Helix HX Effects Alternative Power Supply, Now Only $12.99!

[robberns]

Thought I'd share this with the group.

I was looking for a smaller footprint power supply to go on my pedal board to power the Helix HX.

The Line 6 DC-3 is huge, and the orientation of the plug blades made it too space-sucking for my board.

It took me a while, but I found a "normal" sized AC adapter, 9V, 3A, with a 2.5mm diameter center-negative plug.

That was the tough part.

I read in the FAQ section that some of the pedal board power bricks "could" work, but it seemed like an imperfect solution.

The one I found, on FeeBay,meets all the power requirements and was $12.99.

Now my DC-3 is a backup in case anything ever fails on the board.

No relation to the seller, just a PSA for the Helix-minded.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/191721888034

 

[VirtualGuitars]

Be careful.  Using a non-Line 6 power supply may void your warranty if you encounter an electrical issue.  I would highly suggest that you ask Line 6 before using it.  You get what you pay for these days.  That is my PSA.

[gunpointmetal]

That DC-3 is super annoying. Almost as if it were specifically designed to be a pain in the lollipop unless its the only one you're using.

[gregmon79]

Well hopefully it is a good one to use. I could most likely make the one that came came with the HX work. But yes, it is huge and bulky. If I end up putting the HX on my board it would end up taking out at least 5 to 7 pedals. At least. Which would leave room for the line 6 power. But having a smaller one would be a nice option. Thanks for sharing robberns. Let us know if you find out if it’s good to go when you can.

[ChubbyJerk]

What were they thinking? How could this thing make it through every stage of development and people said, "oh, yeah, that's cool." I'm assuming the testers were either given a different power supply or told that's just temporary while they finalize the design.

 

ESPECIALLY since this is supposed to be "pedal board friendly". They design the HX so that it can't (easily) be run off of something like a Voodoo Labs PP2. OK, I get that. I can understand that. Most multis and big digital effects don't work well with that type of shared (even if isolated) power supply.

 

But...space is a huge issue with pedal boards. As is placement of everything, and their orientation (to the point where some people make a huge deal over top vs side jacks). And Line 6, on a multi that's designed to be pedal board friendly, gives us this monstrosity? I opened it up and just kinda stared at it for a minute. I'd be curious to see a pedalboard that this thing power supply could easily fit into. The Voodoo Labs PP2+ gives you that extra outlet, but if you mount it under your Pedal Train I'm pretty sure it's recessed and only works with a 3-prong style adapter? Been a while, I could be wrong. Maybe it will work fine there.

 

This thing is scary bad. The outlet situation at my weekly gig is tight. I may end up having to bring a power strip, not for extra spots, but just for this oblong box of doom to fit in.

 

This is all IMO, YMMV, etc, and I'm probably overreacting, but I find this power supply to be rather absurd.

[phil_m]

What were they thinking? How could this thing make it through every stage of development and people said, "oh, yeah, that's cool." I'm assuming the testers were either given a different power supply or told that's just temporary while they finalize the design.

 

ESPECIALLY since this is supposed to be "pedal board friendly". They design the HX so that it can't (easily) be run off of something like a Voodoo Labs PP2. OK, I get that. I can understand that. Most multis and big digital effects don't work well with that type of shared (even if isolated) power supply.

 

But...space is a huge issue with pedal boards. As is placement of everything, and their orientation (to the point where some people make a huge deal over top vs side jacks). And Line 6, on a multi that's designed to be pedal board friendly, gives us this monstrosity? I opened it up and just kinda stared at it for a minute. I'd be curious to see a pedalboard that this thing power supply could easily fit into. The Voodoo Labs PP2+ gives you that extra outlet, but if you mount it under your Pedal Train I'm pretty sure it's recessed and only works with a 3-prong style adapter? Been a while, I could be wrong. Maybe it will work fine there.

 

This thing is scary bad. The outlet situation at my weekly gig is tight. I may end up having to bring a power strip, not for extra spots, but just for this oblong box of doom to fit in.

 

This is all IMO, YMMV, etc, and I'm probably overreacting, but I find this power supply to be rather absurd.

It’s the same power supply the HD series uses... They were probably thinking, “hey, we have an existing power supply that’s gone through all the international testing and listing hurdles, and it will work with this, so let’s just use this one...â€

[ChubbyJerk]

It’s the same power supply the HD series uses... They were probably thinking, “hey, we have an existing power supply that’s gone through all the international testing and listing hurdles, and it will work with this, so let’s just use this one...â€

The HD series that is huge and intended as a standalone unit? Do you not see the key difference?

