I got my free Road Rage board with my rump roast one - thank you very much. But, even after reading the doc on it, I am not quite understanding where and when you would use it. Say, in a fuzz box, what effect will having more headroom do to the sound? Where else might you use it? Sorry if these have been answered already. Thanks
In a fuzz, more headroom may not be helpful. Usually, transistors need to be biased, meaning that they have a balanced amount of power going into them. More power won't make them sound good, just the right amount of power.
However, some fuzzes require -9VDC power instead of the +9VDC power almost all other pedals use. This means that you can't use a typical boss power supply, or even a special multi power supply like a pedals power plus.
With these circuits using -9VDC, you can use the road rage board to give them the power they need while using a regular +9VDC power supply. Another use of the road rage is to provide approximately +18VDC to a circuit while only using a +9VDC power supply. You can also use a regulator to get +5, +12, or +15VDC, which are all required in some builds available.
Hope that helps you understand what a road rage is for. Just for the record, the Rump Roast is not a fuzz pedal, it's an overdrive. I believe it may benefit from running at +18VDC, but because I haven't looked at the build documents I can't be %100. Make sure you use parts rated for a higher voltage than you're supplying (25V and higher is usually good).
Jacob
Thanks, Jacob. That helps alot. I have seen some negative ground projects where that would help. Beats having to run a separate power supply to a single pedal. I have shied away from negative ground circuits for that reason - not feeling like messing with the differences. I will build the Rump Roast as designed, but I will look for some projects that might benefit from the Road Rage's flexibility. Thanks again, Jacob, for your explanation and thanks to Brian for the free premium.
Keith
Slightly off topic...FWIW you can run a reverse polarity pedal with the VL pedal power plus with the reverse polarity cable. ;)
It's okay to use LT1054 too right? It just can put out more current right?
I use them with the egodriver and I used one for a byoc delay that needs 18v. I also built a DLS clone with one for a bandmate.
I'm curious if this will isolate the ground? i.e. could I daisy-chain a PNP fuzz using this with other negative-ground pedals?
Yes.
Jacob