instructables

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals

by mattthegamer463

IMPORTANT NOTE: components generated so much heat they needed to

be on the outside of the casing instead of inside. I
ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS! DO NOT used some gigantic capacitors that I thought would
ATTEMPT THIS PROJECT WITHOUT PROPER look cool, other than that they are major overkill. In
KNOWLEDGE AND SAFETY EDUCATION this Instructable I am going to assume that you know
REGARDING WORKING WITH MAINS VOLTAGE some basic electronic skills and know what I am
ELECTRICITY! IT CAN AND WILL KILL YOU! talking about when I say capacitor, resistor, LED,
HOMEMADE ELECTRICAL ITEMS USING MAINS transformer, AC and DC, etc. There are lots of
POWER SHOULD NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED introductory electronics Instructables and soldering
DUE TO A POTENTIAL FIRE RISK. FOLLOW Instructables you can check out if you'd like to gain a
THESE INSTRUCTIONS AT YOUR OWN RISK. better understanding of basic electronic principles
and components.IMPORTANT NOTE: Depending on
If you're like me, you know how annoying it is to use what pedals you intend to use this for, you should
up 9V batteries on your guitar effect pedals. Its take care to wire the DC connectors as pin-
wasteful, and brand name 9V's are almost $9 for a positive/ring-negative or pin-negative/ring-positive.
two-pack. If you forget to turn off your pedals you've The latter is the industry standard way of doing it,
thrown away big bucks. Its an extreme waste of although it poses issues when building a pedal that
money when you can build your own power supply for has a metallic housing. I prefer pin-positive/ring-
only about $25.The power supply I designed and built negative because of that issue, and I wired this
delivers steady, regulated 12 volts, 9 volts and 5 volts supply in this way. Please take care as to which way
all at the same time. Each voltage has two outlets, you wire the power supply to prevent damage to your
but they can be "daisy chained" with a custom cable pedals.
to connect many more pedals. The styling is an
homage to the old days of vacuum tubes, when

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 1

Step 1: Planning and Schematic
The first thing to do is design the circuit. Many guitar
pedals and stompboxes have 9V DC power jacks on
the back (if your's doesn't and you're feeling
ambitious, you can add your own) which we will use
to power them instead of the 9V internal battery clip.
The schematic I designed can be modified for
whatever voltages you would like. For example, if you
don't have any 5V pedals, you can just swap the 5V
power regulator for a 9V regulator, and now you'll
have double the 9V power.
Step 2: Parts and Tools
Parts:
- 5" long by 2.5" wide by 1.75" tall project box
- Segment of stripboard, veroboard (it's like perfboard
but the copper is in strips, see pic)
- 7809 (9v) and/or 7812 (12v) linear voltage
regulator(s), depending on the voltages and
configuration you want
Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 2
The schematic uses a simple power supply circuit
converting AC to pulsating DC, smoothing it with
capacitors and running it through voltage regulators
for fixed DC outputs.
Here is a higher resolution version of the schematic if
you can't read the one below very easily:
https://cdn.instructables.com/ORIG/FZG/YM90/G570
3OX4/FZGYM90G5703OX4.jpg
1. Further conceptualization in Google Sketchup
- 18V Transformer
- Bridge rectifier
- IEC Power connector
- Two 10000uF 50V capacitors (less overkill version:
100uF)
- Three 10uF 63V capacitors
- Toggle switch
- Green LED - Wire strippers

- Wire cutters
- 5mm LED holder
- Square

- 220 ohm resistor - Ruler

- Flat file
- Fuse holder
- Vernier

- 100mA fuse - Multimeter

- Six 2.1mm DC jacks

- Six 2.1mm DC connectors

- Adhesive rubber feet

- Wire

- Solder

- Assorted nuts and bolts

- Small segment of aluminum

- Masking tape

- Electrical tape

Tools:

- Drill and bit set

- 1 1/4" hole saw bit

- Hot glue gun

- Soldering Iron

- X-acto knife

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 3

 1

1. I ended up not using this filtered IEC connector, it was too big to fit 1. 10uF 63V capacitors

2 2

1
1 1

1. 2.1mm DC jacks 1. Bridge rectifier

2. The connector attached to the center is the Positive, all others are
negatives.
1. 2.1mm DC jacks
2. The connector attached to the center is the Positive, all others are
negatives.