[ChubbyJerk]

Apologies to Line 6, the tone of my post was overly harsh. But man...I think that power supply is a poor fit for something marketed as an addition to your board.

[phil_m]

Apologies to Line 6, the tone of my post was overly harsh. But man...I think that power supply is a poor fit for something marketed as an addition to your board.

 

I mean, it's longer than other wall warts out there, for sure, but it's also not as deep. I had my HD500 mounted on a Pedaltrain board for awhile, and I had no trouble fitting the power supply under there. It actually even fits under the Pedaltrain Metro boards pretty easily. You just have to get a little creative with connecting everything underneath. I've been building pedalboards for over 15 years now, and I've used all sorts of splitters and whatnot so I could do what I needed to do. I actually kind of prefer the DC-3g to the old Line 6 PX-2 power supplies.

 

One thing I've found indispensable for my pedalboards are splitters like this: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Leader-Power-Splitter-inches/dp/B01B8OG51E/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1518829672&sr=8-29&keywords=power+splitter+2+prong

[ChubbyJerk]

I mean, it's longer than other wall warts out there, for sure, but it's also not as deep. I had my HD500 mounted on a Pedaltrain board for awhile, and I had no trouble fitting the power supply under there. It actually even fits under the Pedaltrain Metro boards pretty easily. You just have to get a little creative with connecting everything underneath. I've been building pedalboards for over 15 years now, and I've used all sorts of splitters and whatnot so I could do what I needed to do. I actually kind of prefer the DC-3g to the old Line 6 PX-2 power supplies.

 

One thing I've found indispensable for my pedalboards are splitters like this: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Leader-Power-Splitter-inches/dp/B01B8OG51E/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1518829672&sr=8-29&keywords=power+splitter+2+prong

Cool. That actually looks like it would help a lot. That might be the perfect solution for me. Appreciated!

[wilkinsi]

I hate wall warts with a passion. It would've been better if the HX Effects had a PSU similar to Boss' GT Series PSU's, whereby the plug for the mains socket is connected by a cable instead of moulded on. At least then, I could get an IEC cable (or IEC adapter cable) and power the HX Effects from my power conditioner. Another problem I find with wall warts is the hardwired cables are often not long enough anyway. I strongly recommend Line 6 redesign the PSU for the HX Effects.

[BuleriaChk]

For EVERYTHING!  The Amplifi 30, the M5, the HX Effects.

I ordered the PS in the OP above, but also a Voodoo polarity inverter cable with 2.5" barrel.

Going to try it with my Amplifi with a power brick...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DN0KBXU/?coliid=I1OPUUEB4C4LVW&colid=2ENW9WU8ZT2UL&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

If that works, I may return my M5 and spring for the HX....

[gunpointmetal]

Just because a few people found ways to make it work doesn't make a good design, lol. It was a pain in the lollipop if you wanted to mounted you HD500X to a moderately-sized board just for safety/transport purposes, its a pain in the lollipop on a multi-socket power  conditioner, its a pain in the lollipop on straight power strips, its a pain in the lollipop. (big period)

[stumblinman]

13 hours ago, BuleriaChk said:

For EVERYTHING!  The Amplifi 30, the M5, the HX Effects.

I ordered the PS in the OP above, but also a Voodoo polarity inverter cable with 2.5" barrel.

Going to try it with my Amplifi with a power brick...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DN0KBXU/?coliid=I1OPUUEB4C4LVW&colid=2ENW9WU8ZT2UL&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

If that works, I may return my M5 and spring for the HX....

 

Be careful with the M5. They have a weird grounding issue with the screws in the feet.  If you have issues with it not changing correctly or effing up, google it.  I sold mine as soon as I found out what the issue was because it wasn't reliable when you stepped on it to change states.  

[rjlibutti]

I had the same complaint about that power supply. It's very large. I did work out a fairly decent solution using a power strip under my board. I had to find a strip with the outlets arranged so that I could run the block parallel to the strip. 

[PiFromBRC]

Whoa...that is a mighty big power brick.  I was about to make a snark-reply about Whiny McWhinersons until I saw that image. 

