Question regarding BYOC pedals

[Suhnton]

Hi everybody, I'm fairly new here, this is a great site with lots of info.
I was hoping someone could offer some advice/solution to a problem I'm having with a couple of clone pedals I built recently. In the past few months I've built:

1 Tube Screamer with Keeley and Jack Orman mods
2 Tremulus Lune tremolo
3 Red Llama
4 Green Ringer
5 Big Muff (Triangle Version)

I installed a 9V adapter plug in all all them, as in keeping with my miserly nature, I didn't want to keep forking out for replacement batteries. However, therein lies the problem. The Screamer, Red Llama and Tremulus all work fine on an adapter, however, the Green Ringer and Big Muff are very noisy when an adapter is used. I checked the pedals numerous times nothing has been left ungrounded. I'm wondering if the fact that the Ringer and Muff use discrete components rather than opamps (as the other 3 do) has anything to do with it.

I was hoping to hear from anyone who has experienced this problem, and if so, what steps were taken to resolve it. Thanks in advance.

[Blaze]

I think you could go on the Byoc forum otherwise i guess mr. duhvoodooman could respond to you here on this forum.

[duhvoodooman]

I've run into this behavior and must admit to not knowing what really causes it. I have some DIY pedals (a couple of BYOC's and a couple that are not) that just don't seem to get along with certain AC adapters, but run fine on others. Generally, switching the adapter they're attached to or their position in my pedal chain clears up the problem, so I've never really dug into the underlying cause.

I've read comments/discussions that suggest several causes or contributing factors, but have yet to see anything I'd consider a clear & comprehensive explanation. Some of the factors I've read about include:


Using a regulated AC power supply vs. an unregulated one
Too much current draw on a single adapter
Noisy AC line current; suggested use of an AC line filter
Too many AC adapters running off one AC outlet

A solution I've read in several places is to go with one of the "power brick" adapters like the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power, Dunlop DC-Brick or Gator G-Bus-8-US power supplies. But this is not a cheap solution, since these run anywhere between $95 and $170.

Couple of questions: Do you run all 5 pedals off a single adapter with a "daisy chain" connector? Is the Triangle Muff a BYOC pedal?

One other thing: Please stop over at the Fret Players forum (http://www.thefret.net/forumdisplay.php?f=13) and introduce yourself!

[Suhnton]

First of all, thanks Blazes and duhvoodooman for your responses. I had seen some of your handiwork on this site, so I was hoping you'd answer :)

In response to your questions, yes, the Muff is a BYOC. I usually daisy chain 5 FX off one adapter, however, even by themselves, the Muff and Ringer are noisy.

I think I'll test them out with another adapter, and take it from there. Once again thanks for your responses.