For many years, Truetone has made musicians’ lives easier with the 1 SPOT, the original compact pedalboard power supply. It works so well that a lot of musicians never felt the need to get one of those brick-style power supplies, and we here at Truetone didn’t see the need for those either, even though they were quite popular. Bob Weil, founder of Truetone, explains:
“A lot of people over the years had told us that we should make a power brick. Even some of my own staff urged me to do it, but I didn’t want to for two reasons. First, I knew the 1 SPOT could power just about every pedal out there, so I didn’t see the need. Second, I didn’t want to make just another knock-off of someone else’s power brick. If we were going to make one, we were going to do it our way and have features that nobody else could offer. As pedal designs changed and it became more common for digital pedals to require isolation and for others to need something other than 9Vdc, I finally saw a reason for us to design a power brick.”
“It took 3 years and lots of experimentation, but we were finally able to design a 1 SPOT Pro, using our own proprietary technology to give musicians all the features they need for today’s pedalboards. The original 1 SPOT still works great for most musicians, but for those who need more power and versatility, the 1 SPOT Pro fills the need perfectly.”
9VAC output
Another 1 SPOT Pro first. In the past, if you had a Line 6 or Digitech pedal that required 9VAC (not DC), you had to use their power supply and an extension cord or maybe a courtesy outlet on your power brick, if you could get to it. We put a 9VAC output right on the front panel of the CS12, so you can ditch the big wall-wart and keep things neat and simple. We did have to use a small toroidal transformer for this, as it’s not really feasible to create AC voltage with a switching power supply, but that small toroid is dedicated to just that one output… completely isolated.
Available Output Voltages:
Outputs 1-2: 18VDC (100mA)
Outputs 3-6: 9VDC or 12VDC (100mA)
Output 7: 9VDC or variable 4-9VDC (100mA)
Outputs 8-9: 9VDC (250mA)
Outputs 10-11: 9VDC (500mA)
Output 12: 9VAC (800mA) - Be careful with this one! It is only for pedals that can handle AC voltage. If your pedal can use a battery, do NOT use this output!
Pedaltrain Mounting Brackets
The only power brick to include easy-to-install mounting brackets for Pedaltrain pedalboards. We even duplicated the output labels under the unit, so you can easily see which output is which, when working on your board. Yes, we thought of that too!
Can the 1 SPOT Pro power my pedal?
That question can best be answered by looking at the following questions and notes…
Which output and settings do I use for my pedals?
It is important for you to know the power requirements for your pedal. For every pedal that you are going to power via the 1 SPOT Pro CS12, you need to know the following:
What is the voltage required by the pedal?
Does the pedal require AC or DC voltage?
What is the polarity of the pedal? (Center pin positive or negative.)
These questions can usually be answered by:
- 1. Inspecting the pedal itself near the power jack.
- 2. Referring to the owner’s manual.
- 3. Checking online, or contacting the manufacturer
- 4. If your pedal can be powered by a 9Vdc battery, it can be powered by one of the 9Vdc outputs (exception being the Boss ACA pedals, see below).
Notes on using certain pedals with the 1 SPOT Pro CS12:
- Some older Boss pedals require 12Vdc, yet can be powered by a 9Vdc battery. They will indicate “Use ACA adaptor” near the power jack. To power an ACA pedal please use outputs 3-6, and set to 12Vdc on the dip switch for the corresponding output. Modern Boss pedals will indicate “PSA,” and can be powered by any of the 1 SPOT Pro CS12’s 9Vdc outputs.
- Many germanium based fuzzes and Octavia-style pedals will require the use of the CYR adaptor to reverse the polarity to center pin positive.
- For pedals with high milliamp draws such as Strymon please utilize outputs 8-11.
- Eventide pedals such as the Time Factor and H9 may be powered by outputs 10-11 with the addition of the CL6 converter for proper dc jack tip size and polarity.
- Line 6 M9 may be powered by outputs 10-11, but will also require the CL6 converter. The M9 can also be powered directly by the 9Vac of output 12.
- Line 6 M5 may be powered by outputs 10-11, NOT output 12.
- Line 6 modeling pedals (DL-4/MM-4) may be powered by outputs 8-11, but will also require the CL6 converter. You may optionally use output 12, as the power input of these pedals can use 9Vac or 9Vdc.
- Line 6 Tone Core pedals may be powered by any 9Vdc output.
- Line 6 POD or M13 cannot be powered by the 1 SPOT Pro CS12, even on the 9Vac output. The milliamp draw is too large for those units.
- If more 9Vdc pedals need to be powered, a MC5 daisy chain (sold separately) may be plugged into any of the 9Vdc outputs depending on mA draw.
- Pedals that do not utilize a power jack, yet are powered normally by a 9Vdc battery, may utilize any 9Vdc output, along with the CBAT converter.
- TC Electronic Nova pedals may be powered by outputs 3-6 in the 12Vdc position.
- TC Electronic Classic and Tone Print series may be powered by any 9Vdc output.
- Digitech Whammy: Versions 1-4 may be powered by output 12 (9Vac) Version 5 or Whammy DT may be powered by outputs 10 or 11.
- Overdrives or fuzzes that sound/feel better at lower voltage should utilize output 7. Set the dip switch to the “on” position, and adjust the mini-pot on the face of the unit to the desired voltage, anywhere from 4-9Vdc.
- Note: Outputs 1-11 can each handle more than the stated mA number. However, it is important to never exceed the max. current rating of all outputs simultaneously.
- Radial Tonebone 15Vdc pedals can be powered by an 18Vdc output, using the Reverse Polarity Converter (CYR) included with the 1 SPOT Pro.
