Guitar Pedal
Power Calculator
Ten outputs on the box can still leave a pedal without enough power. Add your pedals, and we’ll plan which one goes on which output. How we check →
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Producer Hive earns a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change which supply we recommend.
How we
check
We start with the maker’s own figures for every pedal and supply. Here’s how we check them.
- Voltage, polarity and current draw come from the maker’s own manual, spec page or support page. For guitar pedal power supplies, we take every output’s voltage and current, including the lower current many outputs give at 12V or 18V, and any limit on the unit as a whole.
- Gaps are filled carefully, and labelled. No published draw? We use Stinkfoot’s Power List, or a cautious estimate for that pedal type. Voltage and polarity only come from the maker: if we can’t confirm the voltage, it goes on its own adapter or isn’t listed; if the polarity is unknown, it goes on an isolated output with a “check the label” note.
- Safety margins are built into each guitar pedal power supply plan. 20% headroom on every draw, isolated outputs for digital and high-current pedals, and for any pedal that’s center positive, positive ground or of unknown polarity, and never more voltage than the maker allows.
Frequently asked questions
How much power does my pedalboard need?
Add up the current draw (mA) of every pedal at its voltage, then add some headroom so nothing runs at its limit. The tool plans for 20% more than each maker’s published draw. But the total is only half the job: each pedal also needs an output with the right voltage and enough current of its own.
Is the mA on my supply per output or for the whole unit?
The figure next to each output is what that output can give. Where a supply’s maker also states a total for the whole unit, the tool checks that too.
Why does the tool plan more current than my pedal’s manual says?
We add a 20% safety margin to every published draw, so no output runs right at its limit. Advice on the margin varies (20% to 30%); 20% is what we use. Where a maker states a minimum supply rating that’s higher, we use that instead.
Is a bigger mA rating on the supply safe?
Yes. A pedal only draws the current it needs, so an output rated above the pedal’s draw is fine. Voltage is the one to match exactly.
What happens if a pedal doesn’t get enough current?
It may not power up or work properly, because the output can’t give it what it draws. Pick an output rated above the pedal’s draw: the tool plans each pedal’s draw plus 20% (or the maker’s minimum, if higher), and only puts a pedal on an output that gives at least that.
Do I need an isolated power supply?
Not always. Isolated outputs are electrically separate from each other, so your pedals don’t share a ground through the supply. That avoids ground loops, a common cause of hum. Digital and high-current pedals are best on their own isolated output; light analog pedals are often fine sharing. The tool puts digital pedals, pedals planned at over 100mA, and any pedal that’s center positive, positive ground or of unknown polarity on isolated outputs.
Can I daisy-chain my pedals?
Often, for light analog pedals like overdrives. Daisy-chaining shares one ground between your pedals, though, which can cause ground loops and hum. Digital and high-current pedals are best on their own isolated output, and some pedals, like germanium fuzzes, won’t work on a daisy chain at all.
My pedal says to use only the maker’s adapter. Can I use a power supply?
Usually, yes. Boss prints a line like this on nearly every pedal, and many other makers do the same. What a pedal needs is the right voltage, the right polarity and enough current: a supply output that gives all three powers it just as the maker’s adapter would. The wrong voltage, or AC instead of DC, can damage a pedal, so those are the things to match.
The tool checks all three for every pedal and still shows you the maker’s note. A few pedals do need their own adapter (because they need more current than a pedal supply output gives, or their maker requires it), and the tool says so when that applies.
Can I run a 9V pedal at 18V?
Only if its maker says so. Many 9V pedals can be damaged above about 10V. Check the pedal’s label or manual: the tool only uses a higher voltage when the maker allows it.
What’s a polarity-flip cable for?
Most pedals are center negative. A few are center positive and need a flip cable to run from a standard supply. Use one only on an isolated output: mixing center-positive or positive-ground pedals with others on a shared ground can short the supply. The tool tells you which output to use it on.
Why does the tool ask me to check a pedal’s label?
The maker doesn’t state that pedal’s polarity in anything we found, and we never guess it. So the tool puts it on an isolated output, which is safe whichever way round it turns out to be. Before you plug it in, check the polarity symbol next to its power jack or in the manual: if it’s center positive, you’ll also need a polarity-flip cable.
Can a pedal power supply run my HX Stomp or another multi-effects unit?
Some can. Multi-effects units and amp modelers often need 500mA or more, so they need an output rated for that, and the tool only places them on one that gives enough. Anything planned at over 1000mA goes on its own adapter, and the tool tells you: Line 6’s HX Stomp is one.
My pedal isn’t in the list. What now?
Add it as a pedal type, or as a custom pedal with the figures from its label or manual.
Where do the figures come from?
Voltage and polarity only ever come from the maker’s own manual, spec page or support page, and so does current draw wherever the maker publishes it. When a maker doesn’t publish a draw, the tool uses the figure from Stinkfoot’s Power List and links to it, and if neither exists it uses a cautious estimate for that pedal type. If the maker gives two different figures, we use the safer one: the higher draw for a pedal, the lower output for a supply. Every pedal links to its sources.