1 1

1. Regulators 1. 2.1mm DC connectors

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 4

 1 1

1. 5" long by 2.5" wide by 1.75" tall project box 1. Stripboard

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 5

Step 3: Drilling and Cutting

Short version: and can erase if you make a mistake. Take your time
and get it right, theres no turning back once you start
drilling.

Cover in masking tape, mark hole locations, drill pilot

holes, drill appropriate sized holes using pilots as
reference. Use a 1/8" or 3/32" drill bit to drill pilot holes at each
hole marking. For the IEC connector hole, drill in each
corner of the rectangle.

Long version:

After I drilled pilot holes in the corners I used a 1/4"

I did the layout freehand, marking the middle of the
box using the square, and just measuring and sizing
up locations using the components. To make it easier
to write on the box, cover it in masking tape. Use a
sharp pencil so that you can get accurate markings
bit to drill around the perimeter of the rectangle, being
careful to not pass over the edges. Then, I used some
pliers to snap the remaining plastic out of the center,
and used the flat file to file it into a rough rectangle.
Keep filing and test fitting the connector until it fits
snugly. Be careful with IEC connectors that have

pop-out flanges to lock them in place, since those are

most likely designed for metal enclosures and thick
plastic may prevent them from locking in place. I had
to switch for a connector that had mounting screws
because of this. Once the connector is in place, you
can drill holes for screws or bolts/nuts with no
problems.
The aluminum plate that goes over the DC jacks is 4"
long by 1" wide. I used a 5/16" drill bit for the holes on
it, spaced 5/8" apart. You can use the bastard file to
remove the sharp corners, and some 120 grit
sandpaper to smooth the edges and give it a brushed
look. I used 4.40 threaded hex head screws to secure
it in place.

The rest of the holes will need to be drilled

appropriate to the bolts you've selected for mounting
your transformer and the diameter of your capacitors.
My capacitors were 30mm diameter, so a 1 1/4" drill
(about 32.5mm) worked great. The diameter of most
DC jacks is about 8mm, but check with a vernier
before you drill.

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 6

 1 1

1. Masking tape makes it easier to mark things. 1. All holes marked.

1. Pilot holes drilled.

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 7

Step 4: Circuit Building
Short version:
Build the circuit, remember to cut the rails on your
stripboard to separate segments.
Long version:
Now that the chassis is sorted out, the next phase is
wiring up the circuit board. Measure the inside of the
project box and determine how much room you can
use for the circuitry. I used a piece about 2" by 2.5"
and it fit great and was still easy to populate with
components.
If you don't get a pre-cut piece of that size, the
easiest way to cut it without using power tools is to
score the edge to break it at with the x-acto knife,
then break it over the edge of a table, holding both
sides of the break firmly. You may need to break off
more than you want with the first break.
To cut the traces on a stripboard, you can use a drill
multimeter to check for shorts between ground and
the input voltage, and check each output voltage with
the input voltage and ground to make sure nothing is
shorted out and would cause damage.
Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 8
bit held in your hand and just turned into one of the
holes until the metal is scraped away and broken. A
close-up picture below shows the result.
I didn't have a plan going into this, but I basically just
set up + and - rails and lined up the regulators on
them. The regulators all use the input voltage from
the transformer (18V AC ends up being around 28V
DC) and common grounds, so they can be placed in
a line, and then the output pin connections can be cut
with the drill bit.
I wired the large capacitors off-board because I
wanted them to protrude from the top of the chassis,
and they just take up too much room on the PCB.
Solder the 220 ohm resistor to the LED. Then solder
wires to the resistor and LED and connect the
positive wire of the LED (the longer leg) to the output
of the 5V regulator and the negative wire to any
negative point on the board.
Testing the circuit is difficult, so just triple-check that
everything is correct. Before you turn it on use a
 2
1

