USB power for legacy stompboxes

Developers Hardware
#1

I recently stumbled over a blog post in which a guy described how he powered his guitar pedals with a standard USB power block (the ones commonly used to charge smartphones). This is made possible by a voltage step converter which boosts the 5V (USB) to 9V traditional effect pedals require. I had not heard of them before but they seem to be quite popular among guitar players. Some manufacturers are:

If I wanted to use one of these with the Duo: would that be OK, noise-wise – i.e. is the Duo’s USB port isolated? Has anyone here used a step-up converter for powering pedals? I’d love to hear your opinions before ordering one and potentially bringing more e-waste into the world. Thanks!

1 Like
#2

This is cool.
I could power a pedal using the USB of my Duo. Need to make sure you don’t go over the current that can be delivered out of the Duo…

What is the max current that the Duo USB can handle?

#3

while we’re here, what current can the cc port handle? :slight_smile:

#4

Wiki says “The MOD Duo comes with its own approved power supply which outputs 12V, 2A over a center-positive barrel-type plug. TODO: Add plug dimensions, minimum power requirements” and I reckon you could safely take 500mA for USB usage. Enough for even a power hungry device.

Re CC power I only remember that it is 12V… there was an old thread but I was not explicitly answered.