[holmberg]

On 2/15/2018 at 1:29 PM, robberns said:

The one I found, on FeeBay,meets all the power requirements and was $12.99.

Now my DC-3 is a backup in case anything ever fails on the board.

No relation to the seller, just a PSA for the Helix-minded.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/191721888034

 

 

I also bought this adapter on ebay from the seller listed in the above link (cryptohwwallet in California) for $12.  They shipped it out immediately.  It was exactly as described, and works fine with my Firehawk FX.  The brand is "eFreesia" and the model number is ZWACA9V3A25RDRV

 

That center pin on the Firehawk FX jack is definitely 2.5 mm, and not the 2 mm that the line6 FAQ says it is.  The plug on this power adapter is 2.5 mm and it fit the pin in jack snugly.

 

My only wish is that the cable was a bit longer.  It's only 1 meter long (3.5 feet).

 

Greg

[MascisMan]

On 5/27/2018 at 12:56 PM, rjlibutti said:

I had the same complaint about that power supply. It's very large. I did work out a fairly decent solution using a power strip under my board. I had to find a strip with the outlets arranged so that I could run the block parallel to the strip. 

 

Off topic question - How is that DOD Mini Expression pedal getting along with the HX? 

[Poul_Ciok]

Hi,

For all of you wondering or guessing what the actual current draw is of the different new Line 6 product is I have attached a few pictures showing the actual measurement of 4 different setups.

• POD HD500X: max. 1.1A = 1100mA
• POD HD500X + FBV3: max. 1.3A = 1300mA
• Firehawk FX: max. 0.8A = 800mA
• HX Effects: max. 1.1A = 1100mA

I'm waiting to get my hands on the HD Stomp to also be able to publish the actual measured current draw of that unit.

 

All the above can be safely and correctly powered of two outlets of the new CIOKS DC7 power supply where each outlet has a rating of 660mA at 9V DC. Using two outlets in a parallel configuration gives you a 1320mA or 1.3A source at 9V DC which is sufficient. To get the plug polarity and size right you should use the #8800 Parallel adapter Flex followed by the yellow #3050 Flex cable with a 5.5/2.5 centre negative DC plug. When two of DC7's outlets are used to power one of the above the Line 6 units you still have 5 isolated outlets for pedals left each with a 660mA current rating plus a 5V USB outlet at 1A and a 24V auxiliary outlet to expand the DC7 with CIOKS 4 or CIOKS 8 to add more isolated outlets if desired.

 

Best,

Poul Ciok

[BuleriaChk]

Eventually, I just said "...." and purchased:

 

Power Generator

 

So far (without using it) has held full charge for 3 months...

[honeyiscool]

On 10/20/2018 at 4:17 PM, Poul_Ciok said:

Hi,

For all of you wondering or guessing what the actual current draw is of the different new Line 6 product is I have attached a few pictures showing the actual measurement of 4 different setups.

• POD HD500X: max. 1.1A = 1100mA
• POD HD500X + FBV3: max. 1.3A = 1300mA
• Firehawk FX: max. 0.8A = 800mA
• HX Effects: max. 1.1A = 1100mA

I'm waiting to get my hands on the HD Stomp to also be able to publish the actual measured current draw of that unit.

 

All the above can be safely and correctly powered of two outlets of the new CIOKS DC7 power supply where each outlet has a rating of 660mA at 9V DC. Using two outlets in a parallel configuration gives you a 1320mA or 1.3A source at 9V DC which is sufficient. To get the plug polarity and size right you should use the #8800 Parallel adapter Flex followed by the yellow #3050 Flex cable with a 5.5/2.5 centre negative DC plug. When two of DC7's outlets are used to power one of the above the Line 6 units you still have 5 isolated outlets for pedals left each with a 660mA current rating plus a 5V USB outlet at 1A and a 24V auxiliary outlet to expand the DC7 with CIOKS 4 or CIOKS 8 to add more isolated outlets if desired.

 

Best,

Poul Ciok

Is that the same thing as the new Eventide PowerMax? It certainly looks the same!

 

I only wish it had a C6 instead of C14 plug, just that I already have three Cioks power supplies and lots of C5 cords. Would there be any risk in leaving a C13 to C6 adapter plugged in at all times?

 

Thanks!

