1 Spot weirdness? Very low current output

[Winston Psmith]

The other day, plugging one of my Delay pedals into a 1 Spot, I got no power-up, nothing. Swapping out pedals and power supplies, it was clear that the pedal was fine.

 

For experiment's sake, I pulled out a low current draw Guitar Tuner (20mA), hooked it up to the 1 Spot, and it powered up, no problem? I tried another Tuner, again, it powered right up. Going back to the original Delay pedal, rated at 225mA, no luck.

 

I've tried just about every simple A/B comparison you might think of, trying different outlets on a power strip, plugging directly into the wall outlet, trying another high current draw pedal (no luck there, either), you name it, same result. I don't have a way to measure exactly how much power the 1 Spot is putting out, but it's nowhere near 1700mA.

 

Not a tragedy, I have other power supplies, and my Pedalboards all run off of Voodoo Lab power bricks. Still, I would expect that the 1 spot should either work or not, rather than stepping down the power output? FWIW, I've never had any power supply do this before. I've had them wear out and stop working altogether, usually after long use, but not this.

 

Has anyone else run into an issue like this with a 1 Spot?

 

 

[p90jr]

It's not an "issue," just that it's not able to supply enough current for a high-current draw pedal. I knew when I bought a one-spot that it would not power my old big box Electro-Harmonix pedals (Deluxe Memory Man, PolyChotus...), BBE Acoustimaxx, etc. Those each have their own dedicated 225ma adapters... I do have a fancy pricey power supply with a couple output sections for 225ma but I haven't built a board using that, yet.

[Larryz]

@Winston Psmith, I used a One Spot back in my pedal days and it always performed very well with no issues.  I ran 5 pedals with the daisy chain.  If your pedals run on a 9volt battery, you shouldn't have a problem running 5 of them on a One Spot. I remember having to put a small AC strip on my pedal board as I had one pedal Dan Electro Chorus that was 18volt and needed it's own wall wart.  A couple of our bands used music stands so having the power strip at my pedal board location worked out well when I needed to light my stand for dark venues in addition to running the 18volt and anyother dedicated power warts like my the one on my Digitec Looper.  I hope you find the culprit soon.  It may be the pedal wants more juice than the One Spot can supply or maybe the One Spot is defective...I have recommended the One Spot many times but it does have it's limitations.  Good hunting!  😎👍 

[Winston Psmith]

2 hours ago, p90jr said:

It's not an "issue," just that it's not able to supply enough current for a high-current draw pedal. I knew when I bought a one-spot that it would not power my old big box Electro-Harmonix pedals (Deluxe Memory Man, PolyChotus...), BBE Acoustimaxx, etc. Those each have their own dedicated 225ma adapters... I do have a fancy pricey power supply with a couple output sections for 225ma but I haven't built a board using that, yet.

 

I respectfully disagree, as I often use a single 1 Spot, including the one that just failed on me, to power a single high current draw pedal, so long as it's a 9 volt pedal. IIRC, the Deluxe Memory Man and PolyChorus weren't just high current draw, but also much higher voltage than a 9 volt power supply could manage. The Polychorus alone is a 24 volt pedal.

 

The 1 Spot is supposed to put out 1700mA, far more than the 225mA needed for this pedal, and after switching to another 1 Spot (I have five or six?), the pedal powered right up. I've also used a single 1 Spot to power my Line 6 Delay Modeler, which is supposed to draw around 300mA+/-?

 

FWIW, the Boss power supply that's recommended for this pedal only puts out 500mA, more than twice the 225mA current draw of the Delay, but less than one third of the 1700mA output of a fully functioning 1 Spot. I'm used to power supplies just plain giving out, I've never had one suddenly drop in output before.

 

[CEB]

I have several 1 Spots I use to power various small miscellaneous pedalboards.   One for my Pedal Steel board one for my Banjo/Dobro/Acoustic guitar board. I have a couple for whenever I need something on the fly.    I have never seen this.  They should be good to 1700mA.  Probably a little higher for conservativism's sake.  First thought was there was an issue with the bayonet input circuit on the pedal but it worked with other 1 Spots.  Must be something wrong with the supply.  

 

You can ask Trutone for a replacement.  They may want to see it.  I'm a longtime Visual Sound customer.  They have always been responsive when I contacted them.