1. Partially done PCB 1. Negative from rectifier.

2. Positive from Rectifier

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 9

Step 5: Assembly

Short version: Put it together.
Long version: The best components to start with are
the DC jacks. I used hot glue to hold them in place
because the threaded portions weren't long enough to switch, and from the toggle switch back to the
reach through the plastic and the aluminum and still
have room for a nut. Make sure that they are all
aligned straight ( I messed this up) so that they will be
easier to wire up. Use lots of hot glue to make sure
they won't get pushed in when being plugged into.
on the back of the IEC receptacle. The two that are
next to each other are the Live and Neutral, the other
lower one is the Earth which we won't use since this
is a plastic housing. Connect the other wire from the
primary side of the transformer to the fuse holder,
then solder a wire from the fuse holder to the toggle
remaining connection on the IEC receptacle. The
chain should be:
IEC -> Transformer -> Fuse -> Toggle switch -> Back
to IEC

Next, install the transformer, fuse holder and IEC

receptacle. Use nuts and bolts for the IEC and the
transformer, and use the nut supplied with the fuse
holder to fasten it in place. Also put the toggle switch
in place so that you can wire up the AC portion of the
circuit before the big caps and board get in the way.
Now that those are in place, put in the circuit board
and caps. To affix the capacitors, I put a zip tie
around each one, and then rested them inside on the
zip tie, and glued them in place.

That being said, now is a good time to wire up some

more of the circuit. Solder one wire from the primary
(120V) side of the transformer to one of the locations

1 1
1 2 2

1. Positives connected and negatives daisy-chained together. 1. This wire is connecting 9V from one jack to the other.
2. This wire is chaining the common negative for all the jacks.
1. This wire is connecting 9V from one jack to the other.
2. This wire is chaining the common negative for all the jacks.

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 10

Step 6: Assembly Continued
Solder the wires from the secondary side of the
transformer to the AC input pins of the rectifier on the
circuit board.
To hook up the DC jacks, cut nine pieces of wire
about 1" long. Solder wires from the center pin of
Jack 1 to the center of Jack 2, Jack 3 to Jack 4, and
Jack 5 to Jack 6. With the remaining 1" segments,
daisy chain wire to a remaining pin on each jack. This
will link all the negatives together.
Cut four 3" segments of wire. Solder one end of each
to the 12V regulator output, 9V regulator output, 5V
regulator output, and a common negative point,
respectfully. Then solder the other ends to a center
pin of a 12V jack, a 9V jack, a 5V jack, and the daisy-
chained jack negatives, respectfully.
Put the LED holder in place, and snap the LED in.
With the board up away from the jacks, make sure
Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 11
there are no short circuits, especially on the AC side
of the circuit, and then carefully plug in the power
supply and see if it works. Use a multimeter to check
that there is 12V at the 12V jacks, 9V at the 9V, etc.
The LED should light up.
BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL AS YOU HAVE LIVE
EXPOSED 120V WIRES THAT COULD
ELECTROCUTE YOU VERY EASILY.
Next, put some electrical tape across the DC jacks so
that nothing on the circuit board can touch them and
short out. The metal plates on the regulators are
connected to ground and will short out anything they
touch. Also tape the pins of the capacitors and
around the 120VAC connections for safety.
If everything works great, bend the circuit board back
into the case. A nice touch would be to put some two
sided tape on the back of it and stick it to the inside of
the cover plate. Screw the box shut.
Step 7: Finished!

You now have your very own guitar pedal power maximum amount of information was available with
supply! Use it to run your pedals without having to minimal misinterpretation. Please leave a comment if
waste batteries and streamline your pedal board or you have any questions or thoughts.
setup without needing several DC wall adaptors.

Thanks for reading!

The beauty of this design is it is very customizable
and expandable. If you include a center-tapped
transformer you can add negative voltages to power
some elaborate homebrew pedals or amplifiers. The
possibilities are endless and this is a great starting
point. Matt

I hope you liked my Instructions. They're a little long

in the tooth but I wanted to make sure that the

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 12

Nice project Matt! However, you have attracted a lot of "newbies" to this project which I would have
given a Big Red Letters WARNING about using Mains Power! Newbies have too much to learn
BEFORE mains should even be attempted! If someone can't read that the group of diodes (power
rated!) connected in that funny pattern is a bridge rectifier - they shouldn't be attempting this level
of project OR as someone wished: use a wall wart for powering the whole thing. Sorry, you can't
give a whole lot of directions AND THEN SAY it's lethal! That could be too late. You only get one
chance! And 60 Hertz!