[Poul_Ciok]

OK, so now we have a video showing the measurements and also how to power the HX Effects:

 

[GeoffLewis]

Has anyone tried a OneSpot? It says it will power 9V - 1700mA max! which if the HX Effects draw is about 1100mA, it should be fine. I have one but don't have the cajones to plug it in and try it but hoping somebody more skilled in the world of electrics can advise.

[Smj7]

7 hours ago, GeoffLewis said:

Has anyone tried a OneSpot? It says it will power 9V - 1700mA max! which if the HX Effects draw is about 1100mA, it should be fine. I have one but don't have the cajones to plug it in and try it but hoping somebody more skilled in the world of electrics can advise.

I’d like to know if a one spot would work w/the Hx Stomp.  The L6 adaptor is a pain.

 

Sean Meredith-Jones

www.seanmeredithjones.com

[Kilrahi]

11 hours ago, Smj7 said:

I’d like to know if a one spot would work w/the Hx Stomp.  The L6 adaptor is a pain.

 

Sean Meredith-Jones

www.seanmeredithjones.com

 

It does work, but I wouldn't ever plug any other pedals in along with it. It's certainly a better (though less powerful) plug than the brick that came with it. 

 

I realize that this approach is WAY more expensive, but I do have to say I bought the One Spot's grandson and couldn't be happier. This thing can power a small starship: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1SpotProCS12--truetone-1-spot-pro-cs12-12-output-isolated-guitar-pedal-power-supply

[bshaw92]

I have the CS7 version and it powers the Hx Effects with no issue along with my other pedals.

 

Use the Line 6 adapter and you are good to go.

[Smj7]

On 5/10/2019 at 10:57 AM, Kilrahi said:

 

It does work, but I wouldn't ever plug any other pedals in along with it. It's certainly a better (though less powerful) plug than the brick that came with it. 

 

I realize that this approach is WAY more expensive, but I do have to say I bought the One Spot's grandson and couldn't be happier. This thing can power a small starship: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1SpotProCS12--truetone-1-spot-pro-cs12-12-output-isolated-guitar-pedal-power-supply

Thanks for the info.... agreed about not plugging anything else into it.  Daisy chaining digital pedals has always proven to be problematic for me anyway... usually a high pitched squeal from somewhere is the end result.

 

Sean Meredith-Jones

www.seanmeredithjones.com

[mgearmail]

On 5/21/2018 at 4:27 PM, gunpointmetal said:

Just because a few people found ways to make it work doesn't make a good design, lol. It was a pain in the lollipop if you wanted to mounted you HD500X to a moderately-sized board just for safety/transport purposes, its a pain in the lollipop on a multi-socket power  conditioner, its a pain in the lollipop on straight power strips, its a pain in the lollipop. (big period)

 

It's kind of crazy (and exceedingly frustrating) that given the number of complaints about it that they have received, Line 6 has not said that they will either develop a better alternative that people can buy or certify some currently available power supply as being compatible.  Testing power supplies to ensure that they meet the necessary specs would not be terribly expensive.  It's not rocket science.  Line 6 could even make money off of it if they offered their own option.  Maybe they're thinking that people would demand to see the alternative power supply ship with the HX Stomp moving forward, but that's exactly what should happen anyway.  

[phil_m]

3 hours ago, mgearmail said:

 

It's kind of crazy (and exceedingly frustrating) that given the number of complaints about it that they have received, Line 6 has not said that they will either develop a better alternative that people can buy or certify some currently available power supply as being compatible.  Testing power supplies to ensure that they meet the necessary specs would not be terribly expensive.  It's not rocket science.  Line 6 could even make money off of it if they offered their own option.  Maybe they're thinking that people would demand to see the alternative power supply ship with the HX Stomp moving forward, but that's exactly what should happen anyway.  

 

What's difficult with designing line voltage power supplies (power supplies that take line voltage and convert to a lower voltage) for a produc tthat sells worldwidre is getting them listed with the appropriate testing agencies. Even in the US, getting something through UL can take several months. So then you have to something similar for the EU, Australia, Asia, etc... It's not impossible by any means, but it's not nothing.

 

As far as the number of complaints, how does anyone have any idea? Only Line 6 knows. That fact that you see some complaints online is rather meaningless. The same handful of unhappy people can make a lot of noise in online communities.