[Winston Psmith]

@CEB- I've been using 1 Spots for quite a while, as well, and I've never seen this, either? Even now, I have an older model 1 Spot, with the skinny cord, rated at only 1000mA, and it still works? Hell, I have a couple of old Boss PSA-120's from the late 80's/early 90's, along with an Ibanez 9-volt adapter from the same period, and all of them still function. I try to be good to my gear, so it tends to last.

 

The pedal in question powered right up with another 1 Spot, and with the 500mA Boss AC adapter, as well, so it's definitely not an issue with the pedal. Among my other at-home tests, I tried using the problem 1 Spot with another Delay pedal, and again, no power-up.

 

The truly weird part is that the 1 Spot is clearly putting out some power, and I'd been using it just the day before, with no problems. FWIW,  the Tuners only draw around 20mA, and they powered up with no issues.

 

It's a quandary, not a crisis. The pedal is fine, and I have more than enough power supplies to go around. I'll get in touch with TrueTone, see what they say.

[Caevan O’Shite]

I suspect that either the wire from the 1 Spot or something internal is damaged; to the point that only a feeble, restrictive trickling flow of current is capable of getting through. Just enough for devices requiring lower current draw, but not enough for anything beyond that.

[surfergirl]

Never had any issues with 1 spot or the EHX that come with some EHX pedals, but I don't have any pedal that draws over 100mA. My Walrus Audio Fundamental Reverb says at least 100mA, so I plug it into a 500mA just to be safe. My Joyo has 3 500 and 5 100, 1 of the 100s is switchable between 9, 12 and 18v. 

[Winston Psmith]

4 hours ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

I suspect that either the wire from the 1 Spot or something internal is damaged; to the point that only a feeble, restrictive trickling flow of current is capable of getting through. Just enough for devices requiring lower current draw, but not enough for anything beyond that.

 

Can't argue with that, as it fits exactly with what I've observed. I have no other way to test it, and would learn nothing from dis-assembling it. "Oh, look, I've totally screwed it up!"

 

Something ain't right, that's for sure, and it's not worth risking any of my pedals on it, nor getting upset over it. It has the older Visual Sound logo underneath, instead of the TrueTone logo, so I know I've had it for a good while.

 

Like I said, it's a quandary, not a crisis, I was just curious if anyone else had this happen, as I know a lot of us use the 1 Spot. I have more, and all of them seem to be working well.

 

Thanks, everyone, for responding.

 

[p90jr]

22 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

 

I respectfully disagree, as I often use a single 1 Spot, including the one that just failed on me, to power a single high current draw pedal, so long as it's a 9 volt pedal. IIRC, the Deluxe Memory Man and PolyChorus weren't just high current draw, but also much higher voltage than a 9 volt power supply could manage. The Polychorus alone is a 24 volt pedal.

 

The 1 Spot is supposed to put out 1700mA, far more than the 225mA needed for this pedal, and after switching to another 1 Spot (I have five or six?), the pedal powered right up. I've also used a single 1 Spot to power my Line 6 Delay Modeler, which is supposed to draw around 300mA+/-?

 

FWIW, the Boss power supply that's recommended for this pedal only puts out 500mA, more than twice the 225mA current draw of the Delay, but less than one third of the 1700mA output of a fully functioning 1 Spot. I'm used to power supplies just plain giving out, I've never had one suddenly drop in output before.

 

Ooops, yes, you're correct... I was confusing/conflating ma s with volts.

[Winston Psmith]

Well understood, and your response is well appreciated.

[Scott Fraser]

9 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

Like I said, it's a quandary, not a crisis,

Now you're making me nervous about not having a backup for my One Spot. OK, let this be a warning to me.

[Winston Psmith]

8 hours ago, Scott Fraser said:

Now you're making me nervous about not having a backup for my One Spot. OK, let this be a warning to me.

 

@Scott Fraser- Anything that I rely on, particularly for live use, I have at least one backup, and that includes Guitars, Synths, MFX, and yes, power supplies. Yes, I'm overcautious, even somewhat paranoid, but WTH, it works for me.

 

I have at least three or four 1 Spots, and a couple of PA-9 Power All's (basically the same thing, a 1700mA power supply), that aren't dedicated to any one device, so I can always count on having a backup available. I even have a little toolbox designed for first aid gear, where I keep all of my backup power supplies, and adapter cables. At right around $20US, you can't afford NOT to have one!

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, Winston Psmith said:

 

@Scott Fraser- Anything that I rely on, particularly for live use, I have at least one backup, and that includes Guitars, Synths, MFX, and yes, power supplies. Yes, I'm overcautious, even somewhat paranoid, but WTH, it works for me.

