I have read much of the discussion concerning power supply issues and noise.
I did some of my own testing after I received my founders edition dwarf. I was enjoying the sounds and the experience, but it just had noise, and even scratchy random sounds that made it not even a possibility to use it live.
After reading that some had gone to aftermarket power supplies I tried several of the 12v supplies I have.
What I think I discovered is that the stock power supply does not have enough amperage to drive the pedal. (May be old news that I just didn’t see in the threads)
I went up on the amperage until I settled on a 12vdc, 5 amp ps. It is a different pedal. The sound level improved, the clarity over all improved, and it is DEAD quiet.
The best I can tell it is pulling OVER the 3 amps that the stock ps is rated for.
May just be mine, IDK, but I thought I would share.
(Before someone says that I will destroy the pedal by having too strong of a power supply save your time. The pedal will only draw the amps it requires, too high a voltage is what burns them up, providing more available amps simply affords more headroom for power draw)
The one I am using a the moment is from a CNC machine. It is an unbranded chineses switching power supply, 12vdc 5a. I ordered another one from Amazon at the link below. It is due in today. Once I make sure it works as well I will report back.
please do, @Chappellj ! …these are interesting observations…
i’d be curious to hear from one of the MOD people, whether they are aware of aspects of the electrical design which would suggest performance improvements when using a power supply with greater headroom for current draw.
THis supply I got from Amazon is pretty cheaply made, but still better than the one that came with my pedal.
The one that is working the cleanest is the biggest one I have. Here is a picture. I don’t know where to get one, but if you go looking for one just match the specs and ensure it is a switching supply (more efficient) 5 amps.
Since the release of the Dwarf, many of us are using neural based models, which so far are more CPU intensive. Which would draw more power. Perhaps the 2 amp spec of the power supply that came with is good for the original json based stuff.
All I know, is the pedal is cleanest and clearest (At least with my pedal) with a 5A Switching power supply.
I do not profess to be an expert. I do have a background in Aircraft Electronics, so I am at least familiar with AMP draw and voltage drops, etc. But at the end of the day I am an old man that plays in my basement and at church, what do I really know?
I do very much enjoy this Dwarf, especially with the Aida-X and Neural, which is why I went ahead and bought one.
Hope this may help another player if you are chasing down noise issues.
I run mine on 12V at 600mA, its been the quietest it has been so far. It has nothing to do with current, the dwarf doesn’t use anywhere near the 2A of the original, maybe just that your higher power supply that you have is cleaner than the original. The original was too noisy to be used. I think it is just down to quality.
I received my Dwarf yesterday and it is unusable, because there is so much noise from the power supply.
I wrote it to MOD Audio and hope they change mine in a better one. Otherwise I will send the device back.
Try it with your USB cable disconnected from the device after you make your preset. USB introduces noise as well. I had to replace the power supply with a decent switching power supply. They are not expensive. and easy to get. Amazon has a ton.
It seems that the power supply is unusable for a lot of people. On my side, problem solved with a universal ungrounded power supply and added electrical risks. It’s strange that MOD let people deal on their own about this issue as some of them may return the whole device.
