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Mod To Provide Power Via 7-pin Midi Cable?


ottawarocks
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Is anyone aware of a documented method of modifying an HD500x (or any model, really) so that you can get rid of the wall wart and power up your unit via a 7-pin midi cable? My other rig has that, and it's a snap to hook up. I'd be willing to void the warranty on my unit to get my 500x to the same type of connections.

 

I'm also considering an outboard alternative: build a small box with a 7-pin input (midi plus power), a 5-pin midi output and a power out... but that's one additional piece of gear, two extra cables, and three additional connections at every set up and tear down...

 

Anyone?

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I haven't heard of this 7 pin thing before, but if you are building a box, don't forget to add an on/off switch.

 

What kind of voltage is supplied anyway? if its a match for the pod you could skip the whole box thing and have a custom cable, 7 pin din contact on one end, 5pin and power jack on the other.

 

Care to provide a bit more info on the 7pin source?

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My old rack based system (JMP-1, Replifex) used a Boss MIDI Controller Pedal and provided power to it and a dual audio path (to and from Morely Wah) - back in those days I had to build a custom cable bundle that these days is called a Snake.  I worked at an aircraft factory at the time and borrowed some waste braided sheeve to hold the cables together neatly like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/260868039666?lpid=83&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=83.  It helps if you have an understanding of how to lay a bundle of cables together so that they are neat and roll up nicely - running them in parallel doesn't work very well, but gently twisting them around each other makes it nice and flexible (running in parallel is what you do if you want it to retain its shape).

 

Pedalsnake as sonic points out now make this for you, and there was on the old forum a few discussions about it including a very serious debate about how far you can take a 9v 3A powerline before the levels drop too far.  This thread http://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/46741 says it doesn't work, but he is running a variax off the HD, while this thread http://uk.line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/75547 includes posts from PedalSnake who tell you exactly what bits you need to make it work.

 

My worry about modifying the unit would be that the cables in the 7 pin midi cable can't support the required current level without a significant voltage drop, so it might work for a 10' cable but not with a 20'.  Theoretically the mod is replace the 5 pin Midi socket with a 7 pin one and then linking the power ones to the power socket, but not having opened mine up (not many have and I haven't found any photos on the net) it might be the MIDI socket is direct into a PCB which would make the job significantly harder to do neatly.

 

There are 7 to 5 pin + power cables like this one: http://www.thomann.de/gb/rocktron_7pin_midikabel.htm but that only works if the power plug is the right size (or suitable adaptor) and you have a source for the right voltage and current that the 7 pin end can plug into.  I would go with PedalSnake or a custom cable assembly as the safest option

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