External power to Roland AC 33

[constantino]

Hello dear new friends,

I’m a Brazilian guitar player and I have a Roland AC33, a nice amp which I totally enjoy while I'm performing, and I would need a little help about it. The Ac33 can be powered through 8 AA bateries or through the power adapter provided by the Roland. My question is how can I get an external power source like a 12v car battery? The plug DC IN is different than anything I can find in hardware stores. Would the solution be getting a spare AC adapter and having the wires cut off to possibly adapt it?

Thanks in advance for your reply,

Cheers,

Constantino

[Woody Sound]

Welcome constantino. For starters, read this thread:

Acoustic Amps? (preferably battery powered for live work)

[sgosnell]

You can get all sorts of adapters and plugs on ebay. If the adapter is a standard size, you could probably buy one of the daisy chain cords and just cut one off and solder it to another cable. I don't know what voltage the Roland uses, but there are Li-ion batteries available that would almost certainly work, and 9V and 12V should be readily available. Lighter and smaller than a car battery, and usually not too expensive. I use a 9V for my pedals.

[feet]

welcome!

you may find some more answers in these threads here:

Busking - Pick up & Amp - The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Options for a battery powered amp? For vocals and instrument - The Acoustic Guitar Forum

but i suppose your best bet would be to contact Roland directly, no?

though i'm curious, since i may buy one of these amps when i'm travelling: why do you want an external battery? is it so you can have the full wattage and headroom? do the batteries not last long enough?

[sgosnell]

I would probably use rechargeable batteries in something like this. Regular alkalines, 8 at a time, would get expensive soon. NiMH rechargeables aren't very expensive, and can be recharged a thousand times or so. But I have no idea how long a set of AA batteries would last in an amp, probably not very long. A car battery or even a rechargeable Li-ion battery should last a lot longer, but I'm guessing, since I've never had a battery-operated amp.

[constantino]

Thank you, but i already have an AC33. I want an alternative way to power the amp.

[constantino]

Thank you.
I said a car battery as a exemple. I think the car battery should be very heavy to carry on. But Roland doesnt allow me to choose an alternative way to power the amp. The plug used, is not easy to find type. At least here in Brazil. And I think someone knows how to find it.

[twotoneblue]

@constantino - I am getting one of these amps soon. I'll have a look at the type of power plug it uses then... or you could post a picture of the tip of the AC power supply, so we can all see...

Have you considered making a fake battery pack to deliver your externally sourced 12 V (e.g. from the car) through that? I guess what may result is that the amp will only do 2 x 10 W (and not 15 W) when connected through the battery section.

I'll post back if you post an image of the plug or when I get the amp myself.

-Å

[drbhrb]

Wouldn't you just need something like this?

Amazon.com : Traeger BAC287 Power Inverter : Patio, Lawn & Garden

[twotoneblue]

Wouldn't you just need something like this?

Amazon.com : Traeger BAC287 Power Inverter : Patio, Lawn & Garden

I'm not sure why you would want to go from DC to AC and then to DC again with the wall wart... that's gotta introduce a lot of noise...

I imagine a decent DIY-solution would entail making a small voltage divider/filter/overload protection circuit and connecting to the cigarette lighter plug or car battery directly... already at ~12/24 VDC...

[cosmic gumbo]

Solar panels?

[twotoneblue]

Solar panels?

Could absolutely work - you need one to deliver ~ 0.5 - 1.0 A continously which shouldn't be a problem...

[twotoneblue]

The AC-33-RW is in the house - I'm sonically very happy with it so far!

The plug DC IN is different than anything I can find in hardware stores.

Really? I was a bit puzzled at that when I saw the pretty standard looking 6 mm center positive plug... Granted, the size may a bit off - standard pedal plugs are 5 mm (and center negative) - but I'm pretty sure you could find a 6 mm plug as an accessory to a multiplug, fits all, kind of power supply - check out eBay =)

EDIT: Gente! My memory of the pedal plugs was wrong. Their centerleads are arranged quite oppositely. Thanks to @sgosnell for the correction! Hopefully spare plugs of the pinned type are available on eBay too.



Boa sorte e tudo de bom!

Åsmund

[sgosnell]

The plug pictured appears to have a pin in the center, not the more usual mere hole. Those plugs are available, although less common than others. I have a "universal" power supply which has several plugs, and one of them is like this. I've never found a use for it.

[twotoneblue]

Oops, can't belive I didn't see that. I will edit the post accordingly. Thanks.

[oliwia]

Hi guys!

I am looking for the same stuff. Although I don't understand what's the final connector needed.
I want to connect a battery (RAVPower(R) Xtreme 23000mAh 3-Port Portable External Battery Charger with Multi-Voltage (9V/12V/16V/19V/20V - LCD Display) for Notebooks, UltraBooks, Digital Cameras, Camcorder, Surface Tablets, Asus Tablets, Acer Tablets, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba Netbooks Laptops, iPhone 6 5S 5C 5 4S, iPad Air, 5, 4, 3, 2, Retina iPad Mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S5, S4, S3, Note 2, Note 3, Galaxy Tab and any other devices (Apple adapters - 30 pin and lightning, not included) UK Version: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics) to the Roland AC33.

It seems that Twotoneblue found the answer but I'd like a web link to the connector to buy. I think it is a center positive pin plug of 6mm but I am not sure. Anybody to confirm?
I'd like to find out as well what's the connector to connect to the DC output of the Ravpower (can't find it on the specs). I measured 5mm but the inner dimension is a bit smaller than a regular one.

[docbop]

I would probably use rechargeable batteries in something like this. Regular alkalines, 8 at a time, would get expensive soon. NiMH rechargeables aren't very expensive, and can be recharged a thousand times or so. But I have no idea how long a set of AA batteries would last in an amp, probably not very long. A car battery or even a rechargeable Li-ion battery should last a lot longer, but I'm guessing, since I've never had a battery-operated amp.

Get enough rechargeables for two or three sets of 8 and a bulk recharger or two. Then you'll have batteries and backup set for gigging. The last computer gig I had we all had wireless keyboards and mice that used batteries and what I described is exactly what we did so there would always be batteries for everyone. In long run was cheaper than buying regular batteries and better for the environment.

[sgosnell]

I use alkaline batteries for things that don't pull much power, and which need to have the battery last a long time. Like clocks, mice, etc. Rechargeables lose charge more quickly, but work well in applications with heavier current draw. I keep a lot of these on hand.

[mcradick]

I had a power supply for laptops with many possible connectors. One of them was the same as my Roland ac33. It fits on a 12v cigarette lighter plug going to a 2.1mm male plug (like effect pedals use) and when connected to a car battery or a Lithium Tracer battery works great. It says on the amp it needs a bit more voltage but I've found it works fine. I don't know what these plugs are called because I'd like to buy some spares without having to buy all the other plugs that I'll never need.

I've also done it by connecting wires to the metal plates under the battery block, connected straight to a car battery, but I think this works at a slightly lower wattage, although I didn't really hear any difference.