SPB-8C Owner's Manual SPB-8C Features The SPB-8C's stereo patch bay contains eight heavy duty 1/4" connectors in two mono loops. This allows a single guitar or instrument input to feed multiple mono and stereo effects boxes, send and return from remote effects, and feed up to two amplifiers simultaneously. From modest to highly complex patching demands, the SPB-8C allows nearly unlimited setup flexibility. Powering your pedals, amps and other gear, the SPB-8C offers two levels of surge and short circuit protection, as well as RF and EMI filtering. The SPB-8C is quiet, powering 9V DC pedals without hum. This is due to the high quality toroidal transformer employed. Each 9 VDC output is completely isolated so ground loops or connections between pedals that can cause hum or buzz are a thing of the past. Each DC output is rated at 100 mA, as well as being short circuit protected. This means that if you have a shorted cable or pedal failure, the affected output will shutdown, leaving the rest of the outputs operational. This is one of the benefits of isolated outputs. The SPB-8C makes pack-up simple and convenient. Unpatching several effects boxes and pedals is no longer required, since the large VelcroTM sheet and included mating strips firmly secures all of your pedals in place. The top cover of the SPB-8C is made of highimpact plastic, and comes equipped with a retractable handle and wheels for easy transportation. · · · · · · · · · · · The pedal board is a solid, nonslip base for pedal effects that lets you leave everything powered up and patched together as you like it A road worthy, high-impact plastic case with a removable top cover, retractable handle and inline skate wheels for easy transportation Eight completely isolated, regulated and short protected 9VDC, 100mA outlets All signal jacks and 9VDC power jacks are insulated and isolated, eliminating noisy ground loops Stereo effects return, effects loop, and amplifier outputs Multi-tap toroidal transformer for ultra low-noise performance Four widely spaced 120V AC, 15 amp outlets allow enough room for "wall warts" Furman's quality spike and surge suppression and EMI/RFI filtering assures clean power Pedal effects attach securely to a 13.75" x 26.75" VelcroTM pad Heavy duty, illuminated power switch for easy viewing on stage Very long 10-foot, detachable power cord Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the Furman SPB-8C -- the next generation in pedal board design with the touring musician in mind. The SPB-8C is the most rugged, versatile, and useful board available anywhere. It features heavy duty construction that will handle the most forceful stomps you can offer, as well as stand up to the rigors of the road. Furman Sound was the first to offer the market a stereo pedal board, and the SPB-8C is the next generation of that product, with the same high level of power conditioning that Furman is famous for. At the heart of the SPB-8C Stereo Pedal Board is a light yet rugged molded polyethenol plastic platform in combination with a brushed aluminum chassis and an ample 13.75" x 26.75" VelcroTM sheet, ensuring secure, low noise, nonslip performance for up to eight (or more, depending on power requirements) effects boxes and pedals. Using the SPB-8C When fully set up, the SPB-8C will save you many hours of plugging, unplugging, packing, and unpacking pedals and effects. However, to fully realize the simplification it offers, you must do some planning and preparation. 1. Prepare Pedals: Most pedal effects have rubber feet on their bottoms. These must first be removed to allow them to be attached to the SPB-8C. Some may be attached with screws; others may be stick-on types that must be pried off. Once the rubber feet are off, they should be replaced with the adhesive-backed VelcroTM supplied with the SPB-8C. Cut suitably-sized pieces with a pair of scissors, peel off the protective backing to expose the adhesive, and stick them to the bottom of your pedal effects. If you wish to reposition your pedals, several smaller pieces of VelcroTM may allow easier removal than one large piece, though the larger the area you cover, the more firmly the pedal will be attached. -- SPB-8C Owner's Manual 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 VelcroTM 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 insulating material), with a single metal pin in the center. Eight miniplug-to-DC cables are provided with the SPB8C. 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 pedals 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 pedals. 