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ANY ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY FOR HD500?


edstar1960
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I took my HD500 power supply out of the gig bag today and noticed that it had decided to split apart slightly. I attempted to squeeze both halves together but they just want to spring apart slightly. It's a few years old but has been carefully looked after, but now I am wondering if I should get another one before this one splits apart completely.  I may gaffa tape it together in the short term.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

Is it best for me to buy another official Line 6 HD500 power supply or can anyone recommend a sturdier more road worthy alternative?

 

I am based in the UK so would welcome suggestions of what's best to buy here.

 

Thanks in advance.

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Like "bjnette" said, look at back of your pod supply, you should see  voltage, amps and polarity (normal is centered). 

 

For example, if your power suply have 12 volts and 2,7 amps. You don´t have any problem buy one with more amps, like 12 volts and 3 amps, only don´t buy with less amps.

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They're on eBay all the time or order another from Line6.  I recommend an official Line6 power supply.  Be VERY careful that you get the correct power supply for YOUR unit.  I have seen on rare occasions that some are AC and some are DC voltages.

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The Line 6 DC-3g power supply says it's 9V and 3A and the connector has a negative centre.   The specs can be found here: http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/general-faq/power-supply-amp-power-and-battery-faq-r445

 

Specifically: DC-3g: (POD HD 300/400/500 and HD Bean): 9V DC, 3A (3000mA) Plug length: 15mm, Diameter: 5mm, Center Pin: 2mm.
 

So far, I can't find anyone that has the official power supply in stock in the UK, and I can't find any universal power supplies that provide 3A output. 

Plenty with 1A and 2.5A but none at 3A.  Plus the ones I have seen with the lower output all have centres that are positive and again don't mention the connector size.

 

The Line 6 UK site does have a link to STORE but it doesn't show the Accessory options like the US site.  

 

Is there anyone in the UK that has successfully found and bought a good working alternative power supply for the HD500?

I don't want to risk getting a cheap copy power supply that may explode or catch fire or toast my HD500.

Edited by edstar1960
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Wrap some tape around it and it may last forever that way.  The Line6 supplies are higher amperage than most wall warts. (3Amp)  Pods are power hungry due to the high power DSPs they run on.  If you get an underpowered supply, you will have problems with it.  If you need a replacement, I would try to find a Line6 unit.

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I have actually seen a PODHD Desktop that took a 9v AC power supply, not a DC power supply.  I did about 11 double takes when I saw that.  It wasn't modified from the factory either.  So be careful when ordering a power supply and triple check what you're buying and what you need.

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I have looked and looked to no avail. I can't even find a right angle barrel so it's less easy to step on and break. Line 6, could you do something about that? I mean it's bad enough you picked a powersupply that NO ONE else makes, I can't even get a right angle elbow barrel to help protect it better. Line 6, could you at least find or direct me to one of those? I know, I know...idea scale but I'm mentioning it here too.

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Plenty of folks make 9V DC power supplies.  The problem is that the Pod HD's need more current than most 9V DC powered units.  You can replace the connector if you damage it.  The supply itself should be pretty bullet proof.  Don't go with a replacement that is not rated for 3 Amps.

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I generally have gone with Medical Grade 9VDC Supplies for pedal boards and such....They generally have a nice wide input range and are well regulated (Better than any OEM supply)...

 

HD being 9VDC makes this pretty simple...I have two supplies at the moment, but I will go with a 4A medical when the time comes...

 

http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/GSM36B09-P1J.shtml

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In the US, the average price for the stock power supply is $40-$50. This is absurd. It is cheaply made (I am on my second) and I refuse to buy any more. I have never had to replace my power supplies on any other gear, either.

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I generally have gone with Medical Grade 9VDC Supplies for pedal boards and such....They generally have a nice wide input range and are well regulated (Better than any OEM supply)...

 

HD being 9VDC makes this pretty simple...I have two supplies at the moment, but I will go with a 4A medical when the time comes...

 

http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/GSM36B09-P1J.shtml

 

Thanks for the tip - I will see if these are available in the UK.

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Thanks for all the replies and helpful advice.

 

The Medical Grade 9VDC supplies look like good alternatives if I can find a UK supplier.  Thanks for that tip spaceatl.

 

For now, I have just used tape to hold the power supply together, which will at least stop the thing completely falling apart.  And I have found a couple of reputable dealers selling it online for £24 - so I have ordered a new replacement as a backup.

 

I am very disappointed that it has started to fall apart as it has not been heavily used as I only gig occasionally and I am very careful with my gear and especially careful with this power supply as it was obviously so fragile.   The POD X3 power supply (although AC) was certainly far more heavy duty and durable.  I will look for the suggestion to provide an improved power supply for the HD pods on Ideascale and vote for it.

