18v cable (T-rex) soldering question

[elmoman86]

Huy guys,

I really need some help with a soldering problem. I'm not really an expert at this kind of stuff, so I'll try to explain it as best as I can.

I have the T-rex 18v cable:

http://www.thomann.de/nl/t_rex_dc_vo...ubler_50cm.htm

It works fine, but the plug that goes into the pedal (OCD) is really bothering me because it's so big. At the moment I need to place a pedal really close to the OCD, but I can't because the plug sticks out too far. What I want is an angled plug at the end (I've seen other people at this forum that have this).
I have a couple of spare regular (voodoo lab) 9v cables like this:

http://www.thomann.de/nl/voodoo_lab_...ble_ppbatr.htm

My plan was to cut the T-rex cable in the middle (because it's very long) and cut the voodoo lab cable right before the plug. Only I don't know what to solder where. The T-rex has two cables of the same size going into the plug, the voodoo lab has a bigger one in the middle and a smaller one on the side (Signal and ground?).
Is this possible? Or will I have to buy a voodoo lab 18v cable to do this? http://www.thomann.de/nl/voodoo_lab_y18_volt_kabel.htm

Hope you understand what I mean. Any help would be appreciated!

[LuckyBlackCat]

If you have a multimeter you can check to see which wire is connected to the center of the plug and which wire connects to the outer sleeve. Set it to Ohms and touch one lead to a wire and one to the sleeve of the plug. If you get zero resistance then that wire is connected to the sleeve. If you get infinite resistance then it is the other wire, so check it to confirm.

One thing you can also do if you don't want to fool with soldering is either get a new plug (obviously), or get a One Spot daisy chain and cut it so you are left with the female end and the first right angle mail plug. Then plug the end of your T-Rex cable into the female end and you then have a right angle plug. You could even leave it intact and have other available 18V plugs if you wanted to daisy chain more 18V pedals. Just be sure not to plug them into any 9V pedals.

Of course that does leave you with an extra long 2-piece cable, but if you have a place to wrap it up and tuck it away it's no big deal.

[stinkfoot]

Buying the Voodoo Lab cable won't help much, as its plug for the pedal end is also straight.

With the voltage doubler cable, the end with the two plugs are for the power supply, so you'd need to cut the cable somewhere after the point where the to plugs/cables are joined. The T-Rex cable has two conductors side by side (+ and -), while the Voodoo Lab cable is more like a regular signal cable, with a center conductor and a shield.

Once you've cut both the T-Rex and Voodoo Lab cables, you'd need to find out which of the two wires that go to the sleeve and center in both cables, so you can connect them up the same. It won't be a very nice and neat join, since the two cables are different types. I'd probably do what LuckyBlackCat suggested:

...get a One Spot daisy chain and cut it so you are left with the female end and the first right angle mail plug. Then plug the end of your T-Rex cable into the female end and you then have a right angle plug.

Here's one that will work: http://www.thomann.de/nl/the_sssnake_dc5.htm

[elmoman86]

Wow, if cutting up a daisy chain really works, it would be great! I have a spare Visual Sound Daisy Chain and I don't mind cutting it for this (it's only 5€ anyway). And wrapping it up is no prob, since I have a pt2. And splitting the 18v signal will be no problem? The Ma will stay the same, right? I have some other pedal that might like 18v (CAE Booster, Blues pro and maybe AC booster or Plextortion? Not sure about the last two). Then I don't have to cut it..

[stinkfoot]

The available current (mA) from the supply will still be the same, whether you're powering one or several pedals via the daisy chain. On the PP2+, combining two 100mA outputs in series (with the voltage doubler cable) means you'll have 100mA available for the pedals.