Power Supply vs Battery for Guitar Effect Pedal?

Question

I'd like to get an external battery for my reverb pedal, I have a Strymon Big Sky. But everywhere I look people are talking about "Power Supplies" and I'm not sure if it's the same thing as a battery, here's a link for example.

So what is the name of a battery for an effects pedal. Is it called a "power supply with internal battery" or does it have another name? I want something I can charge and then it can power my effects pedal(s) when I'm in the middle of nature with no power outlet. I'm not looking for a specific product necessarily just the keyword or whatever jargon word or an example for what it is I'm looking for.

Answer 1

Depending on where you live, the mains power is 100 - 240V AC, which won't work for effect pedals. Most guitar pedals take 9V DC power, and that's the stuff that needs to be supplied for the pedal to work, and that's what you need a power supply for. Some small pedals can also be powered by an internal 9V battery, but not all. The Big Sky does not have an internal battery, it needs a power supply.

A power supply can either provide 9V DC power for a single device, like this one:

• https://www.thomann.de/gb/boss_psa_230.htm

But if you have more than one effect pedal, and especially if they're in a so-called pedal board, you won't want to have a dozen separate wall warts, so you might want to use a power supply with multiple 9V outlets:

• https://www.thomann.de/gb/rockboard_power_block.htm

Nowadays there are rechargeable battery packs that work as power supplies for guitar pedals, a lot like commonly used cellphone and USB battery packs. Some of such battery packs can sometimes provide 9V DC power for multiple effect pedals for several hours.

Things like this

• https://www.thomann.de/gb/joyo_jp_05_power_bank_supply_5.htm 4400mAh
• https://www.thomann.de/gb/kse_falken_1.htm 12800mAh!

Combined with a battery-powered guitar amp, you have a truly mobile live setup! For example Roland AC-33 or Boss Katana Mini. Or many of them for a really wide stereo sound. These things actually sound incredible.

(Lucky you with a Big Sky! I settled for Boss RV-6, which is a lot cheaper and smaller and sounds fantastic.)

Answer 2

As I suspected, it's still needing to be powered by mains current. So, it's a sort of wall wart - a power supply that needs power itself from that outlet in the wall.

If you're in the middle of nowhere, with no power supply, you'll need batteries for pedals. Come to think about it, you'll also need power for the amp. yu're playing through although there is a growing amount of battery powered amps - which maybe you can (or one day will be able to) plug your pedals in to.