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jatortorella
Copper Member
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 09/24/2008 : 19:26:53
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When using the TU-2 or NS-2 to power up a string of pedals (4 pedals) - I am getting a humming. Hum only heard when the TU-2 or NS-2 are in the AUDIO loop (ie connected using 1/4" jacks). If I use them to ONLY power the other pedals - no hum is heard?
I've checked all the polarities on my extension plugs - all is fine. I checked the polarities of my 1/4" audio cables - all is fine. Not near any other piece of equipment (or lighting) that could cause a 60hz hum.
Any Ideas? |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2008 : 09:49:38
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Welcome to the forum.... .... are the other pedals boss...? did you try leaving one pedal out of the loop at a time to see if it is the culprit..? also is the adapter(i think you call them wall warts)made by boss.?..i've had issues with adapters in the past mainly one made by Zoom... it looked and worked ok for a while then it started causing all sorts of problems especially with the distortion/gain pedals... this question has come up in different forms before so if you check out the tech area you might find an answer to help you..... |
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visserman
Platinum Member
1072 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2008 : 11:38:42
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I do not understand where your problem comes from but try this:
Use adaptor and connect straightaway to your adaptorlead with your five adaptorsockets. Connect adaptorsockets to your pedals and see if you still get the hum. In this way you are not using your TU-2 or NS-2 to power up your pedals, you are only using the adaptor to power up all your pedals. In this way you also gain an extra adaptorsocket since you are not using two on either your TU-2 or NS-2. Makes sense??!
The hum must be an earthloop, but I cannot see how you get it since you are only using one adaptor.
Do you get this hum all the time, or only at certain times during day/night? |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2008 : 12:57:03
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Hi jatortorella
Welcome to the forum from Australia.
Can I ask which brand & model of power adapter you are using?
And is it a regulated one-type?
BTW... Nice Web site & business.
Regards Dr. Bob |
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jatortorella
Copper Member
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 14:34:58
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Guys - Thanks for the input. I did a bunch of mix and match parts and pieces as you suggested. Finally figured it out.
I powered each pedal individually - and problem disappeared!! I had up my own daisy-chain power - customized to my pedal config. Bad idea.
Final solution. BCB-60! No more problem. I put the TU-2 (Tuner) at the beginning of the chain & NS-2 (Noise Supressor) at the end of the chain - and viola - it works great. Completely silent tunup - completely silent when not playing!
One thing I did find out - the AW-2 (AutoWah) is a very noisy pedal. I am not crazy about it - and will probably dump it - and get an AC-3 (Acoustic Sim) or an OC-3 (Octaver).
Thanks again for all your suggestions. To answer the questions - no other pedals - all BOSS. Power supplies were all Boss - now using the one that came in the BCB-60 (PSC Series, I think). Thanks for the compliments on the web site. It is my business - and I am pretty proud of it. Makes it easy to get band tee shirts!
Thank You,
Joe |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 14:40:30
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Nice one.. keep on rockin'....... |
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stinkfoot
Silver Member
Sweden
181 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 23:09:35
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The hum could have had several causes, and even though I'm late to the game (as the move to the BCB-60 solved the problem) I thought I'd stick my nose in anyway...
First off, just to be clear - the TU-2/NS-2 does not power anything, and is not a power supply. It merely provides a power output, wired in parallel to the input, the same way a daisy chain cable does (only inside the pedal). The difference might seem trivial, but understanding this can really help one understand why some things happen, and why moving to the BCB-60 helped.
Hum can come from overloading an adapter - when it is close to or over its limit, the power will become choppy and not as smooth as it should. The PSA adapter is limited to 200mA, which one can use up fairly quickly. The PSC adapter that comes with the BCB-60 is 1000mA, and will of course be much more relaxed about handling a 180 or so mA load. Wether this was your problem or not will of course depend on the total current draw of the pedals powered.
Also, each pedal will only use as much current (mA) as it needs, so when you're daisy-chaining, even if you're using close to the adapter's limit, the power each pedal sees will only be the amount it is drawing. Electrically speaking, using the TU-2 as a go-between (connecting the adapter to it and daisy-chaining the rest of the pedals off its power out jack) is no different. But it seems that this can lead to noise anyway, possibly (but this is only a theory of mine) because the entire chain's current draw is now passing through the pedal, inside its box. Remember, inside the pedal, nothing is shielded (the box itself acts as the shield).
And then there's the ground loop issue, when the signal gets more than one path to ground. In a daisy chain situation, you have ground connections through both the signal and power cables, which can sometimes lead to hum. However, this is usually more of a problem when combining amps or powering up-front and fx loop pedals from the same source (as the difference in ground path lenghts are far bigger then).
Again, I'm glad the BCB-60 worked out for you. One word of warning, though - don't run the BCB-60 adapter through the TU-2 (so you're daisy-chaining the other pedals from its power output jack). Boss only guarantees the power out jack for 200mA max, for a reason. The two power jacks are connected via a small circuit board, with relatively small copper traces. If you run more than 200mA through there, the traces can melt...
/Andreas |
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Some Weird Sin
Bronze Member
Netherlands
73 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 10:33:54
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quote:
Originally posted by jatortorella
... at the end of the chain - and viola - it works great. Completely silent tunup - completely silent when not playing!
Great it worked out for you, BUT what I want to know: who the hell is Viola?  |
Edited by - Some Weird Sin on 10/03/2008 10:34:31 |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 16:15:52
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I think he means "et voila" which means "tadaaa!"  |
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jatortorella
Copper Member
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2008 : 21:46:57
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Thanks for all the info!
Dirk was right - TaaDaa! It worked! 
I was not as accurate with my wording - as maybe I should have been. I understand that neither the NS-2 nor the TU-2 are actually powering up anything - and are just passing along power to the other pedals.
I am sticking to my original assessment - and the daisy chain that I assembled was the problem. I swapped the power supply that came with the BCB-60 - with two of my other Boss supplies (one at a time) - and it still sounded quiet. So - I don't think the problem was with any of the power supplies. The only variable was the power daisy chain - so that just had to be the problem.
I am considering purchasing a VooDoo labs power supply (5 output) - and should allow me to expand to nearly as many pedals as I see fit with that supply. As the pedal farm grows - so will my power needs.
I tried the whole mess with my band last night - and all went great. I appreciate everyone who responded to my problem - and all of your input was quite helpful.
Joe |
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ironhulk
Copper Member
10 Posts |
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Topic |
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Hum - Using TU-2 or NS-2 as power source
