Hello there - I've just acquired a groovy American flanger (Foxrox Paradox TZF) but it didn't come with a power supply so there's no running it off a step-down transformer and anyway, that would be less than convenient.

I'm a bit confused as to what to do for the best.. (Well, pig-ignorant, actually). Please could someone give me some advice.

Apparently it needs 9v AC, and the Line 6 POD power supply will do the trick. Well, so far so good - I've got one of those, and all looks well but I'm a little confused about the hertz. As in, American supplies would seem to be 60 hz as opposed to British 50hz. My understanding, tiny though that is, is that that's only an issue with the wall-warts relationship with the mains supply, and that what it spits out will be appropriate for the pedal. Is that right? Obviously I have a POD power supply as sold in Britain, where as most of the advice I've read is from people who have power supplies bought in the States.

So - my power supply says "Input 230 V. 50 Hz./ Output 9 V AC, 1200mA". Nothing about hz on the output side then.

I'm just a bit worried that my pedal, built for a world of 60hz power, is not going to get on with my power supply built for a 50 hz world.

I'd very much appreciate a learned opinion, as I really don't want to damage this thing, having paid a lot for it, but I don't even want to plug it in at the moment, so my new baby sits there silent.

I should know the answer but I don't want to risk it by pretending to understand something that I don't!

Thanks very much.

Edited by Seaforth (10/07/12 06:28 PM)

why does so much American stuff use ac supplies????

I think you will be ok, running stuff meant for 50hz at 60hz is worse. Once inside the unit it gets turned into DC anyway.

The Hz does not mattter in this case (hardly ever does except that "our" 50Hz traffs are more efficient on 60Hz and that can sometimes be an issue. Some old 60Hz kit also complained a bit on 50Hz).

If the unit is marked "9volts" (is the current in mA stated?) then that 9V AC supply should be fine...BUT! As you say, it is a valuable bit of kit and if you have never had it working it COULD be faulty and just banging it onto even the correct supply could make matters worse.

If at all possible I would take it to a tech' who can run it up on a 9V traff via a Variac and monitor the current pull. Thus if anything seems untoward he can shut down before the smoke gets too dense...JOKING!!!

Dave.

Ahh, thanks for that. Just thought I'd add this that I found on the Foxrox site, which, had I got the brains I was born with, I would have surely done before! Anyway...

"Power - Paradox requires 9 Volts, AC (9VAC) in order to operate. A power adaptor is included with each unit. Don't confuse 9VAC with 9VDC, which is what you get from a 9V battery. That's what most other effects use, but not TZF. TZF's internal circuitry runs at 36Volts DC, split into plus and minus 18 Volts. Other effects that run on 9VAC include Captain Coconut 2, Digitech Whammy, Line 6 POD, and others. The power units for these effects are all interchangeable."

Well it does look unambiguous but I like to double check, and plainly I could do with learning something.

Many thanks once again.

Apparently 500mA is required...it doesn't say so on the unit, but that is according to the Analogman site, and he seems to be a sound source of information with a sense of awareness that his words are consumed beyond, as well as within, American shores. (He also suggests the Pod power supply.

So...OK with my Pod power supply UNLESS the pedal is faulty then, d'you reckon?

Cheers.

Ok, well that shows that the supply is a slightly more complex "dual voltage doubler" and that makes me even more inclined to say get it checked by a tech.

Note that small AC supplies will eventually be outlawed by EU legislation tho' I personally think it will prove a bit of an excercise in futility seeing how easy it is to import practically anything these days.

Then maybe a few guys like me will make a few bob putting toroidal traffs in tins with switches!

Dave.

Mmmmm...curiouser and curiouser. More questions, if I may...

So, to be clear, are you saying that the (substitute) power supplies listed above are inherently less-than-perfectly suited to the pedal, even if it is in absolutely perfect working order?

Given the extra information, is your prescription still the same? (Traffs, variacs et al). If you could give me something pretty precise to ask of someone that would be very, very helpful and kind. That said, I think if I asked them to do exactly what you suggested, verbatim, and they didn't know what that was about, then I'd probably find I was in the hairdressers next door anyway, and it would be time to look for someone else.

There was supposed to be a power supply with the pedal, but it didn't turn up. (Only got the thing today, by the way). I assumed that he'd just decided there wasn't much point in paying to ship a "useless" power supply half way round the globe, but perhaps he just forgot it. Anyway, my point is, do you think it would be sensible to ask him for it, or is that really pointless. i.e if the pedal's faulty, obviously it needs fixing. Once it's in good working order, is there actually any point in having the original power supply rather than one of those substitutes?

Thanks again.

Sorry to have confused you Seaforth!
I will try to be clearer.
Any AC supply that delivers 9 volts at or above the current rating of the pedal will do the job. This is even more the case for AC than DC supplies.

Given such a supply there is very good chance that things will work just fine but if you have not seen or heard the pedal working so far I would let a tech power it up in the first instance. A "Variac" by the way is a special transformer that can deliver any mains voltage from zero to a little over mains in. The tech will have a meter measuring the current drawn by the pedal and if it looks to be over the rating, back off and investigate. I am probably being overcautious but it is set in the bones of old tronics techs that give an unkown bit of kit the LAST thing you do is power it up at full welly and see what'appen!

And no, certainly don't have a supply shipped over. It will be 115 volts and you will therefore need yet another transformer! This is one of the oft unsung benefits of wall rats and line lumps.

Dave.

Excellent, thanks. Confusing me is oh, so very easy these days. Well, it was always easy, but in "the good old days" I didn't KNOW that I was confused, or maybe everyone else was confused, so it didn't show. Anyway...

I'm clear now, cheers. I have already got one of those step-down transformers so it wouldn't be another expense to incur but I'm not anxious to use it more than necessary so I'll leave that power supply in Oregon.

So...thanks for your wise words, Dave and Fletcher both. Very much appreciated.

Time for bed. (Said Zebedee).

'night.