Flanger from 9v to 18v?

[tackleberry]

I have a reissue ibanez fl9 flanger. It runs factory off 9v. Is it a simple matter of swapping the 16v electro caps for higher voltage ones so it can run off 18v? From searching thats what you need to do to run a tube screamer off 18v. 

[R.G.]

Why would you want to?

[Mark Hammer]

There are a number of things you would have to change besdies simply observing safety margins for electros.  Not worth it.

[tackleberry]

What does ibanez do with their flanger vs say the 1 from BYOC that allows it to run on 9-18v without any issues?

[R.G.]

I would guess that they put in a 9V regulator so that the flanger always gets 9V. The flanger doesn't RUN on 18V, it gets 9V. The pedal can run on 18V.

With such a number of excellent 9Vdc power supplies available, the question still is - why would you want to? It won't sound any different, and by using higher power supply voltages you introduce the possibility of killing it.

[tackleberry]

Why I want to do it? Not sure I do I was simply asking a question I couldnt readily find an answer to. The easier to find info on TS9 or compressors is its pretty much the lower cost lower voltage electros used, 16v vs 25v, holding things back. Swap em out and it will run on 18v. My DoubleD on 18v is a whole different pedal vs 9v. For some things I like the way it sounds on 9v other things 18v sounds better, I may put a regulator in it so it can be switched between 18/9v. I already have a good 9v power supply as well as a good 18v supply. It was just an exercise in learning.

I took a closer look at the BYOC flanger it has a 5v regulator so 9v, 12v, 18v doesnt make any difference. In the "MXR original" schematic I have the opamps and and other ICs run off 15v to their pins. As does the EH deluxe electric mistress and ADA flanger. The anderton flanger runs off a 15v bipolar supply. But most of the projects in the book of andertons I have run off 18v bipolar. There must be some logic behind it.

[Mark Hammer]

When you have a pedal who "soul" is all about headroom, and having it or not having it, then variations in supply voltage can make sense.  In the case of a flanger, the headroom of the BBD is NOT significantly improved by doubling the supply voltage.  As for the clean headroom of the rest of the audio path, since there is really only negligible gain added, increasing the supply voltage will do precious little in terms of increasing headroom.  Equally important, the MN3207 used by the FLP wants a supply of 9v or less.

Consider as well, if one looks at the schematic for the FL9, there are a number of points in the modulation part of the circuit where there are built in assumptions about what the supply will be and what the consequences of that will be for the LFO rate and amplitude and the HF clock circuit.  That is not to say the pedal could not run on 18v, it just wouldn't make a helluva difference, and for the physical and detective work involved, it provides precious little payback for the investment.  Better to invest your time and money with Bernie Madoff.