wireless/USB pedalboard power

[marciero]

I am looking at the Mission Engineering 529 to power a small board. I like that it can run off of a USB battery pack or wall wart AC power. I think I prefer that to the 529i, which is a rechargeable built in power supply. (The 529i can be recharged with a USB battery pack but AFAIK cannot be directly powered with one).
If I need two large-draw pedals and I insist on having it battery pack powerable it looks like I would need something like the 529M as an add on because there is only one 500mA out on the 529. Any experiences with these?

FYI I wrote to Sweetwater with the following questions. There are a few videos I've seen also but I didnt see where these were addressed.
- The 529i can be recharged with a USB battery pack but cannot be directly powered with one. Is that correct?
- If I run the 529 with a USB battery pack, can the 529M be run off of the USB out on the 529, and if so, is it isolated from the 529?
- Can the 529M be powered from wall wart AC?

[Dave111]

I have the same questions. Did you ever get answers?

[marciero]

I did! This was a while back but here is the response I got from the Sweetwater sales rep

Your understanding on the 529i is mostly correct. You can leave a USB battery pack plugged into the USB in port so as to extend the battery life of the 529i. As far as being able to run off a USB power bank (assuming no charge in the 529i), it’s possible, but a total function of how much current you are drawing off the 529i in relation to the amount of power any given USB power supply puts out. The 529i fully discharges in 2 hours at 1000mA continuous load. The built in charge controller limits the 529i to 2000mA of charge current. It fully charges in 3.5 hours.

You can run the 529M off the USB outlet on the 529i. The limitations are again a function of the current draw on that particular outlet. The 529M can put out 3000mA. That kind of current alone will discharge the 529i from a full charge in about 45 minutes.

The 529M can be powered via a USB cable and USB wall block, like what you’d use to charge your phone.

I wound up with the 529, rather than the 529i, which I have mounted to a small board along with a USB battery pack. Its great to have no power cables.

[Dave111]

Thank you, quite helpful.

I am trying to decide between the MI 529 and the Cioks DC-4, for a Sunnaudio DI-2, with a tuner (and perhaps reverb) in the effects loop, on a pedaltrain nano (or probably a smaller homemade board).

I see a number of 5v USB to DC cable adapters on Amazon, some to 9v and some to 12v. I need to make sure I get the center negative DC end matched correctly.

This has been a more difficult learning curve than I expected. It surprises me that more acoustic players with limited pedal needs have not embraced the USB battery option. I did not find much info readily available on this.

Thanks again.

[Dave111]

I would be grateful for any advice on which cable and power bank to purchase for the 529. Really struggling to figure it out. I've a gig on 3.23.24 and I would love to have it sorted by then.
.

[marciero]

I used a power bank I had on hand- just a garden variety power bank you can get on Amazon or anyplace. It is similar to this . The main thing is that it is low profile to mount under the 529 on top of the board.

I dont know why you need a USB adapter. Standard USB cable goes from the battery pack to the MI 529. You only need a cable adapter if your pedal is not center negative, which is how the 529 is wired.

For a board I looked at the nano and others but wound up with something designed for wah/volume/expression pedal platform. The holes allowed me to use cable ties to anchor the pedals. Its very compact with clean routing. Too bad I no longer see the link to upload images!