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Guitar Pedal Project!

TrisMcKee

Apr 25, 2012
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Hey guys, first post on this forum. I'm working on making a higher capacity battery than a standard 9v for my guitar fx pedal. It's rated 300mAh, so obviously a 9v battery can't power it long, only about an hour and a half. So, what I've got is a 7.4v 1500mAh Li-ion camera battery pack. What are my options for getting this up to the required 9v? I was thinking about adding a 1.4-1.7v (AA I guess) battery in series which would probably get me the required voltage, and because AA's are so much cheaper than 9v's, I would only have to replace the AA, and just recharge the camera battery.

That's just my basic plan, all feedback is welcome, and I want to know if this will actually work or not? I'm not too good with voltages and amps and whatnot.

Cheers :)
 

CocaCola

Apr 7, 2012
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Try it as is, it might very well work just fine...

Also, I assume there is always 'power' when you play since it's an electric guitar, so why not use a wall-wart (power adapter) and not worry about the batteries at all?
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
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You may find that the circuit operates fine from 7.4V and that the additional battery is not required.

Placing dissimilar batteries in series is really bad.
 

TrisMcKee

Apr 25, 2012
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I've tried it off the camera battery alone and it wouldn't turn on, would the alkaline battery and the li-ion battery working together cause any problems? I dont want this blowing up in my face :pp
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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I would recommend against it, however it's most likely to damage the AA cell since it is unlikely that the Li-Ion battery will discharge too far -- but no guarantees.
 

TrisMcKee

Apr 25, 2012
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I'll try it and see how it goes, but is there alternatives? A 9v is too weak and expensive, and getting a plug on stage might be hard to do for the wall wart.

Cheers :)
 

KJ6EAD

Aug 13, 2011
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Does your effect pedal have a coaxial DC power jack? If so, what labeling does it have?

If the connector is right, I'd use an MPD BK-030 battery box with NiMH rechargeable batteries. That should get you at least four times the run time.

bk-030.jpg


http://www.sourceresearch.com/store1/quickstore.cfm?ProductID=90868&do=detail
 
Last edited:

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Scratching my head over why a guitar effect pedal would take 300ma.

Bob
 

TrisMcKee

Apr 25, 2012
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Keep in mind that it is a multi-fx pedal, the kind with all the digital effects, it's not your typical stompbox pedal
 
Last edited:

CocaCola

Apr 7, 2012
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and getting a plug on stage might be hard to do for the wall wart.

I have worked in and around the touring music industry for about 30 years now, both local and national (world) touring acts... You should be able to find a plug, especially if you plan ahead and bring your own power strip and extension cord...

Short of that a battery pack like has been suggested, get one running of C or D cells and you will exponentially increase your run time over a 9v...
 
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