Furman SPB-8C, Owner'S Manual

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SPB-8C Owner's Manual
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2. Create a layout: Lay out your pedal effects in
the desired order, giving thought to such issues as
keeping signal levels high to minimize hum and noise,
and ease of access to all foot switches. The Velcro™
system of attachment allows pedals to be repositioned
if necessary. Individual pedals should be connected in a
signal chain using short patch cords (not supplied). The
input to the first pedal should come from the output of
the instrument being used; the output of the last pedal
should be patched to the
IN FROM PEDALS jack (both
should be used if the pedal has a stereo output). See
the next section for more on the SPB-8C’s patching
capabilities.
3. Provide Power: The SPB-8C can power almost
any pedal made, using one of its four power options.
Three of these provide 9 VDC power, and the fourth is
120 VAC “wall” power.
9 VDC Power is typically used in pedals that can
run off batteries, or off battery eliminators. The SPB-8C
provides eight 9 VDC power outlets, all of which use 3.5
mm “miniplug” connectors on the pedal board end. On
the pedals themselves, several connector types may
be used, the most common of which is called “P205L”
or “DC connector”. This may easily be recognized as
a 5 mm round hole (often in a block of black plastic in-
sulating material), with a single metal pin in the center.
Eight miniplug-to-DC cables are provided with the SPB-
8C. Some 9V pedals use a miniplug connector instead
of a DC connector. One miniplug-to-miniplug cable is
provided with the SPB-8C for such pedals. Finally, a few
pedals have no provision for any form of power other
than batteries. Should you encounter one of these, one
miniplug-to-battery-clip cable is also provided. To use
it, simply remove the battery and connect the pedal’s
battery clip to the one on the cable.
Each of the SPB-8C's DC power outputs is isolated,
individually fused, and protected against shorts, so ped-
als can be plugged in without risk even while the pedal
board is powered up. Each output can supply up to 100
mA, which should be adequate for virtually any pedal.
Because the SPB-8C is protected by Furman’s famous
power conditioning capability, your valuable pedals will
be protected from damage from spikes and surges.
120 VAC Power may be needed for a few ped-
als. Four grounded, 15A outlets are provided. These
may also be used for non-pedal effects, such as those
mounted in racks, or other equipment, such as apli-
fiers, etc.
4. Packing up: Once all pedals have been posi-
tioned, linked in a signal chain, and powered, the SPB-
8C is ready for use on stage. After use, just place the
cover over the entire board, secure the four latches,
and off you go.
Sample Hookups
The SPB-8C offers very flexible patching options
that will allow easy connection of mono and/or stereo
pedal effects, rack effects, and instruments and amps.
Several examples are presented here to illustrate its
capabilities. To understand the patch bay, consider the
“normal” signal flow through it, indicated by the arrows
showing direction:
IN FROM
PEDALS
LEFT
RIGHT
RETURN
SEND
RETURN SEND
IN FROM
PEDALS
(STEREO)
(MONO)
OUT TO AMP INPUT
OUT TO AMP INPUT
EXTERNAL
EFFECTS
EXTERNAL
EFFECTS
(MONO)
SIGNAL DIRECTION
SIGNAL DIRECTION
Note that there are two seperate channels, LEFT
(mono) and RIGHT (stereo). If nothing is plugged into the
effects return jack, the signal will flow unimpeded from
the first jack,
IN FROM PEDALS, to the OUT TO AMP
INPUT jack. The send jacks are unswitched and may be
used to take a "tap" off the signal path without breaking
it, provided the effect return jack is not being used.
All hookups begin by connecting the guitar or other
instrument into the the input of the first pedal in the chain.
From there, the exact hookup used depends on whether
the pedals have mono or stereo outputs, whether rack
effects as well as pedals are used, and whether one or
two amps are used.