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PCI Max External Power Supply Question
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:24 pm
by Rich714
I'd like to go with an external power supply for my PCI Max to *hopefully* eliminate the noise from my PC. Question: is the center pin of the power supply jack (mounted to the PCI Max board) positive? I'm a newbie at this and want to make sure I correctly wire the plug ... don't want anything to go POP! when I insert the plug!!
By the way, this is a great product; I'm having a blast with it!
Thanks,
Rich
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 1:27 am
by Sir Nigel
My board has tiny markings on it, I decided to check too before connecting. However in my case adding an external power supply did not eliminate audio noise unfortunately.
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 3:15 am
by Francie81
Well lads am the proud owner of PCI Max also and like yourself am looking to go stand alone.
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 4:52 am
by Rich714
I figure I'll try an external power supply soon, since I already have a good one that I'm currently not using for anything. But I understand from Sir Nigel that his external supply didn't eliminate the PC noise anyway, so it may not make a difference. In any event, experimenting is part of the fun of this great hobby. Also, I see from some of the info on the PCS website that the center pin is indeed positive; guess I should have searched for the info before posting!
At least when it comes to the PC (fan?) noise, you can't hear it when the music's playing. It's only present during a silent carrier, and even then, you only hear it when you crank up the radio almost full blast. So it's not THAT bad, mostly just an annoyance. Maybe the ultimate solution is running the PCMAX as a stand alone unit, away from the noisy PC.
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:07 am
by Francie81
Come to think of it the noise is only really obvious when you listen through earphones on a walkman, its not actually that bad from the radio itself.
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 2:17 am
by Rich714
And the interesting thing, at least in my case, is that the noise only seems to be there when I broadcast in stereo. Switch to mono and it disappears. Also I don't notice the noise before I apply audio to the carrier. Once I begin playing music and then stop the player, the noise is there.
Anyway, it's not that bad, so I'll just keep rockin' in stereo!
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:11 am
by manado
PCI Max 2006 could be used for the broadcasting?
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:32 am
by PhilJSmith67
The center pin is positive. I am using a power adapter from an old portable TV. It's has a 15VDC output capable of 2A, and the DC is really clean. My FM stereo audio has a very clean dead carrier, compared to using the PC's internal power where there is a very slight 60Hz hum.[/code]