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 aplifiers, etc. 4. Packing up: Once all pedals have been positioned, linked in a signal chain, and powered, the SPB8C 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: SIGNAL DIRECTION EXTERNAL EFFECTS RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS LEFT (MONO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) 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. -- SPB-8C Owner's Manual A Note On The Current Requirements Of Pedal Effects Each of the SPB-8C's 9VDC outlets has a maximum current rating of 100 mA, yet certain pedals state power requirements of 200 mA or more. Most of the time, these specifications are more indicative of a desired level of regulation from a wall wart than an actual constant current requirement. Typically, the actual current draw is no more than 50 mA, so the SPB-8C's supply will in fact be more than adequate. To confirm this, try it! There is no harm in trying one of the SPB-8C's 9VDC outlets on any pedal or box. If the constant current draw actually exceeds 100 mA, the PTC (solid state fuse) will shut off, without damage, until the excessive load is removed. If this occurs, simply unplug the device and use one of the SPB-8C's AC outlets with an appropriate wall wart supply. To further illustrate this point,consider this: If a battery-powered device were actually to draw 300 mA continuously at 9VCD, it would consume a new alkaline battery every six minutes. Example 1: Mono Pedals, Single Amp In this example, two pedals are linked together with a short cable going from the output of the first to the input PATCH EXAMPLE - 1 of the second. Since there is only one amp, only the Left/Mono channel is used. SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY INPUT EXTERNAL EFFECTS INPUT RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS LEFT (MONO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) AMPLIFIER INSTRUMENT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT EFFECTS BOX EFFECTS BOX -- PATCH EXAMPLE - 3 SPB-8C Owner's Manual Example : Mono Pedals, Mono Rack Effects, Single Amp The example is similar to the previous one, except that a rack effect is added which has mono inputs and outputs. Again, since there is only one amp, just the LEFT/mono channel is used. PATCH EXAMPLE - 2 SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY INPUT EXTERNAL EFFECTS RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS LEFT (MONO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) MENT AMPLIFIER OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT INSTRUMENT OUTPUT EFFECTS BOX EFFECTS BOX INPUT OUTPUT RACK EFFECTS L R REMOTE STEREO EFFECTS PATCH EXAMPLE - 4 SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY INPUT EXTERNAL EFFECTS RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS LEFT (MONO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) -- SPB-8C Owner's Manual EFFECTS BOX EFFECTS BOX Example : Mono Pedals, Mono Rack Effects, One Amp In this example, you have both pedals connected to the input of your amplifier while using remote mono effects (which can be pedals or racked effects) connected to your amplifier's effects loop. You can only connect one amplifier to the patchbay with this configuration. PATCH EXAMPLE - 3 SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY SEND RETURN EX SPEAKER HDPHONE INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT AMPLIFIER REAR VIEW RACK EFFECTS L R INPUT REMOTE MONO EFFECTS ( Rack or Pedal Effects ) AMPLIFI INPUT EXTERNAL EFFECTS AMPLIFIER FRONT VIEW LEFT (MONO) RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS INPUT OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) INSTRUMENT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT AMPLIFI EFFECTS BOX EFFECTS BOX -- RACK EFFECTS L R SPB-8C Owner's Manual REMOTE STEREO EFFECTS Example : Mono Pedals, Two Amps This example is similar to the first except there are two amps. Both the Left/Mono and Right channels are used, and receive identical signals to send to their respective amps. The feed to the Right channel is split off from the Left/Mono signal path using the Left/Mono Rack Effects Send jack, because plugging in to either of the Send jacks allows a "tap" to be taken without breaking the corresponding signal path. PATCH EXAMPLE - 4 SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY INPUT EXTERNAL EFFECTS RIGHT (STEREO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN SEND IN FROM PEDALS LEFT (MONO) OUT TO AMP INPUT RETURN EXTERNAL EFFECTS SEND IN FROM PEDALS (MONO) AMPLIFIER INSTRUMENT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT EFFECTS BOX EFFECTS BOX UMENT AMPLIFIER -- SPB-8C Owner's Manual Example : Mono Pedals, Mono Rack Effects, Two Amps In this example, both the pedals and the rack effect are mono, so the left/right split to feed the two amps is accomplished similarly to Example 2, in which a Rack Effects Send jack was used to tap off a copy of the signal. Note that in this case the pedal chain's output is plugged to the Right channel, so it is the Right Rack Effects Send that is the splitting element. Because the jumper cable from the Right Effects Send is plugged into the IN FROM PEDALS (Left) jack, the "normal" signal path through the left channel is broken and replaced with the signal from the right channel. Also, note that while the pedal effects are heard in both channel ...