Getting rid of wall-warts; DIN-rail supplies

[fragletrollet]

Looking at products like Strymon Zuma or Eventide Powermax, and being fed up with low quality wallwart style socket stealers that every pedal, controller and other studio-gizmo's released these days come with, I am curious to certain products like DIN-rail power-supplies. It's easy to mount a din-rail in each rack, and have small DIN-mountable supplies for each rail (presuming that is better than a big supply that's split between devices).

Anybody have experience and know of quality products? I've read the Strymon blurb on why (they believe) their Zuma is so great. I have lots of Strymon pedals, and do not exactly love the supplies that comes with them by default (but they are silent and cool, no whine etc that I've experienced with other no-name supplies.

Those DIN supplies are generally quite cheap, so if one just needs to add mounting one could get quite the flexible psu with many rails for the price of something like those retail ones.

 

[fragletrollet]

No ideas?

 

[Newmarket]

Mechanically DIN Rail offers benefits in terms of neatness etc.
Performance will depend on the individual supplies themselves.
Usually aimed at industrial applications, noise levels might not be the top consideration.

 

[fragletrollet]

Well it would be in my case. What specs should I look at in the data sheets?

 

[Newmarket]

It's difficult because in many cases there is not detailed info' in the product info / datasheet.
Look to see some sort of noise related figure. But tbh a straight xxx mV figure doesn't tell you a lot since measurement bandwidth is of ten not quoted.
I'd recommend dropping the manufacturer a line - stating your usage and requesting further information.
Might not get a good or fast response but that should probably warn you off.
fwiw I've used / specified these in various systems but that was for non-audio kit. eg Valve / Motor Control; Datalogger Systems; embedded systems where the eg 24V would be further stepped down and regulated locally.

 

[fragletrollet]

Thanks for your reply. In my experience I've had little response of value contacting large suppliers with specific questions, I guess we mere mortals who, understandably enough, order in such small quantities that they consider it a waste of time.

But who knows, I might be the decision-maker on a large order on behalf of some big engineering firm sometime in a distant future... Then I'll remember cool firms like THATcorp, who'll gladly treat the hobbyist as professionally as the corporate employee.

 

[Newmarket]

Yes. It can definitely be a challenge to get useful responses from manufacturers. And that still applies, although maybe to a lesser extent, if you are a commercial company buying catalogue product.
In many cases I think it's a case of they just don't have the information you want. eg noise characterised for frequency components over a defined measurement bandwidth. More a case of it meets the datasheets spec in terms of output voltage, max current and relevant regulatory requirements.
The measurements themselves, if they exist, may be in an engineering file somewhere remote and possibly not in English (or the language relevant to your territory).
It does sort of make me smile when I'm on the "English" version of a manufacturer website but when I click through to a datasheet it's in eg a Chinese language..

 

[fragletrollet]

Interesting.

I once communicated with SPL (the audio equipment company) in regards to some spare parts (a knob, to be specific. Hardly something a non engineer should have troubles relating to). Got referred to the engineering dept (by a helpful sales rep), but they never replied to anything.

There's bound to be a gap between sales reps and engineering dept. My professor at uni threatens us that if we don't give it all in our studies, we'll end up a lowly sales engineer. Heh. Circle jerk in the backroom lab while we look down on nontechnical customer care reps. Sound business strategy, great morality

 

[MicMaven]

No ideas?

Howdy! I do not use power distribution units because they do not suit my needs. For one, they often use under powered supplies that stress when tapped to their maximum duty. For another, I find many of my devices have reversed polarity; that is, the center is positive on some, and negative on others. Consequently, I build my own power distribution blocks from various materials, and wire them to suit my needs, giving me a one-off solution. I usually power them with an Astron or Samlex or similar single large power supply with more than sufficient "headroom" - usually linear power supplies, avoiding switching supplies as much as possible. I sometimes use buck converters to convert 13.8 (i.e. "12v") lines to 5v and 9v lines, respectively. One can easily convert a spare computer power supply into a multiple voltage supply with low cost buck converters and power connector break-out adapters, providing 12, 9, 5 volt outlets to power multiple devices off a single supply. I find these are heavier duty and lower noise than many consumer grade distribution blocks marketed to musicians. Just M take -- good luck. James