Guitar Amp Power Wiring

[kylebellamy]

First off, Hello! New here and glad I'm not seeing all the elitist cranky answers I was seeing on Stack Exchange in the electrical engineer section. lol

I can't link to things yet (even in my profile to my homepage) so I will have to give you the google search term but basically, I am building custom guitar amps in my spare time. Mainly to learn and enjoy doing projects.

Recently I have started assembling the components myself which is stressful but for this thread I need some help with power systems using prebuilt stuff.

I have a (google) "Claybrooke style: #13131 5 in 1 tv companion" that I found at a garage sale. It runs on 12VDC 850mA and I intend to use and Instructable (http://www.instructables.com/id/Hack-an-Old-TV-into-an-Audio-Visualizer/) to turn the screen into an audio oscilloscope that is triggered by the output of the amp.

Additionally, I have a Tone Monster MAH5 amplifier harness (http://www.guitarfuel.com/MAH5_Amplifier_Harness.php) that runs on 12VDC 500mA for the obvious functions.

I want to combine them into a single power system (this may be the wrong terminology) that would use one plug.

So the question is, what's the easy (prebuilt maybe?) solution and the DIY solution to doing this?

I'm happy to hack all sorts of things to get it working or order a prebuilt solution assuming it's not hundreds of dollars.

Thanks!

 

[Harald Kapp]

I want to combine them into a single power system (this may be the wrong terminology) that would use one plug.

Do you mean one single power supply (1*mains in, 1*12 V out) with enough juice to power both the companion and the amplifier? Then any 12 V power supply with a minimum current rating of 1350 mA (850 mA + 500 mA for the two components) will work, e.g. this one.
Most power supplies will have a single output. You can cut off the 12 V plug and connect the wires to the two devices in parallel. Or build an adapter which takes the plug from the power supply as input and has two output cords, ideally with plugs matching the receptacles on the two devices.

 

[kylebellamy]

Thank you for the proper terminology on that, I tried to explain it clearly. lol

Yes, although I didn't realize it would be as simple as that. Good to know. I will start posting in the build log once I have everything I need. Thankfully, I have boxes of old adapters (as I'm sure most of us do) so I that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Harald Kapp]

I have boxes of old adapters

Good. When you find one that matches the requirements (12V is a must, more a,ps are o.k.) check how it works with your companion and amplifier. Listen for any hum or noise. Adpaters that have not been designed for use with audio equipment may have excess noise on the output which may distort your signals. In that case a filter may be of great help, such as used in cars.

 

[kylebellamy]

Oh yeah... went through line noise in one of my cars. That was horrible. In fact I have a couple of those filters as well. Thank god they came up with easy to use bluetooth adapters for the car.

 

[kylebellamy]

Actually the biggest source of guitar noise is in the guitar cable and guitar itself. Those things are notorious for line noise. I've spent time chasing down that with a voltage meter.

 

[Arouse1973]

Actually the biggest source of guitar noise is in the guitar cable and guitar itself. Those things are notorious for line noise. I've spent time chasing down that with a voltage meter.

Also your body is a good radiator of noise also and re-radiates noise into the pickups. Keeping your hand in contact with the bridge can help if the guitar is grounded and the bridge is metal.
Cheers
Adam