[marcos]

Anyone use battery operated power supply for their pedal boards? Volto, Moer, Voodoo lab just to name a few. Are they dependable and will they perform night after night? Looking to power 4 , 9 volt pedals only.
Much appreciated

 

[vadsy]

I’ve done it, 4 pedals with a Volto. No issues, lasted to around 8 hours if I remember correctly.

 

[Budda]

@davetcan has some experience.

 

[zdogma]

The new Volto works quite well.

 

[marcos]

Thanks Budda. Will reach out to him

 

[marcos]

The new Volto works quite well.

Did you get it in town ( L+M Steves etc.) or on line. Thanks

 

[zdogma]

Yes, L&M

Expensive but works well. The first generation one wasn't quite as good.

 

[davetcan]

I have 2 Volto's, one old style, one newer, both have been rock solid. I just use them on my small board, up to 6 pedals. I've never needed it but I always throw the charger in the gig bag. They will work while being charged.

 

[vadsy]

found the old thread, https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/new-volto-powered-pedalboard.74615/

I tested it with a 2015 Volto, not sure what generation that is considered, I got 9 hours out of it.

Here was the pedal lineup.

 

[mhammer]

A more dependable supply would be an octet of C-cells, feeding a voltage regulator, or perhaps several.

The current capacity of a battery is generally commensurate with its volume. So, a half-dozen AA batteries would yield the current of 4 or 5 9v batteries, maybe a little more. Eight fresh C-cells (as sold by the seashore ) yields around 13-13.5V. That can be regulated down to a stable 9V, until such time as the batteries have dwindled to an aggregate voltage of around 11V. A person could provide multiple outputs, like several 9v/100ma outputs, and a 1A output for a digital pedal requiring more than 100ma.

But lithium-ion batteries these days have remarkable current capacity for their size.

 

[greco]

C-cells (as sold by the seashore )

You really need to get to NAMM...soon!

 

[Robboman]

Power – Mission Engineering

 

[mhammer]

You really need to get to NAMM...soon!

I'm going to speak to as many pedal-makers, large and small, as I can and see if I can coax them into including external switching jacks as standard. I've done the conversion with all my Boss pedals, and I know that a number of other manufacturers have external switching capabilities. Now all I have to do is encourage them to standardize, the same way they standardized power jacks, and input on the right. The advantages are considerable.

 

[High/Deaf]

I use a Volto on my smallest board. I used to power a couple of analog pedals and my L6 M5. The M5 requires 500 mA and because of that, I couldn't always get a full night out of the fully charged Volto.

I now have six analog pedals on that board and I get 3 or more nights out of one charge. Without having to deal with an AC connection to the board, it makes setup and teardown a breeze, especially for those 3 song or 1 set types of playing.

 

[marcos]

I use a Volto on my smallest board. I used to power a couple of analog pedals and my L6 M5. The M5 requires 500 mA and because of that, I couldn't always get a full night out of the fully charged Volto.

I now have six analog pedals on that board and I get 3 or more nights out of one charge. Without having to deal with an AC connection to the board, it makes setup and teardown a breeze, especially for those 3 song or 1 set types of playing.

Thanks for the info HighDeaf. Do you have your pedals on all the time and how many hours are your gigs? Thanks and much appreciated

 

[High/Deaf]

Thanks for the info HighDeaf. Do you have your pedals on all the time and how many hours are your gigs? Thanks and much appreciated

Yep, I just turn them on when I do my initial functional test and leave them on all night, through breaks, etc. I usually use the tuner as an audio mute for breaks so it all has to stay powered up.

We often play 4 hours. So probably 4.5 hours altogether, counting the time I first turn stuff on while we are getting ready. But I always take the charger with it, as if I hit one light and get worried, I can find AC and keep it going (and charging) while I finish the night. So I'm covered.

I did worry a bit with that M5 because the battery was discharging so quickly. If I hit one light with that load, I was never sure how much longer I'd have. I now probably still have 2 hours left when I hit '1 LED', the lowest storage indication.