 

The Line 6 FAQ page does list a couple of VOODOO LABS power supply products as recommended alternatives - so I guess these are used by the professional HD500 users or anyone who gigs very regularly or who needs tour grade equipment - or I guess they use another industrial strength supply. They are out of my price range for now.  However - I reviewed the specs of the suggested VOODOO LABS power supplies and neither of them provide 3A output - so I am not sure they will work - but it is odd that they are on the Line 6 FAQ page. Anyone out there using a VOODOO LABS power supply product to power their Line 6 HD 500 or 500X?

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I generally have gone with Medical Grade 9VDC Supplies for pedal boards and such....They generally have a nice wide input range and are well regulated (Better than any OEM supply)...

 

HD being 9VDC makes this pretty simple...I have two supplies at the moment, but I will go with a 4A medical when the time comes...

 

http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/GSM36B09-P1J.shtml

 

Thank you VERY much for that information!!!!!

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So what they heck are you guys doing with your PSUs that is making them split in half? Are you sure this isn't a case of you pi$$ing off a stripper after a gig and she stuck her stilletto thru it while you were too busy talking to her friend that was 10x hotter?  :D

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So what they heck are you guys doing with your PSUs that is making them split in half? Are you sure this isn't a case of you pi$$ing off a stripper after a gig and she stuck her stilletto thru it while you were too busy talking to her friend that was 10x hotter? :D

Dude...did we have the exact same Friday night?

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So what they heck are you guys doing with your PSUs that is making them split in half? Are you sure this isn't a case of you pi$$ing off a stripper after a gig and she stuck her stilletto thru it while you were too busy talking to her friend that was 10x hotter?  :D

:D  :D  :D  :D  If only the cause of my PSU breakage was as interesting as your suggestion! You must play at some very interesting venues!  :D  :D  :D :D  

 

In my case, the PSU has been very well treated and not excessively gigged, it is a few years old now, but I didn't expect the casing to just come apart.  It's clear that it is made in two halves but no idea what holds the two parts together - it may be that they just "click" together - but once they come apart they don't want to "click" back again. The PSU can get fairly warm when used, so maybe the heat causes the plastic to distort over time causing the two halves to come apart.  Or maybe some pressure was applied to the gig bag and in turn squeezed the PSU inside causing the two halves to come apart. Who knows?   Just guessing at possible causes here.

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ANY power supply that physically fits into your POD's power plug and that actually meets THESE specs:
 

Input Voltage Range 100-240V/50-60Hz

Output Amps 3000mA

Output Voltage 9V

Sleeve/Tip Configuration Tip: Negative, Sleeve: Positive

Will work.  That is all.

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ANY power supply that physically fits into your POD's power plug and that actually meets THESE specs:

 

Input Voltage Range 100-240V/50-60Hz

Output Amps 3000mA

Output Voltage 9V

Sleeve/Tip Configuration Tip: Negative, Sleeve: Positive

 

Will work.  That is all.

 

Those are just VERY hard to find (It's mainly about the amps. 3 amps is hard to find). Fortunately there is one listed on this thread.

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My comment was a throwback....Too old to venture into such places these days....I have seen some pretty crazy stuff....Back in the late 80s there was a venue I played that had stripper poles on each side of the stage...It was a decadent time...I forget the exact name of the venue but it was in Jacksonville, NC near Camp Lejeune...Live 80s metal with Strippers for our Marines...Those were some pretty wild shows...

 

@edstar1960 - I am wondering if you being in the UK on 240 might be running your PSU near the top of its input range could be contributing to the heat....Only thing I could think of that might be different for you and me...I have been running mine on regulated 120v...

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UK is typically 230V and has been for years.

 

My supply also only in the last weeks has started to split between the Plug (adaptor) and the Transformer part when I try to remove it from the socket.

 

I think the design of those Medical Grade ones would be the best - the plug part is local to the region and completely separate from the transformer which is low profile - in fact my laptop power supply would be perfect if it wasn't 19.5V.

 

Had a quick look on some specialist sites for the UK and can't find anything 9v centre negative at 3A... need to look harder I suppose 

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UK is typically 230V and has been for years.

 

My supply also only in the last weeks has started to split between the Plug (adaptor) and the Transformer part when I try to remove it from the socket.

 

I think the design of those Medical Grade ones would be the best - the plug part is local to the region and completely separate from the transformer which is low profile - in fact my laptop power supply would be perfect if it wasn't 19.5V.

 

Had a quick look on some specialist sites for the UK and can't find anything 9v centre negative at 3A... need to look harder I suppose

 

I did find some sites that stock the Medical grade PSU that spaceatl recommended but none of them had prices but they did have contact numbers. They looked like they sell directly to medical companies as opposed to the public but I suppose one phone call will soon confirm that or otherwise. I had already ordered another DC-3G from GAK, so didn't need to pursue the medical grade PSU, but I agree they are a much more durable design with the separate AC power cord.

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