Power Supply for UA Dream 65

[Doug B]

I'm putting together a pedal board for apartment use.

My basic pedals are a Universal Audio Dream 65, UA Evermore and UA 1176 compressor. I bought a Voodoo Labs 2 plus power supply and it refuses to work with the Dream 65! No sound from the Dream 65 am just a low level hum.

The PS works fine with other pedals, but the Voodoo just does not like the Dream65.

SO: Any recommendations for a PS that works with a UA Dream 65?

Thanks,

Doug

[Jabberwocky]

The UAFX Dream 65 is Centre Negative and requires a 400ma outlet. The Strymon Ojai works a treat with its 9V 500ma outlets. Check to see that you're using a centre negative outlet of 9V, 400ma at minimum. I see that the Voodoo 2 Plus has 9V 250ma outlets; they do not have enough current for the UAFX Dream 65.

[Jabberwocky]

Powering your UAFX Pedals
Note: Power supply sold separately.


UAFX pedals require an isolated 9 volt DC, center negative, 2.1 x 5.5 mm barrel connector (same as standard Boss connectors) power supply that can provide the following current requirements.


Full-sized UAFX pedals (with two footswitches) require 400 mA (milliamps) of current.
Compact UAFX pedals (with a single footswitch) require 250 mA (milliamps) of current.
Each UAFX pedal must be connected to a separate power supply, or connected to an isolated power connection from a multi-output power supply. Connect the power supply to the 9VDC connector on the pedal’s rear panel.

[Doug B]

The UAFX Dream 65 is Centre Negative and requires a 400ma outlet. The Strymon Ojai works a treat with its 9V 500ma outlets. Check to see that you're using a centre negative outlet of 9V, 400ma at minimum. I see that the Voodoo 2 Plus has 9V 250ma outlets; they do not have enough current for the UAFX Dream 65.

Thanks very much. I had forgot about the Strymon Ojai as an alternative.

Doug

[Doug B]

Both VoodooLabs and UA say that they use the same power as Boss pedals. Guess that's just marketing hype.

Doug

Powering your UAFX Pedals
Note: Power supply sold separately.


UAFX pedals require an isolated 9 volt DC, center negative, 2.1 x 5.5 mm barrel connector (same as standard Boss connectors) power supply that can provide the following current requirements.


Full-sized UAFX pedals (with two footswitches) require 400 mA (milliamps) of current.
Compact UAFX pedals (with a single footswitch) require 250 mA (milliamps) of current.
Each UAFX pedal must be connected to a separate power supply, or connected to an isolated power connection from a multi-output power supply. Connect the power supply to the 9VDC connector on the pedal’s rear panel.

[Jabberwocky]

The Voodoo 2 Plus has a 120V courtesy power socket. You could buy a $9.99 wall wart like this one https://www.amazon.com/Rockhouse-Ada...zcF9hdGY&psc=1 and run it off your Voodoo 2 Plus. Cheap and fast solution.

[Doug B]

The Voodoo 2 Plus has a 120V courtesy power socket. You could buy a $9.99 wall wart like this one https://www.amazon.com/Rockhouse-Ada...zcF9hdGY&psc=1 and run it off your Voodoo 2 Plus. Cheap and fast solution.

That's an idea, but I want to leave the power socket for possible future expansion.
Thanks anyway.


I phoned Voodoo Labs and they recommended buying the current doubler wires.

[Jabberwocky]

Wait a minute. The current doubler wires work at 18V. You'll fry your Dream 65. Those guys weren't thinking when they gave you that reply. Unlike current, you can't over-voltage your pedal.

From Voodoo's webpage: 18V/24V operation and currents up to 500mA using optional doubler cables.

18V/24V – Using Custom Cables
All of the outputs on the Pedal Power 2 PLUS (and the original Pedal Power) are completely isolated allowing you to create different voltages. You can run effects like the current MXR Flanger by combining two 9V outputs to create a single 18V supply. By switching two outputs into 12V ACA mode, you can join them together to create a 24V output for powering numerous Electro-Harmonix stompboxes including the Deluxe Memory Man.

[Spook410]

First off.. you have to understand things like center negative and millamps to set up a pedal board. It is not plug and play. You have to match the right voltage, enough current, and connector. Do it wrong and it either won't work or you can break something.

The nice people at Voodoo have two solutions when their utterly obsolete, unshielded, and crap power supply is discovered to be under powered for modern pedals: a voltage doubling cable and a current doubling cable. Used incorrectly you can fry your expensive pedals. Also, put the wrong pedal over the power supply, even with the pedal board between them, and the voodoo will pick up hum.

MXR ISO Brick comes in a couple of nice form factors, has enough current for modern pedals, and are a good value. Strymon makes the best stuff though a bit pricey.

[Spook410]

From Voodoo's webpage: 18V/24V operation and currents up to 500mA using optional doubler cables.

I think.. not know.. think.. the current doubler works at 9V for a 500mA output. From the page I saw, "combining outputs 5 & 6 on a Pedal Power 2 PLUS to create a single 9V 500mA output.". Thing is, you can screw up and fry something with these sorts of poor workarounds. The right answer is to get a proper modern power supply.

And, J, it was good of you to type all that information up.

[Spook410]

Doug.. totally off topic..

I use a Strymon Iridium on a daily basis. I was surprised just how much an upgrade to the factory IR made. I'm using York DXVB IR and the sound, to my ear anyway, is much better. Given the number of modelers in use around here guess we need a thread on IR's. I know I underestimated how much difference they make.

[Doug B]

Problem solved easily: I got a voltage doubler cable from Voodoo. (And Amazon had one day delivery on it) Sure it takes up two spaces on the Power supply, but it powers the Dream 65. You gotta love a solution like this that only cost $11.50 Cdn!

[Doug B]

Doug.. totally off topic..

I use a Strymon Iridium on a daily basis. I was surprised just how much an upgrade to the factory IR made. I'm using York DXVB IR and the sound, to my ear anyway, is much better. Given the number of modelers in use around here guess we need a thread on IR's. I know I underestimated how much difference they make.

Hey Spook-I have an Iridium too, that I got a couple of years ago. Didn't care for the sound that much, and when I tried the Dream 65, I liked it far more.

Also, I did not know that there was a factory upgrade to the Iridium-or did you mean the York IR?

Doug

[Spook410]

Hey Spook-I have an Iridium too, that I got a couple of years ago. Didn't care for the sound that much, and when I tried the Dream 65, I liked it far more.

Also, I did not know that there was a factory upgrade to the Iridium-or did you mean the York IR?

Doug

There is an IR loader app from Strymon. You can load whatever IR's you want on it as long as they are a compatible format and since the Iridium is so popular, most of them are. I was surprised how much better it sounds with the Deluxe Reverb 1X12 IR from York. Not one of the many free IR's, but at $15 was a good investment.

[Spook410]

Problem solved easily: I got a voltage doubler cable from Voodoo. (And Amazon had one day delivery on it) Sure it takes up two spaces on the Power supply, but it powers the Dream 65. You gotta love a solution like this that only cost $11.50 Cdn!

You mean the current doubler cable and not the voltage doubler, yes? If the UA is a 9V pedal I don't think it's a good idea to plug 18V into it.

[Doug B]

Yes Current doubler.

[st.bede]

Some pedals do take higher voltages but I always double check.. other wise the pedal could get hurt bad. I also will label cables and/or adapters. That way it is easy to find the right one when I re-organize my pedal board or go to sell a pedal.