Can I use a 18v power supply for a semi-sweet distortion 3 (Cornish ss-3)

Bobbyd67

Well-known member
Just got done building this one and it's very cool :) I was just wondering.

Can I go 18v it if all my electro caps a rated 25v or above ? Will it explode and leave me with pedal enclosure shrapnel all over? And most importantly ... Will it be useful or worth it:p

Thanks !!
 
It’ll be fine. Anything can be run at 18v if your caps and chips (check data sheets!) can handle it. Some effects benefit nicely from higher voltage and others not so much. Just don’t do it to anything that has a charge pump chip!
 
It’ll be fine. Anything can be run at 18v if your caps and chips (check data sheets!) can handle it. Some effects benefit nicely from higher voltage and others not so much. Just don’t do it to anything that has a charge pump chip!

Usually true, but there are cases where JFETs or BJT's won't bias correctly.

If your'e just starting out, a good rule of thumb for (electrolytic) capacitors is to use ones rated for _double_ the max voltage. Conventional wisdom is that ensures the caps longevity. As you get a little deeper into this, it becomes obvious where the voltage rating is important and where it isn't (like on power-supply filtering caps but not on an emitter bypass cap).
 
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