Good idea or good grief?

[lars]

I received an email from Vintage Guitar for a company called "Earth Board" https://earthboardmusic.com/.
Right away, something didn't seem right to me, because they made claims like, "Nobody else can do this!", yet I could still see velcro all over the place. And sure enough, even though they are using rare earth magnets to attach their "gravity boots" to the metal board...the pedal itself is still attaching to the "boot" with plain 'ol velcro! So instead of one attachment point, you're now dealing with two. How is that an improvement? The pedal still has velcro on it. The whole point in coming up with something new is to get away from having to attach velcro to the bottom of your pedal, which can pull off manufacturer labels, leave super-sticky residue, (insert complaint here).
The real winner here in my opinion are the rare earth magnets that look like they can fit a standard 1590-style enclosure screw. I've been looking for magnets like those because I had this same idea, only I was going to attach the magnets directly to the pedal and just use an industrial metal shelf as the board. The only magnets I could find were too weak, and the rare earth magnets I found didn't fit the screws.
I would say, find the supplier of these magnets and get a bag for about $40.
Literally just about anybody can do this...

[EBK]

Looks like the pedal board has power rails, and the magnets are the connection to those power rails?  Useful if your problem is having too much money? 

As far as the downsides to velcro go, I just put a layer of gaffers tape on the bottom of my pedals before attaching the velcro.  Removable, but resilient.

[somnif]

My first pedal board (and only board I've ever actually 'assembled') was just some scrap wood from a pallet and some screw-down metal hanger strapping to hold things in place. Cost like 5 bucks and I probably could've beat someone over the head with it and not dislodged anything.

But as for these Gravity Boot things, it looks like they're using these things: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/10-PACK-Neodymium-Disc-Countersunk-Hole_60712818925.html (assuming the facebook pic is indicative)

[davent]

Lee Valley sell these cup and magnet sets, startind at 1/4" that might be adaptable for use with the mounting screws of an enclosure.



https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/rare-earth-magnets/magnets/disc/58750-rare-earth-magnet-cup-and-washer-sets
dave

[madbean]

I'm curious about the effects, if any, of using a bunch of magnets near DC current in pedals.

[EBK]

I'm curious about the effects, if any, of using a bunch of magnets near DC current in pedals.

The current-carrying wires would experience a unmeasurably small amount of Lorentz force.  There would be some unmeasurably small Hall effects here and there, I suppose.  Now, if your magnets were constantly moving, it could be a different story.

Short answer: the magnets would not cause anything noticeable.

[madbean]

I'm curious about the effects, if any, of using a bunch of magnets near DC current in pedals.

The current-carrying wires would experience a unmeasurably small amount of Lorentz force.  There would be some unmeasurably small Hall effects here and there, I suppose.  Now, if your magnets were constantly moving, it could be a different story.

Short answer: the magnets would not cause anything noticeable.

So, you're saying my motorized magnetic pedalboard is a bad idea? Buzz kill.

[electrosonic]

Meh. Added complexity for too little benefit. Also using "proprietary cables" seems like a bad direction to pursue.

Andrew.

[lars]

Lee Valley sell these cup and magnet sets, startind at 1/4" that might be adaptable for use with the mounting screws of an enclosure.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/rare-earth-magnets/magnets/disc/58750-rare-earth-magnet-cup-and-washer-sets
dave

Thanks for the link. That would be worth looking into, because I would still like to eventually use the metal shelf I have as a pedalboard, and have the convenience of being able to rearrange pedals with ease while not dealing with velcro.
The funny part of all of this is that MacBook Pro laptops have been using a magnetic power attachment for about 15 years now. There is nothing new or innovative or any kind of wow factor to this. I'm sure it was the Macbook Pro that gave them the idea in the first place. These pedalboard systems are a really expensive "solution" to a problem that didn't exist. If the focus had been on getting rid of velcro entirely...that would have been something.

[EBK]

So, you're saying my motorized magnetic pedalboard is a bad idea? Buzz kill.

To the contrary, I'd happily contribute money to your R&D to see that.   

[gordo]

Big geek factor but I'd be curious about this too.  It might be the epitome off laziness but I hate ripping pedals off my board to rearrange because I have them so heavily velcro'd

[lars]

Hmmm....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YBBCJ5W?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

[cooder]

Hmmm....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YBBCJ5W?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Those magnets are indeed friggin' powerful... we have them in kitchen pantry to keep doors closed and they do have serious pull.