dexter74

So I ended up buying the One Spot combo pack to power several 1980's era Boss pedals. Problem is, the 'check' doesn't come up when the adapter is plugged in. The effect works, but no light. Light works fine when only using 9v battery. I have the TC HOF and light comes on ok with the One Spot, but not with the Boss ones. Any ideas?

Regards.

Marshall Amps

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crossroadsnyc

I use a One Spot with my SD-1, and it works just fine ... no problems at all. I've also plugged other Boss pedals in w/it, and they worked just fine as well.

bvoris

I have a couple of these I got for free with some equipment purchases on CL.
They are notorious for not having the right voltage, or when running multiple pedals in a series (4-6+) they start to drop the pedals abilities, tone what have you. I know they can be used on up to 9 pedals in some instances but they don't work well on more than 3 - 4. I have had really limited success with these but I got them for free so I haven't complained much.

You can always use a multimeter to check the voltage (Only if you know what your doing!).

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dexter74

Thanks. I tried it with one Boss pedal only, still no check light. Then tried two pedals in daisy chain and no light. Like I said, pedal effect works, but can't tell if it's on or not. Did the older Boss pedals i.e. CE3, DM2 need a higher voltage? Read that somewhere.

brp

That's a very strange issue as you describe it.
Seems to me like it would have to be a problem with the pedal but it doesn't matter what pedal you use if I'm reading correctly. Very weird.
Yes, I've also read that some of the older Boss were rated for 12v input. You'd think the light would still come on with a 9v feed, as it does with a 9v battery.

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DirtySteve

I have one and I've run up to 5 pedals with it with no problems at all. I've been using it for about 2 years now.

Interesting about the voltage, I'm going to check mine.

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dexter74

I guess it's time to call or email the company to find out the issue. I heard that with the Boss ac adapters, the Boss tuner was involved in powering the pedal chain. I use a Korg Pitch Black, so probably won't help.

bvoris

Yep have read a lot of complaints on Amazon about them. Since I only use 2 pedals (Wah and OD) it works fine for me. I have a 9 spot and I can put 6 on there and they start acting up. 8 and they are fine. Then again I got mine free on CL...

I battery power my shit most of the time.

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dexter74

Weird thing is, even if I put a 9v in a Boss pedal and then hook up the One Spot, check light still doesn't light up. Only reason I got the thing was to power the TC HOF, but figured I could save on batteries for the Boss ones. Not worth $30 to just power the HOF.

DirtySteve

Doesn't plugging in a power supply bypass the battery?

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bvoris

You are correct sir at least on the circuits I looked at.

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dexter74

That's what I figure is happening, too. Guess it's back to 9v batteries.

crossroadsnyc

I use a Korg Pitch Black as well ... replaced my TU-2. There was nothing wrong w/the Boss tuner (I used / enjoyed it for years), but I just like the looks of the Korg one better.

bvoris

If you can return it. See if you can either get an exchange or swap out for something else.

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dexter74

I emailed the manufacturer and they are pretty good on the customer service end of things. If they can't figure out the issue, it's going back to Amazon!

dexter74

Do you 'cascade' the One Spot from the Korg to your other pedals?

crossroadsnyc

Yeah, the Korg is the first one in the chain ... followed by a few pedals (od's / eq).

Edit ... should point out that they are all in front, as I don't use the loop at all.

dexter74

So to clarify, you don't go out from the Korg with the 'daisy chain' to the other pedals?

crossroadsnyc

No, I chain them all together, starting w/the Korg ... everything on the board is run from the One Spot.

dexter74

Got this from manufacturer:

The older Boss pedals actually ran on a higher voltage (12V) unregulated power supply. If you plug the 1 SPOT directly in to the pedal you will get a dimly lit LED and the pedal may not work correctly. This is because there is a resister and diode that would take the incoming 12V and drop it down to 9V. With the 1 SPOT plugged right in, the pedal will not get the power that it needs.

You will need to put the Boss pedal on a daisy chain with other "normal" 9VDC pedals. This will, in effect, bypass the resister and diode that drops the voltage and the pedal will get all of the power that it needs. If you can put it on the daisy chain with any other pedal it should work great. I have an old Boss CE-2 that does the same thing that you are describing when I power it by itself.

rokcabilly

I'd say for shits and giggles, try plugging into the Pitch Black with the One Spot, then use your daisy chain out of the Pitch Black's output to one of the boss pedals to see what that does. It almost sounds like you need a TU-2 to daisy chain out to the older Boss pedals. Maybe it's time to look into the Voodoo Lab power blocks? I have an ISO 5, and that is the best thing I've ever used to power my pedals!

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dexter74

Thanks, I actually got it to work couple days ago. As long as there is a "normal" 9vdc pedal in the chain (before or after the Boss ones), the check light on the Boss units come on and all is well.