Novation DrumStation PSU

[BillB]

Just picked up a DrumStation in very nice condition, starting to find my way around it. Unfortunately the PSU that it came with lost a leg inside a power strip - or rather the metal bit of the leg got left behind when I unplugged it from the power strip (the power strip has a slightly odd and aggressive L/N pin blanking mechanism).

Novation's FAQ mentioned using the PSU-4 and the DS spec says 9V 600mA, so I contacted Novation. They said they had a sutable power supply. £30 inc postage - over the odds for a PSU, could have picked up a MyVolts for around half that, but thought it best to go with Novation's recommendation.

Anyway, what has come through is 12V, 1.2A switch-mode non-branded chinese PSU. I appreciate that the current capacity is not an issue - the DrumStation will only take what it needs, but is the 12V PSU rating an issue for a 9V specification device or well within tolerance?

[resistorman]

Presumably they know what they're doing. Unless there's a circuit diagram or other information you can dig up, I would put in a call and double check with their tech department.

[James Perrett]

What do the markings on the old power supply say? Or the label on the device itself?

If there are no labels (which would be very strange) I'd be tempted to contact Novation again to check. Some devices will be fine but the extra 3 volts could cause problems if the internal regulators couldn't dissipate the additional power caused by the extra volts. A problem like this could take months or years to become apparent (as owners of the Behringer ADA8000 know well).

[nathanscribe]

Yeah, what they said, plus that is *very* expensive for a bog standard wart. :/

I've had issues with generic cheap DC PSUs before with other gear that was resolved by buying the official Roland/Boss model, but even so.

[BillB]

The spec on p49 of the manual says:
Power : 9VDC 500mA input. Use Novation PSU-4

Thanks for the tips to be wary - I will take it up with Novation again. And yes, it was expensive so it had better be right!

[BillB]

OK, I have had this useful reply from Novation which suggests that they have thought about this. Presumably the additional voltage/current is within the capacity of the internal regulators.

Thanks for getting in touch about this. The Drum Station originally shipped with a 500mA 9V power supply. If you use it with the original power supply then getting 8 voices is only possible with shorter sounds as the 808 and 909 kick and toms use more resources than hats or snares. Getting a power supply that can provide more current will allow the unit to reach a more reliable 8 voice polyphony depending on how much extra current is provided. The polyphony could drop to as low as 4 with the original PSU.

We have tested this unit with modern Novation 12V 1.2A power supplies and this works reliably.

I hope this helps.

[Martin Walker]

Well that's the sort of decently detailed answer that makes perfect sense, and may even encourage other Drumstation users to upgrade

[BillB]

Indeed, Martin. It means a great deal that it is possible to write to Novation and get this kind of response. I can’t imagine the same thing happening with some of the other big names in the market.

Dear Roland. Why has my otherwise very nice System-8 got such meagre memory, poor patch management and non-existent sysex capability?

........

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Tumbleweed rolls past.......

[resistorman]

Nice that they responded, but if they shipped underpowered PSUs then they should have replaced all of them when they found out they'd screwed up.

[BillB]

It's a 1996 product:

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/no ... rumstation

I'm happy to cut them some slack on this one!