You're right, so I added a bold and capitalized paragraph warning people of the dangers of working
with electricity without precautions.

You need a lower voltage secondary capable of more current. 18v bridge rectified will get you 24-
25v Dc which will require your regulators to consume excessive wattage and become very hot.
Consider a correctly spec’d PT, dropping resistors for the smaller regulators as well at heat sinks.

Also Is the block of Diodes in the diagram the Bridge Rectifier?

I'm trying to make this with only 9 volt output jacks - what components would change in value? I
don't want to blow up my pedals but I really like this design. I'm making the list of things to buy to
make it. Does the volt rating on the bridge rectifier matter? I'm finding a variety of them. Would 4A
600v work?

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 13

 Also all the LEDs I'm finding are 12V. In the schematic I see yours is connected to 5V. Can I do the
same thing with the 12V side and eliminate the 5V loop altogether? Your list calls for a 220 ohm
resistor but what is the Watt value? Would it change with a 12V LED?

Sorry for the Newbie questions, I'm learning as fast as I can. Thank you for this!

would be nice to have given us the veroboard layout picture!

This works fine. I added a LM317 circuit for variable DC as well and a small fan in there. The fan
adds some noise though so it will have to go.
Thx for sharing!

Nice work. Glad it was helpful for you. If you can make room for a bigger fan, that would help make
it quieter.

I like this! Would you recommend a higher rating transformer though?

I noticed you are using a 0.3A transformer, is that okay to use with my pedals of each of them
needs 0.3A each also. I'm a beginner at this so I had to ask. I currently have a 3A DC adapter
where I added more extension plugs that makes it 3 connectors in all. So I'm thnking the 3 pedals
with 0.3A rating can be sufficely served with the 3A. So my question is that is this kind of
perpective correct or I should be worried? I am hoping that a 0.3A rated multiplug supply can
suffice with many 0.3A rated pedals. Would it cause humming or will it work well? Thanks!

I agree, 0.3A is very low. I would not use something so low next time. I haven't had any issues with
it though, running several pedals. The thing is, it can deliver more than 300mA, but the voltage at
the transformer secondary may drop lower than 18V AC, but there is a lot of voltage headroom in
the design.
There's really no chance for an issue until the transformer overheats to the point of failure, which
would take some doing.

Hi,
I made a very similar power supply myself, probably some slightly different value for the caps and
added a mains filter (salvageable from most appliances, sometimes already attached to a nice
socket).
However I did a mistake, that I also see in your schematic, so I am curious to know if you had the
same problem as I did, or why didn't you.
The "mistake" is to have a common ground to all the power outputs. Since another another ground
is shared between the guitar pedals through the audio signal cable, this creates a "ground loop"
and causes a hum. Did you experience this?

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 14

In my case it happens with just 1 pedal on the 12V and another pedal on the 9V. On both pedals I
know that the signal ground is connected to the chassis and the power ground (as usual on most
stompboxes).
Note that I get absolute silence if I mute the guitar and:
- use a single pedal (any of the two)
- power one of the pedals with a different power unit (on the same wall outlet)
- break one of the ground connections (either one of the power grounds, or disconnecting the
shielding in the signal cable between the two pedals).
So.. Do you get the same problem? if you don't, do you know why?
The only solution i can think of is to have an individual rectifier and filtering for every output,
sharing only the transformer.. but that's not a ideal solution.

Honestly it's been a while since I used this thing. I never had major problems with it but I had a lot
of hum anyway, from other sources, and so I can't say for sure what kind of issues my grounding
might have been causing.

You're right about breaking the grounds and splitting it up so the cables are shielding but not
passing current from one unit to the next.

I think the only way to properly do the isolation is to have individual transformer taps, so the
outputs are totally galvanically isolated from each other. I don't think different bridge rectifiers will
isolate it properly. The diodes pass current back to the same windings.

If you can find some low cost isolating DC/DC converters you can put them all together powered
off the same DC source and their outputs will be fully isolated.

These are about the cheapest 9V output isolated ones on digikey http://www.digikey.ca/product-
detail/en/cui-inc/PDS1-S12-S9-S/102-3012-5-ND/4006980

Thanks for this!

Thanks for your reply!