 

I have at least three or four 1 Spots, and a couple of PA-9 Power All's (basically the same thing, a 1700mA power supply), that aren't dedicated to any one device, so I can always count on having a backup available. I even have a little toolbox designed for first aid gear, where I keep all of my backup power supplies, and adapter cables. At right around $20US, you can't afford NOT to have one!

[Scott Fraser]

Yep, I was a Boy Scout once, and for those who weren't, the Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared". I also did a gig at my high school where the guitarist's cable (we all used those coil cords back then) went out at the top of the intro to the first tune. No sound, no gig. Since then (it's been about 55 years since then,) I always carry spare cables, but it never occurred to me to double up on power supplies.

[p90jr]

On 2/23/2024 at 5:17 PM, CEB said:

I have several 1 Spots I use to power various small miscellaneous pedalboards.   One for my Pedal Steel board one for my Banjo/Dobro/Acoustic guitar board. I have a couple for whenever I need something on the fly.    I have never seen this.  They should be good to 1700mA.  Probably a little higher for conservativism's sake.  First thought was there was an issue with the bayonet input circuit on the pedal but it worked with other 1 Spots.  Must be something wrong with the supply.  

 

You can ask Trutone for a replacement.  They may want to see it.  I'm a longtime Visual Sound customer.  They have always been responsive when I contacted them.

I probably have about 6 of them... but after the first two the reason for that was a bunch of times of loading up, hitting the road to play a gig in New Orleans... realizing I'd forgotten the bag where accessories are kept so darting to the Guitar Center or closest music store before they closed and buying another one and a couple of cables and picks. Eventually, one of them and a couple of cables just got zipped in a big ziplock bag and put under a seat in the car.

[Winston Psmith]

@Scott Fraser- Like I said, I'm overcautious, even paranoid. I keep a plain 3-for-$1 notebook where I write down everything I'm bringing to a live set, down to picks and cables.  I even have a Cable Tester, and before every live show, I check all the cables I'm planning to bring, including the backups.

 

I'm dead serious about redundant systems, in terms of my gear. Stuff breaks down, and if you don't have a spare Guitar cable, like you said, no show.

[Winston Psmith]

@p90jr- That's why I keep a notebook. Old-school tech, literally, but it works, it goes anywhere, and if it's written down, I don't have to rely on my poor, tired brain.

[p90jr]

19 minutes ago, Winston Psmith said:

@Scott Fraser- Like I said, I'm overcautious, even paranoid. I keep a plain 3-for-$1 notebook where I write down everything I'm bringing to a live set, down to picks and cables.  I even have a Cable Tester, and before every live show, I check all the cables I'm planning to bring, including the backups.

 

I'm dead serious about redundant systems, in terms of my gear. Stuff breaks down, and if you don't have a spare Guitar cable, like you said, no show.

I'm the same... when I had a gigging/touring van for my band, it had everything I could think of to keep a gig/run of shows from being derailed on the road wedged into spots in the back: mics and mic cables and stands on collars (indie/punk venues... you'd be surprised), used but usable snare and kick drum heads, spare kick drum pedal, hi hat clutch (a VERY big one) extra drum sticks, bass strings, a soldering kit, a 6 pack of GC house brand guitar cables, a big pack of 9v batteries, old spare tubes and a spare amp head for guitar/bass (the Crate Power Block ended up being a blessing for this when it came out)... the bad thing is that my band members starting thinking they could not bother with having stuff because they depended on me having it, but they also would not return it after they used it, necessarily... but being the guy who got paid and dispersed the money I just started factoring in replacing all of that and keeping track.

[p90jr]

10 minutes ago, Winston Psmith said:

@p90jr- That's why I keep a notebook. Old-school tech, literally, but it works, it goes anywhere, and if it's written down, I don't have to rely on my poor, tired brain.

I grab a sheet of paper and make a list... my wife makes fun of me for doing it... but I still will manage to leave something right by the door sometimes....

[surfergirl]

Back in my band days I kept a list to make sure I had everything I might need. We did have a lot of backup stuff. I might share a backup guitar and amp with the other guitarists. Thankfully we never had a breakdown. Busking we take the minimum of backup, just small stuff no guitars or amps. I still bring string even though I've never broken a string except a high E Changing strings. Maybe I won't take a set next time and see what happens.🤔