I’m having an unfathomable problem (for me at least).
I want to run my Beat Buddy and TC Helicon Play Acoustic on battery power. The dream is portable rig, no mains power hassles, busking too.
I bought a well regarded power bank that has a 12v opt for the TCHPA and 9v for BB. Total Watt requirement is 9.3w, power bank rated at 21.6w max.
It seems all should be good.
Plugged in separately they work fine off the power bank.
When I plug both in I get a terrible noise. Not hum but an awful earth coming to an end noise.
My electronics knowledge is low and I’m at a loss about what this issue is. Could it be:
Power bank output not enough? Watts, Amps?
These pedals will never work nicely of a single power supply- mains or battery?
Lack of isolation?
Something else?
Faulty power bank?
Because the BB, TCHPA and power bank all work okay independently I’m at a loss.
Any ideas?
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These are the power bank specifications:
With high battery capacity of 92.5 Wh (3.7 V / 25,000 mAh)
8 Outputs: 9 V / 500 mA
1 DC Output: 9 / 12 / 15 / 18 V selectable (max. 500 mA)
Polarity: outside positive, centre negative
Note: the total output load must not exceed 21.6W
The PS acts differently when 2 different voltage are being used, producing electrical interference.
The 500 m-amp supplied by the PS is less than needed for the Play Acoustic. (I noted that the replacement power supplies sold for the Play Acoustic are 1000 m-amp.
other electrical interference is being picked up by the two units when they are combined, i.e., something in your amp or your guitar or mic.
Possible resolution-
Get a 2nd PS so that 1 uses the 9v outputs and another uses the 12v outputs. Keep the PS units are far apart as possible. A number of pedals perform better when on their own power sources.
Make sure nothing else by itself is producing interference. I have had issues with florescent lights causing horrible interference. Also if cables need to cross each other, make the cable cross at 90 degree angles.
I’ve considered using a larger portable battery “generator” to run all gear in these types of situations. These are sometimes sold for camping or emergency back-up power use. In those cases, use of an in-line power conditioner of some types might also help.
Good luck, and please post the result when you find a good working solution.