In other forums meanwhile I also learned that multiple rectifiers wont solve it.
Multiple small transformers or one transformer with multiple taps seems to be the general
agreement to solve that.
Your suggestion to use DC/DC converter is very interesting, I didn't know that such thing existed.
Definitely cheaper than buying transformers!
But (just for the sake of healthy discussion) I'm not sure if I like it .. I'm pretty sure that, inside,
those things are basically mini switching power supplies.. aren't those noisy by nature? it kills the
whole purpose of starting with a real transformer. Even if it doesn't add any noise, it kills the old-
school-ness of this simple circuit, with some magic over complicated component.
I didn't have the time to do the proper testing, but what I am thinking now is to add a decoupling
inductor between the grounds of the regulating stages. I don't see why it wouldn't work, although i
have no idea which size to use. (also because I have some recycled inductors around). What do
you think of that?

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 15

 Those DC/DC converters operate around 100kHz, so any self-generated noise on their output is
well out of the audible range.
Inductors might help, but I don't know. Probably would help. Ideally, eliminating ground loop paths
and forcing all ground current to return in a star-pattern. Modifying some cables might be required.

I will consider that!

thanks!

Is there noticeable difference if i use a transformer with any miliamps?

Can you explain more?

Hi, Thank you for sharing this project.

I just wanna ask if I can remove the IEC receptacle.connector and directly connect it to a wire with
a 2-prong plug. I think it would be okay but i asked just to make sure. Thanks!

That's fine, it will work. I would recommend you use a 3 prong cable and put the ground wire to any
external metal components, for safety.

Is there any alternative to the bridge rectifier you used? I can't seem to find that particular type.
Thanks man!

any bridge rectifier with a current rating of a few amps or more will work. you can also make a
diode bridge using 4 silicon diodes.

Will it matter if I use a 500mA fuse?

500mA fuse on the 115V side is fine. It just needs to protect the wiring from the outlet to the power
supply.

Is it normal that I'm getting so much heat from the voltage regulators? I had to squeeze in a small
heatsink, but it doesn't seem to help at all. Any idea on how this can be fixed? Thanks dude

What is the input voltage to the regulators? Do they get hot with no pedals connected? If they get
hot without pedals then there is a circuit problem.
Linear regulators are very inefficient, at 1 amp output they have to dissipate 1 watt for every volt
dropped across the input to the output.

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 16

 They don't get hot when there's no load. I use an 18v transformer and I'm only using 9v outputs so I
think I should lower the transformer voltage since I do get more when it passes the rectifier. Should
I get a transformer lower than 9v then?

You could try switching to a half wave rectifier, which would help to get rid of some excess voltage.
http://www.circuitstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/20...

Oh, one more thing, up to how many output jacks can I connect off of a single regulator?

You can connect as many as you want, but your pedal current draw is limited. A properly
heatsinked 78XX regulator can deliver 1A so you could run ten 100mA pedals or only one or two
high current pedals. The sum of the currents can't exceed 1A

Anything wrong with this circuit? I haven't connected the transformer yet and I only plan to have 9v
output. I appreciate your help dude, I'm quite new to electronics.

Looks good to me.

Looks good to me.

Thanks dude!

Looks Great! This is exactly what I was looking for. With a little modification I can use this as the
basis for a custom pedalboard power supply. Thanks!

Hi, great design u for there!

Just wondering, are u able to make a power adapter to supply a 9v, 12v and 15v pedal all at the
same time?

Yes, it can be done by designing the output of the rectified transformer output to be higher than
15V DC, then using 7815, 7812 and 7809 linear regulators to get the three voltages.

thanks matt! i dont know if its too much to ask, but is it possible to make one for me? i'll pay for the
parts, service and shipping :)

Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 17

 I'd recommend something like an MXR iso-brick, you'd bet better value for your money than paying
me to make you one.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/mxr-m238-iso-brick-power-supply-unit

Hi there, great design and something I've been looking for a very long time.
I have a question? I need a power supply at 9VAC / 2.1A for an old digitech GNX3. I can find wall
warts for 9VAC / 1A but nothing closer and anyway they are way too exspensive here in Australia.
Do you have a design along the lines I need that I could use?

I loved this old GNX3 but burnt through way too many PS's [12 monthly] and it's been sitting idle
for the past 7 years. Any help appreciated.

