External power vs. internal post big fat wall wart

[16251]

There is nothing more I hated years ago then the wall wart. Trying to plug those into a strip and you cover up usable plugs and most annoying was a bad connection. (Using small extension chords helped...I know.)

 

Moving forward in time we now get the snake that just ate a big meal cord and they are much more livable. That being said would you still rather have built in power? On one hand the simple power cord directly into unit, but on the other hand a faulty power supply can more easily be resolved if the power supply is external.

 

On a personal level, I recently purchased a used Mojo 61 and didn't know about the different hardware revisions. I saved money and didn't have to wait for it to be shipped but a part of me wants the internal power supply. (Sorry, I thought I was at my physiatrist's appointment. )

[cphollis]

I guess my major complaint with wall warts is the s****y connectors they use at the keyboard. One trip over a cable, and destruction can result. Give me a more industrialized connector, and I could live with them.

[Reezekeys]

I thought it was mainly about the UL certification process (that's here in the USA, I assume there are versions of this regulatory authority in other countries). It's also cheaper for a mfr to go with an external supply because you can ship the same piece to any country in the world, as long as you include the adapter that works with the local power.

 

I use one for my Roland controller when I'm on tour. I used to power the keyboard from the computer's USB jack which is way more convenient, but I got bit at a large theatre gig when I needed a USB extension cable and the combined length exceeded the USB spec â I started getting dropped notes. That's when I went to 5-pin midi and a wall wart. I look at these power supplies like death & taxes, and deal with it. I got two extension cables for it, so now I hide the wart in back of my amp rig, out of sight and not in anyone's way. All wires to & from my keyboard are taped down for a neat look and to avoid accidents. Maybe one of these days I'll have a battery-powered controller with a reliable and low-latency wireless connection. Until then I roll with it.

[OB Dave]

I thought it was mainly about the UL certification process (that's here in the USA, I assume there are versions of this regulatory authority in other countries)

 

This is correct. This certification process is expensive and most be done according to the standards of every country you wish to export to. Europe is harmonized, but I'm not sure if the UK is part of that. In addition, in the Americas we run on 120V 60 Hz, Europe is 230V 50 Hz, Japan is (I think) 100V 50Hz, and so on. Oh and everyone uses different plugs. A reliable power supply is deceptively difficult to design well, and it's extremely cumbersome for small manufacturers to design ones for every market, and do all the certification testing for those markets. Wall-warts are made by companies who specialize in this, and as a manufacturer, so long as you supply a wall-wart that's certified in the market you're selling in, you don't need to worry about doing any safety testing, it's already been done for you.

 

For rack mounted gear, the Furman Pluglock is your friend. I agree that those barrels connecters are a scourge on humanity tho.

[EricBarker]

I F&*$ING hate "Snake ate a brick" cables, there's so much wrong about them, I could shit! My Crumar Mojo61 has one, and it's a nightmare. The keyboard connector is terrible, the keyboard end of the cable is too short, so if I'm playing at standing height, it doesn't quite reach the floor, so I have to lash it to the stand, and then the power-side doesn't have that much length. It has one of those 2-pole "small equipment plugs" in the wart, I like to think of them as a "Playstation plug", and they're very touchy on a vibrating stage, I've had my rig cut out a few times because it came just a little loose. And then it's really 2 cables, and not 1, so you have to make sure they're lashed together.

 

I wish to god my Mojo had an internal power supply. If I had just waited 3 months, I hear they quietly moved them internally. I even talked with a guy about modding my board to put one in, but then he went WOL when the pandemic hit.

[Mark Schmieder]

Actually, one of the biggest issues with wall warts is HEAT (and electrical fires). Especially outdoors in the hot sun (and most wall warts are black, adding 15 degrees to the temperature).

 

Floor lumps tend to not be as bad, as far as power transformers go, and often have a traditional IEC at one end, making it less likely that the cord or cable will slip out or be tripped on.

[Reezekeys]

I F&*$ING hate "Snake ate a brick" cables, there's so much wrong about them, I could shit! My Crumar Mojo61 has one, and it's a nightmare. The keyboard connector is terrible, the keyboard end of the cable is too short, so if I'm playing at standing height, it doesn't quite reach the floor, so I have to lash it to the stand, and then the power-side doesn't have that much length.

I saw your other post here from a while back about this, where someone linked to a 3rd party power adapter you said was the correct one. I went to that link - they're a whopping $13 now - although shipping seems high, but still. I would grab a few of those, then head to Amazon and get this

2-pack of extension cables.

 

This may not be a perfect solution, but with the extensions you won't have to dangle the brick off your keyboard like you describe. I got a 2-pack of these for my Roland's wall wart, and now at most gigs I can have the wart in a junction box in back of my amp rig - much safer than having it near the keyboard. Some stages I use both extensions, some I only need one.

 

At those prices you can pack an extra power brick in case of a failure too. IMO, that would be a lot easier to deal with on a gig than a custom-installed internal PS failing.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

If a keyboard uses DC, I love wall warts and line lumps for one basic reason: the RFI can be left on the ground, far away from audio cables. If you follow the basic design rule of "power crawls, data walks, audio flies" when running cables, external power supplies that can be isolated from everything else rock the world.

