limiting amp I have to send back. The LA-1A uses 12 V and I had it set at that and they say you can power with the CIOKS. I guess I better order the adapter not sure what I did wrong. Hopefully I can get the compressor repaired quick…😫
@@VertexEffectsInc thankfully I was I was send back my Effectrode for repair. It was reverse polarity and I soldered normal with the negative center. Now that I know NOT to do that again, I am soldering my own power cable from the CIOK to my Peterson Strobostomp and Sansamp. Are the RCA’s center negative or positive for this?
Hey Mason, I’m currently making my pedalboard and was wondering what other solutions are there for buying DC power cable in bulk instead of buying the pre made Voodoo Lab ones?
No reason to use anything else - save your time and get these with in side pre-made and the other side blunt cut.
@@VertexEffectsInc thank you!!
👍👍👍
@@maxostrowski5269 sure thing!
Perfect
the links to the materials are wrong !!!
I double checked them - should be all updated. Looks like the links from our last video got copy/pasted. Everything is now current and correct: www.vertexeffects.com/diy-power-cables