Cheap chinese power supplies?

herbgarden

New member
New to the forum! I've got a behringer Eurorack mx802a that needs a new power supply and just ordered a cheap Chinese knock off of the chord off ebay. Looking at the specs it seems like it's completely the same in nearly every way except in that the Chinese one outputs 110 v instead of the behringer's 115v. Does anyone on here have experience with a cheap Chinese cable like this. I know this is kind of an obscure question for a pretty obscure piece of equipment but if anyone knows whether it will still work properly or not it'd be greatly appreciated as I'm a broke college student and every dollar counts. Thanks!
 
Output voltage is what is important.

It only $15. I would always suggest getting the accurate replacement power supply for any device.

LINK
 
Output voltage is what is important.

It only $15. I would always suggest getting the accurate replacement power supply for any device.

I wish it were that easy to find. The mx802a uses a different kind of 3 pin adapter. The recommended power supply is the mxUL2 but it is pretty much non existent online.
 
If the output voltage is the right one for the mixer, I'd not worry. In England, what comes out of the sockets measures about 240V. The official voltage is 230V (European harmonised voltage), and loads of power supply are marked 220V. Most modern power supplies are switch mode types that can Han dll from 110V to 240V with no issues. The real important feature is the current. If the mixer needs 2A, then a 1.5A adaptor is likely to get hot/fail/drop the voltage - all not good.
 
The MXUL2 puts out two voltages of 17.5vac with a center tap to a 3 pin connector which is retained to the mixer with a threaded ring, so not a PS that can easily be substituted.

herbgarden, on the Chinese knockoff, what is the ma (milliamp) rating number after the OUTPUT: 2*17.5VAC / ???ma ? This is an important number, as if it is too small, the PS won't be able to provide adequate power to the mixer. Do you have a link for the ebay knockoff or did you already buy and could post a pic off it?

I'll hunt around and see if I can find something, but they do seem scarce. The one I have I bought back in 2002, so pretty old.

Edit......... Are you sure it's the PS that's bad and not the mixer? Checked the end of the PS connector with a meter set to AC volts? If needed I can check mine and let you know which pins have voltage on them.

Is this the one from ebay....... 17V 600mA Mixing Console Mixer Power Supply AC Adapter 110V Input F1B2 730060597171 | eBay ?
 

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The MXUL2 puts out two voltages of 17.5vac with a center tap to a 3 pin connector which is retained to the mixer with a threaded ring, so not a PS that can easily be substituted.

herbgarden, on the Chinese knockoff, what is the ma (milliamp) rating number after the OUTPUT: 2*17.5VAC / ???ma ? This is an important number, as if it is too small, the PS won't be able to provide adequate power to the mixer. Do you have a link for the ebay knockoff or did you already buy and could post a pic off it?

I'll hunt around and see if I can find something, but they do seem scarce. The one I have I bought back in 2002, so pretty old.

Edit......... Are you sure it's the PS that's bad and not the mixer? Checked the end of the PS connector with a meter set to AC volts? If needed I can check mine and let you know which pins have voltage on them.

Is this the one from ebay.......

Yeah that's the exact one from ebay. Got the mixer of reverb and the guy shipped it with the wrong power supply to begin with (not fully sure how but i guess thats what happens when you only want to spend 40 bucks on a mixer)
 
Yes, be very very wary of gash power supplies unless you know exactly what you are about. Especially AC outputing ones because they will just deliver power into the wrong load untill they burn out or (hopefully!) pop the internal, non resetting thermal fuse. Switch mode DC supplies will generally shut down or at least current limit.

Do you have a basic AC/DC test meter? If not go and get one now! Then wait for Mark to come up with the precise connection regime because if the cheapo is different it could be damaged, the mixer could be damaged or both could be borked.

Personally I would just buy a good quality 17-0-17 30VA toroidal transformer and put it in a tin with an IEC mains conn' and switch but I do understand that is a bit beyond the average muso!

Dave.
 
The fact of life at people forget is that practically all the power supplies are made in China, irrespective of the brand on the box. There are amazing differences in quality and really the only thing is to get the spec and the connector right. Price is also a good guide, as are photos. Then you pay your money and wait. The connectors are in my view the worst part. Same size connectors that can be reliable or flaky because something is slightly wrong. I have a huge box of power supplies. I never throw them away but it rarely causes grief. They work, or do t work. If they power up and still work tomorrow left plugged in, they work for years and years till something changes. Current and voltage are all I look for. If I see a tiny adaptor rated at more than half an amp, I'm suspicious. Big and heavy ones probably aren't switch mode, so are probably going to be less stressed, but I go through the box, and the first one that has the right voltage, current and plug gets used.
 
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