If it's an unregulated AC wall adapter that's needed, all that is really is a trasnformer that outputs
9V AC at 2.1A of load. A transformer like this is pretty close to what you'd need:
http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/triad-magnetics/VPT18-1390/237-1323-ND/2090061

There are not a lot of cheap options as AC wall adapters are more costly produce now than cheap
chinese-made DC wall adapters.

Some pedals are more power hungry than others. (Boss 55mA, Strymon 650mA, etc). When
building a power supply, how can we ensure or produce a circuit that will handle the current draw
of a desired pedal? How would I build one of here and purpose one of the outputs to handle a 650
mA draw?

The key to supplying enough current from a linear regulator is to be able to cool it well enough. The
78XX series in a TO-220 package can deliver 1A of current with proper cooling, so if you add a
heatsink they can deliver 650mA pretty easily. The waste energy in watts is (Vin - Vout) * output
current. If it is high you'll need a heatsink, if it is low (say 0.5W) maybe you can avoid a heatsink.
Heatsinks are easy enough to include regardless. The 78XX series has a 75deg C automatic
shutdown feature which will prevent them from burning out too easily so you can try it and see if it
works and add additional cooling if needed.

Thanks for the info. That helps lot!

Hey I can use a 12 volts secondary if I'm only using the 9v ic right?

Yes

Thank you kindly

Amperage output of the transformer doesn't matter too much does it? I have a few 12V 4A
transformers sitting around I'd like to use and I didn't notice a maximum amperage on the 78XX
spec sheet. Each VR would receive 1.3A in this instance with a regulated output of 0.5A to 1A,
each power socket would receive 250mA to 500mA if I'm not mistaken. Some of my Boss pedals
Build a Power Supply for Your Guitar Pedals: Page 18
specifically require no more than 200mA. Connecting an additional one or two power sockets to
each VR could mitigate any issue there but only so long as an actual pedal is connected to each
socket and drawing power, thus divvying up the current equally. Any thoughts on this?

Circuits only draw as much current as they want. Difficulty is, ohm's law dictates that the higher the
voltage across a fixed load, the more current it will consume. 2x the voltage = 2x the current = 4x
the power = poof of smoke.

If your boss pedals want 200mA, they'll only take as much as they want.

Your 4A transformers can deliver 12V and 4A, they might run a little higher voltage with a light load
on them, but they will work. The max amperage of 78XXs is pegged to the case type. The TO-3
package can handle up to 1.5A with a heatsink, I think, however, the true limit is linked to the
difference between voltage in and voltage out, the amount of current being drawn, and the thermal
coefficient of the junction to case, case to heatsink, and heatsink to air.

In short, you won't draw more current than you need, as long as your voltage is regulated and
correct. It doesn't matter if the supply can deliver 100mA or 100A.

Hey Matt !
Good project ! and excellent explanations . You stressed the importance of the voltage rating of the
capacitors , another thing that a novice might miss , would be the polarity of a capacitor , hook it up
backwards , and it will smoke ! A little humor here :
All electrical devices operate on the captive smoke inside it . When the smoke gets out ,the device
quits working !!
One analogy that may help folks to understand what you said about things just drawing the current
that they need , would be a car 12V ( actually about 13.8V , but close enough ) electrical system .
The battery can give the starter motor hundreds of amps , but the radio , headlights etc , only draw
the current they need to operate . As far as transformers go , It pretty much has to do with the turns
ratio ,( the primary voltage vs secondary voltage ) , and is normally rated as an RMS value . When
you rectify the AC voltage and feed a filter capacitor , the capacitor ( under no load or very light
load ) will charge up to the " peak " voltage value , around 1.4 times the RMS voltage , less the
voltage drop across the rectifiers . This kind of explains the need for using a regulator circuit to
keep the voltage constant . There are all sorts of modifications that could be done to this circuit ,
the sky is the limit ! One thing that could be done would be to use a separate regulator and
capacitor for each output ( they are cheap , 78xx regulators can be bought for about $1 US each or
less ) This could help if you find you are getting " crosstalk " noise between pedals . A beefier
transformer certainly wouldn't hurt anything either .
Cheers , take care , and have a good day !!....73

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