18V Y cable not working on power pad II!

[doesitmatter]

I bought an EVH MXR flanger and it's amazing! Except for the two 9 volts you need to run it. So I got a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power Y adapter:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350472637380&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

One end goes into the pedal, the other two into two separate 9 volt outlets on my Power Pad II.

But it doesn't work. Every time I connect the second 9 volt, it makes a slight ticking sound. Worse yet, it knocks the power out of every pedal but the AC input.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Is it overloading the fuse? Is it a brand thing? Do I need a different design?

I really love this pedal and I don't have room for an 18 volt adapter in my board. Does anyone have an idea of what's going on?

[RBfan]

Wish I could help... I have a Power Pad II also, but have not tried a Y cable with it. The VL cable you have is meant to be used with the VL PP unit, which, unlike the Power Pad, has isolated outputs. I have no idea if that's the problem, but it's a key difference.

T

[analogmike]

You need to use a power supply with isolated outputs to combine two 9V outputs into 18V. I don;t think the pedalpad is isolated. Voodoo Lab and T Rex make good isolated power supplies- each output is a separate power supply.

[doesitmatter]

Ah. So the pedal power will not work. One 9V will work but it weakens the effect.

What if I do two adapters that plug into the battery compartments? Or one 9v in the outlet and one in the battery compartment? Or screw the whole thing and throw a power strip in there? :)

Thanks for the help!

[FuzzGazer]

What if I do two adapters that plug into the battery compartments? Or one 9v in the outlet and one in the battery compartment?

That won't work either. I think you need to get a Godlyke power pump. (http://www.pedalspluseffectswarehouse.com/Godlyke_Power_Pump_p/god-pwrpmp.htm)
http://www.pedalspluseffectswarehouse.com/v/vspfiles/photos/GOD-PWRPMP-2.jpg

[doesitmatter]

Really interesting. And it's not a problem for the power supply?

[FuzzGazer]

They say not to use it with any other PSU than their own, but I 'm pretty sure it'll work with other PSU's. If you are worried about it you can try these guys (xfrmr based). (http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/PS_High_Current_Adapters.html)


http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/high_current_adapters.jpg

[doesitmatter]

Those guys have a Whammy adapter? Man I need those.

[doesitmatter]

Bought the Godlyke. Didn't work. Then I bought an Electro Harmonix 18v adapter which also didn't work.

Why is this pedal a black hole of power? I'm $50 in the hole now trying to save $5 on batteries. I need help.

[stinkfoot]

As has already been pointed out, the series Y cable will only work if it is hooked up to two separate 9vDC sources, such as isolated outputs on a Pedal Power 2+ or similar supply. Using it with a non-isolated power supply (such as the PedalPad or any daisy-chain style supply) will simply short all the power out.

The Dunlop ECB-004 is the correct adapter for this pedal. The Electro-Harmonix US18DC-500 (which I suspect is the one you bought) is reverse polarity compared to what the pedal needs. Hopefully the polarity protection held up, so the pedal didn't fry.