 

Also, strain relief on barrel connectors is often provided and never used. And it's not hard to roll your own. Cable ties on keyboard stands do the trick nicely.

[nadroj]

The cons of wall warts are well discussed. One I don't see brought up often is the when the venue you're playing in has those convenient though annoying little boxes in the stage floor where your mains power comes from, and the wall wart is too big and chunky to fit inside it. Or the mains plug is behind something, and there's not enough space to get the hammerhead wall wart in the actual socket. Happened a few times. Usually solved by the packing of extra power extensions, but there have been a few times when it has been a problem.

[zxcvbnm098]

I F&*$ING hate "Snake ate a brick" cables, there's so much wrong about them, I could shit! My Crumar Mojo61 has one, and it's a nightmare. The keyboard connector is terrible, the keyboard end of the cable is too short, so if I'm playing at standing height, it doesn't quite reach the floor, so I have to lash it to the stand, and then the power-side doesn't have that much length.

I saw your other post here from a while back about this, where someone linked to a 3rd party power adapter you said was the correct one. I went to that link - they're a whopping $13 now - although shipping seems high, but still. I would grab a few of those, then head to Amazon and get this

2-pack of extension cables.

 

This may not be a perfect solution, but with the extensions you won't have to dangle the brick off your keyboard like you describe. I got a 2-pack of these for my Roland's wall wart, and now at most gigs I can have the wart in a junction box in back of my amp rig - much safer than having it near the keyboard. Some stages I use both extensions, some I only need one.

 

At those prices you can pack an extra power brick in case of a failure too. IMO, that would be a lot easier to deal with on a gig than a custom-installed internal PS failing.

 

I have thankfully moved to all internal power supplies as I really hate the external, but when I still had one 'board that was external I was looking at these and almost pulled the trigger. I am surprised no one has made quality extension cables, braided like some of the nicer audio cables. As Reezekeys mentioned, if you can move the external mess well away from the keyboard itself it's really not much of an issue. But there are a ton of different sized barrels if I remember when looking, and it's not exactly a one-size fits all world.

[Synthaholic]

They've never bothered me. They aren't my preference, but it does get the keyboard weight down a bit. I'm not a fan of this Kurz PC4-7 one, though. It's a right angle connector that I find harder to line up, along with a too-short cable before it connects to the square box. Which makes the box have to sit on the floor between your feet, impossible to hide. But, again....19.8 lbs.

[Reezekeys]

As Reezekeys mentioned, if you can move the external mess well away from the keyboard itself it's really not much of an issue. But there are a ton of different sized barrels if I remember when looking, and it's not exactly a one-size fits all world.

I looked up the adapter Eric was pointed to in the earlier thread, typed the model name and number into google and got a link to an electronics supply place that had a datasheet on it, where it said the barrel size was 2.1 x 5.5.

[Synthaholic]

The cons of wall warts are well discussed. One I don't see brought up often is the when the venue you're playing in has those convenient though annoying little boxes in the stage floor where your mains power comes from, and the wall wart is too big and chunky to fit inside it.

This is where all those small, heavy duty extensions that I've made from lopping off the power cord of a dead microwave oven come in handy. http://i.imgur.com/4i6Ckte.gif

[Docbop]

For guitar pedalboards they make power units so wall warts aren't necessary. Typically a AC powered box with multiple outputs of multiple power ratings that you plug a cable that runs to the pedal. Seems like someone needs to talk to companies like Voodoo Labs who specialize in power for pedal boards to make cables long enough to run to keyboards on stands.

 

My MIDI controller works with either a wall wart or power from the USB connection. That would be cool if keyboard makers could start putting USB connectors on boards that using low power. Then a powered USB hub could be used and USB cables come in lots of lengths.

 

Seems like a good topic for Craig Anderton on idea to replace wall warts.

[Docbop]

For guitar pedalboards they make power units so wall warts aren't necessary. Typically a AC powered box with multiple outputs of multiple power ratings that you plug a cable that runs to the pedal. Seems like someone needs to talk to companies like Voodoo Labs who specialize in power for pedal boards to make cables long enough to run to keyboards on stands.

 

My MIDI controller works with either a wall wart or power from the USB connection. That would be cool if keyboard makers could start putting USB connectors on boards that using low power. Then a powered USB hub could be used and USB cables come in lots of lengths.

 

Seems like a good topic for Craig Anderton on idea to replace wall warts.

[zxcvbnm098]

For guitar pedalboards they make power units so wall warts aren't necessary. Typically a AC powered box with multiple outputs of multiple power ratings that you plug a cable that runs to the pedal. Seems like someone needs to talk to companies like Voodoo Labs who specialize in power for pedal boards to make cables long enough to run to keyboards on stands.

 

My MIDI controller works with either a wall wart or power from the USB connection. That would be cool if keyboard makers could start putting USB connectors on boards that using low power. Then a powered USB hub could be used and USB cables come in lots of lengths.

 

Seems like a good topic for Craig Anderton on idea to replace wall warts.

 

Good ideas for sure, especially the USB one.