Australia to US move - pedal power problem

[stezza]

Hi all,

I've just moved to North Carolina from Australia and my guitars/pedals have just arrived from home. Problem is that my DIY pedals don't seem to be working. I am using my neighbors power supply - 120V AC 60Hz 6W to 9V DC 300mA - and it seems my crybaby wah and my fender deluxe reverb work (although wen the FDR is off the light is orange...). I have a fuzz face, strat-o-blaster and a tonebender and none of these work when engaged..... there is just a loud hum and no guitar. They are all neg ground other than the tonebender but I am not daisy chaining.

I have also tried the power supply left over from my US bought line6 pedal -120V AC 60Hz to 9V DC 2000mA with the same result. Both say class 2 supplies if that mean anything.

Any help would be great, I'm all excited about finally having my pedals back and now

[phector2004]

Try turning your pedalboard upside down 

Do they work when you use an adaptor (plug shape changer)?

[stezza]

lol, I didn't bring any of my Aussie power adaptors here, so I can only test the two US ones.  I've read the Boss FDR pedal needs a PSA series power supply, but as far as I know 9V is 9V right? The supplies I have here are positive sleeve, neg center.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I suppose the obvious should be thrown into the mix.

Did you open all of the inoperable pedals and inspect for damage due to the LONG shipment?

I am not sure however, I would not believe that the move from a 50Hz (guessing?) system to a 60Hz would have an effect. Like you said...

9VDC is 9VDC. 

[KazooMan]

Will the pedals work on battery?  Even if you didn't build them with an internal battery supply, you can easily put together a 9V battery clip to 9V plug adapter to check this out.  If they don't work off a battery then the problem is in the pedals, not the new supply. 

Having said that, I guess it should be mentioned......  apart from standing on their heads all day long "down under" do the Aussies also have an upside down ground polarity scheme (I don't think so, but I thought I would ask).

PS:  I have never been to Australia, but I have been to New Zealand and I found life upside down to be amazing.  Curious, what brought you to North Carolina (if it's not too impertinent to ask)?

[george]

+1 what the other guys say and 

have you tried different patch cables with your pedals?   Tried them one at a time to narrow it down to one pedal (or patch cable)?  Maybe the FF needs a negative-ground power supply?

BTW, why didn't you just sell your amp before you went to the US???

With the rip-off prices we in Oz have to pay for new or secondhand music gear, I'm sure that you would have
saved yourself shipping costs, and still have been able to afford a new FDR (or really nice second-hand one) when you got to the US.

And have money left over for new cables.  :-)

Regards , George
(Proudly Australian)

[stezza]

Thanks for the info guys,

I've tried batteries and they all seem to work fine. I pulled out the multimeter and the first supply gave 13V and second 0V! WTF. They both have the same effect on the pedals so something's not right. I have a voltage starve pot on the FF and turning that down with the 13V seemed to work. I'll go out and buy a good (better) quality power supply and see how that goes.

KazooMan, I moved to NC for my work - I'm a medical researcher. This is the best place in the world for regenerative medicine. Check out some of the videos
http://www.wakehealth.edu/WFIRM/

george, The fender deluxe reverb is the boss pedal not the amp. I left my epiphone blues custom at my parents house, as this thing weighs a TON and can be bought for $300 here. I just brought my guitar (chinese tele ripoff) and my pedals which I could never leave. I plan on building a fender champ clone for my next project. I was also lucky enough to move in next door to a bloke who jams regularly so he lent me a guitar and amp until my stuff arrived. Hows that for southern hospitality!

[LucifersTrip]

Did you measure the voltages at various spots on the circuit?

I would also measure the adapter you're using & note if it's center positive or negative, then make sure it matches the way you wired the DC jack

[Jorge_S]

Have you checked the polarity of the adapters you used on the US? 

9v is 9v but if the polarity is reversed they can blow components inside your stompboxes, so BE CAREFUL and check first before plugin them again. That's why I always use 1N4001 diodes in the power input even if schematics sometimes put smaller diodes.

[KazooMan]

Steeza:  That looks like a fascinating research program.  I can see why you would be willing to relocate halfway around the world to be a part of it.  I spent my entire research career in medicinal chemistry with a major pharmaceutical company.  As the Director of Medicinal Chemistry I had my fingers in all of the projects but my personal research was focussed on antibacterials and antivirals. 

[DavenPaget]

I might be guessing you're seeing 13V because you didn't use a regulated power supply . 
Some pedals don't like 12V too much