[mgearmail]

4 hours ago, phil_m said:

 

What's difficult with designing line voltage power supplies (power supplies that take line voltage and convert to a lower voltage) for a produc tthat sells worldwidre is getting them listed with the appropriate testing agencies. Even in the US, getting something through UL can take several months. So then you have to something similar for the EU, Australia, Asia, etc... It's not impossible by any means, but it's not nothing.

 

As far as the number of complaints, how does anyone have any idea? Only Line 6 knows. That fact that you see some complaints online is rather meaningless. The same handful of unhappy people can make a lot of noise in online communities.

 

You can go on Mouser, look at spec sheets, and order a large quantity of an already-UL listed supply with appropriate specifications from a reputable company in a mater of minutes.  I'm not saying it would be costless, but since when do we not expect companies to make reasonable expenditures to improve products that a lot of people think have significant design flaws?

 

As for not knowing the exact number of complaints Line 6 has received about the power supply, I guess since we don't ever know the exact number of complaints that a company receives about anything we should never conclude based on our reading of (many) threads on (many) forums that many people think something is designed poorly and should be fixed?  Given that Line 6 saw fit to add information about alternative power supplies to their FAQ, I think it's safe to say that they're asked about the power supply... well... frequently.     

[phil_m]

14 minutes ago, mgearmail said:

 Given that Line 6 saw fit to add information about alternative power supplies to their FAQ, I think it's safe to say that they're asked about the power supply... well... frequently.     

 

That FAQ was written well before the Stomp was released (I know because I saw the rough draft). It was written anticipating that people would be mounting the Stomp on pedalboards and they would naturally want to be able to use  their power bricks to power it.

 

I’d also say that it’s not necessarily the same sort of thing buying an OEM power supply for a piece of audio gear as it is for a random piece of computer equipment. There are other considerations. The quality of the power supply can great affect the noise floor and lead to other sorts of interaction with other gear.

[Kilrahi]

Cutting through the back and forth with another view ...  I think the power supply sucks.

 

Look, even if it were ALL true that there was no other way (which I can believe) but to adopt that brick ...

 

Who decided to make the cord itself shorter than a shoe lace?

 

I dare one person, ANY person to reply that they would NOT prefer the cord length be longer.

[Buzznewman]

Would either of these work with the power draw of the HX Effects? 

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01DPIHAIS/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A2ZC7E4Y61QX0W&psc=1 ($57.99) Andoer VITOOS DC8 Power Supply

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07L954JDG/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A2P2D6N86INX2B&psc=1 ($35.90) GOKKO Guitar Pedal Power Supply

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00ADWTZ3S/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&th=1 ($5.49) 2.5mm to 2.1mm DC Cable

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07XJBPR14/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=AHQOPAFZIHDJR&psc=1  ($8.29) Y Splitter 

[rwinking]

On 2/15/2018 at 2:29 PM, robberns said:

Thought I'd share this with the group.

I was looking for a smaller footprint power supply to go on my pedal board to power the Helix HX.

The Line 6 DC-3 is huge, and the orientation of the plug blades made it too space-sucking for my board.

It took me a while, but I found a "normal" sized AC adapter, 9V, 3A, with a 2.5mm diameter center-negative plug.

That was the tough part.

I read in the FAQ section that some of the pedal board power bricks "could" work, but it seemed like an imperfect solution.

The one I found, on FeeBay,meets all the power requirements and was $12.99.

Now my DC-3 is a backup in case anything ever fails on the board.

No relation to the seller, just a PSA for the Helix-minded.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/191721888034

 

This thread goes back to 2018 and I was wondering if anyone had tried this inexpensive power supply and how it works. robberns, if you are still around, could you tell me if there have been any issues in you using it all of these years?

[robberns]

Still working with no issues!

Although I'm using it on an HX Stomp now. But same power supply for any of them.

[rwinking]

I picked up a couple and thet work great....simple and cheap. THey are so inexpensive I now have a spare for my spare.

[jlampson]

This thread gave me the catalyst to keep looking for alternate solutions, so I thought I'd share what I found that works!

 

If you pick up both the Truetone CYR and CL6 adapters (two separate pieces), you can hook them up to one output of a Truetone CS6 or CS7. I also tried this on my Friedman Power Grid and it worked well, too. It turns out that many of the outputs give more juice than they let on.

 

The only thing to keep in mind is you're not supposed to exceed the rated draw of the unit as a whole. That's fine for me, though, as the HX Effects replaced a ton of other pedals that I no longer need!