Let’s talk power supplies

gearJunkie said:
View attachment 52717
You can cut the Cioks cables to length and attach the barrel connectors above for a custom fit without soldering.


or the other way around using these...

Amazon.com: exgoofit RCA Male Plug to AV Screw Terminal Audio/Video Connector 10-Pack, RCA Plugs for Speaker Wire, Solderless Phono RCA Adapter : Electronics

Buy exgoofit RCA Male Plug to AV Screw Terminal Audio/Video Connector 10-Pack, RCA Plugs for Speaker Wire, Solderless Phono RCA Adapter: Connectors & Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
a.co
Click to expand...

Something to think about! I could see going with the rca out of the Cioks and cutting to length.

I don’t know if I want to get that anal about wiring, but I do like a clean board
 
You can use the RCA cables from your VCR!
Educate Yourself Shooting Star GIF
 
Do these Cioks units NOT power anything you’d see on a standard board? For some reason I have it in my head I need something specific for Digitech PSU’s.
 
DrewJD82 said:
Do these Cioks units NOT power anything you’d see on a standard board? For some reason I have it in my head I need something specific for Digitech PSU’s.
Click to expand...
Most Digitech & DoD pedals use standard 9v DC 2.1mm x 5.5mm center negative connections, so nothing special unless referring to an AC powered device like the Digitech XP-100, 200, 300, 400, WH-1 Whammy, Talker, RP3 etc.
 
JiveTurkey said:
I'd LOVE to have another VCR! We have a pile of tapes just sitting there.
Click to expand...

I’m so glad I still have a couple! Back when everyone was getting rid of their VHS tapes I grabbed all of them I could find.

I’ve got all kinds of fun stuff like a copy of Spinal Tap from a movie rental place, the original un-edited Star Wars trilogy, and a ton of others.

One of the best parts is watching the ones we recorded off TV and seeing the old commercials
 
I have five boards (so far), with differing power supplies under each:
  1. A pair of Strymon Zumas and an Ojai expansion kit under my Classic Pro (which was actually the first pedlaboard I purchased. Long story).
  2. A CIOKS DC7 and 8-port expansion kit under one of my Classic 2s.
  3. A Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3 Plus under my Classic Jr.
  4. A CIOKS DC7 under my Nano Max.
  5. A Walrus Phoenix that never managed to make it onto any boards (long story).
  6. A Walrus Canvas Power 15 that has yet to be mounted under my second Classic 2.
  7. Yet another DC7 recently acquired. I just need another board under which to mount it! Not quite ready yet for Board # 6 :.
The DC7s seem to be the most purchased pedal power supplies I own - and with good reason.

No complaints :-).

I'd likely go with another DC7 (and expansion kit, if I needed more outlets) on most future boards, because of its remarkable power and voltage options, ease of mounting, light weight, and dead quiet operation.

6AqWDV2.jpg
 
Last edited:
metropolis_4 said:
What are you using, what do you like?

I’m shopping for power for this new board I’m building and I’ll need something that can cover an HX Stomp plus 12-15 9v devices (all but one require under 300mA). It needs to be low profile (1.25” or less)

I’d been planning to go for a GigRig genx14, but I’m also looking at a Cioks dc7 + 8 expander and the Walrus Canvas 15.

3 of the devices are just MIDI controllers and loop switchers so I should be able to daisy chain them to get by with 15 outlets.

The Walrus and genx14 seem more easily expandable. With the Cioks it seems like I’m maxed out at 15 once I add the 8.

The Canvas would save me some money, are they any good?
Click to expand...
None of my power supplies seem to add any noise to my systems. The DC7 seems to be the most flexible power supplies I've ever used, with the choice of 9, 12, 15, or 18 volts on each and every outlet, as well as 660 mA max (for the 9 volt connections).

I didn't originally like the idea of RCA connections coming out of a power supply, but CIOKS use them for good reason.

There's a thorough video that can be found on YouTube, explaining their choice of these connections. They're extremely solid.

