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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: Phorhas on May 29, 2004, 07:38:39 PM

Title: Bipolar Power Supply - when can I use it ?
Post by: Phorhas on May 29, 2004, 07:38:39 PM
Hello... the tube driver, amongst others, use a bi-polar PS, which as I under stand gives it about twice the headroom. can I use this "trick" whenever I want whereever I want?

On what IC can't I ust it? Can I add commercial effects a Bi-polar PS?

Regards,
Dan.
Title: Bipolar Power Supply - when can I use it ?
Post by: sir_modulus on May 29, 2004, 08:04:10 PM
No.1 Why? It's more work. Usually you can have a PS that has a + and a - voltage in most circuits depending on the application. - can act as a ground. Feed positive as normal and negative as ground. You gain nothing and is a bit more work than wiring batteries in parallel to gain longer life.
Title: Bipolar Power Supply - when can I use it ?
Post by: Yuan Han on May 30, 2004, 10:19:07 AM
i'm not sure what kinda benefits a bipolar power supply will give, but from my limited knowledge, the only thing i can think of is that biasing opamps will be simpler ? since there's no need to add like 4.5V (in a unipolar 9v)  to the signal. i think biasing BBD chips will be too. actually maybe all things that the ac audio signal will "enter" will be biased easier.

mmmm, think i'm missing some pieces !

Han
Title: Bipolar Power Supply - when can I use it ?
Post by: Phorhas on June 01, 2004, 10:21:22 AM
well... as I understood it, if you have an OA qith say a bipolar PS going from 9V to -9V, the you have 18v of total headroom. well, if it's that simple, it certainly is better than using a MAX1044 or the like to have 18v out of a 9v batt. or, you could have a 36v oparation out of a 9v batt and 1044 chip, and a Bi-polar PS...

am I making any sense here?