My initial complaint about the Canvas power supplies was that they required the use of an external transformer, rather than having the power all built-in and just using a standard IEC power cable. I got over that. I'm willing to give one of these a try. It's not likely to ever see a gig, so I doubt a failing transformer would ever be an issue. I suppose a spare transformer could be purchased and kept on-hand, just in case.

689sDPU.jpg


If you have a lot of different power requirements (sounds like you don't), the Canvas may not work out too well, since it only has two adjustable outlets, with 9, 12, or 18 volt options, while everything else is fixed at 9 volts.
 
Last edited:
metropolis_4 said:
Cioks DC7 + 8 Expander ordered. I found a deal for $386 for the pair brand new which seemed like a good price
Click to expand...
I paid $369.00 (plus tax, of course) for my DC7 + 8 set, but that was back in November of 2021. Wow, they've really crept up in price recently!

Generally, if I'm powering mainly just a bunch of 9 volt pedals, my first choice is usually a Pedal Power 3 Plus, because of the 12 available isolated outlets. You can also add 4 or 8 port expansion boxes to those, using a 24-volt pass-through cable, and share the same IEC input cable to power both.

Voodoo power supplies have been around forever and seem to be built to withstand World War 3. Not surprised their power supplies are still on so many thousands of guitarists' boards.

c2cCFDj.jpg


Voodoo's customer service is absolutely stellar, as well. But then, so is that of Walrus Audio. They really deliver.

One of many things I love about the CIOKS DC Series units is the ability to use them with the GRIP mounting brackets, which allow for drill-free installation. If you're someone who likes to experiment with power supply placement, or you just want to bounce a supply from one board to another, you can do this without having to drill a single hole in your boards.

Also the bracket does double duty as a heat transfer mechanism - but I must admit, the DC7 units don't seem to heat up that much, even when powering up multiple high-current pedals.

TND5pi1.jpg


The USB out on the DC7s can power a smart device, or even some pedalboard lights, like The Bright Switch, by Rock Stock Pedals.

The kit comes with a single LED/goose neck lamp and a 2 Amp power supply.

Rs1nKQZ.jpg


ooUmvA6.jpg


1O3XMq6.jpg


ki5ARbr.jpg
 
Last edited:
metropolis_4 said:
What are you using, what do you like?

I’m shopping for power for this new board I’m building and I’ll need something that can cover an HX Stomp plus 12-15 9v devices (all but one require under 300mA). It needs to be low profile (1.25” or less)

I’d been planning to go for a GigRig genx14, but I’m also looking at a Cioks dc7 + 8 expander and the Walrus Canvas 15.

3 of the devices are just MIDI controllers and loop switchers so I should be able to daisy chain them to get by with 15 outlets.

The Walrus and genx14 seem more easily expandable. With the Cioks it seems like I’m maxed out at 15 once I add the 8.

The Canvas would save me some money, are they any good?
Click to expand...
I believe you can use more than just one expansion kit with the DC7s, but I'm not sure what the specs are on that. I thought I stumbled into a YouTube video posted by CIOKS explaining these specs.

If you had the space, I'd have suggested a PP3 Plus, and adding an 8-port expansion kit, for a total of 20 isolated 500 mA outlets. They're surprisingly light, compared to the previous PP2 Plus units, while hardly being any larger, dimension-wise.

Switch-mode power supplies have really allowed for higher current power supplies that are far lighter in weight, aside from being much quieter than their predecessors, and are modular (expandable).

The only reason I replaced my PP2 Plus (that I had for years) was that I needed a power supply that could power up multiple high-current pedals. The PP2 Plus could only provide two outlets at 250 mA each, max. I had to re-think my power supply needs,

The Phoenix was wonderful (although that monster weighed about three pounds), but it only had four 300 mA outlets, so that wasn't going to work, either. I didn't really think that one through :|.

Walrus Phoenix on the left. This is an old-school linear/toroidal transformer-based power supply.
CIOKS DC7 on the right.

YYUY8HH.jpg


Even the DC7, combined with 8-port expansion box weighed about a pound less than that Phoenix, and were far easier to mount on a board.

OpJPz0l.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top