Help needed finding AC adapter for KAM DJ mixer

[db]

TL; DR = click on the pic below and see if you can help me figure out what kind of AC adapter i need, please!


i recently resurrected my decks from the garage, but gone are the hedonistic days where they would be centrepiece of the house, with their own dedicated table in the living room, surrounded by boxes and boxes of meticulously catalogued vinyl, alas - now they need to fit on a tiny desk in my office, and in order to do that i had to get myself a small, compact mixer..

so i've been keeping an eye on ebay, and recently picked up a KAM Silver Dwarf for less than a tenner - result.. only trouble is, a few days after winning the auction the seller contacts me to say he can't find the PSU anywhere! i said he should go ahead and send it anyway, as long as he would partially refund, and i would get a universal AC adapter from amazon or somewhere..

well, the mixer has arrived, and it certainly looks the part - only about 5" wide, so it nestles perfectly twixt the 1200s, leaving plenty of room for my computer and everything else - sorted.. now there's just the issue of getting it working!

i assumed it would be one of those standard barrel connectors (the "hollow post" style ones that almost every DC device uses), but it would seem that is not the case..

it looks like a headphone jack, which i've never seen used as a DC input.. however, a quick look at some universal AC adapters on amazon would seem to suggest it is an option offered by them.. the only problem is, i know nothing about the input spec of this PSU! the only label on the device itself is "12V", as per this photo (click for big):



i've googled the manual, but this is the nearest i can find which isn't quite the same model, and it is no help - at one point it says it is 12V input, yet on the diagram legend it says 15V, and nowhere does it tell me the polarity or current capacity.. the latter isn't all that important, but i could do with knowing the former!

anyone got any suggestions? i have tried emailing warranty@kam.co.uk and service@lambaplc.com to see if they can help, but so far no response (and i doubt i'll get one)..

there are plenty of universal adapters on amazon, so i'm thinking this one may well work:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004YBLD1G

however, will i do any damage if i get the polarity wrong on first try?

thanks

 

[wmrcomputers]

Impossible to say whether or not it will cause damage as we can't say whether it has adequate reverse polarity protection built in. Another consideration is whether or not you need a regulated or unregulated PSU. I have a feeling that it needs to be regulated as most sound equipment gets "unwanted noise" if not (usually in the form of a humming noise). Also, if it genuinely needs 12v AC as stated on the casing then the adaptor you mentioned is no good as it's a DC output.

 

[wmrcomputers]

I expect the power supply would be the same as included with this one, and it is indeed like a mono headphone plug...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KAM-KMX-1...pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Mixers&hash=item58bad67a15

I'd use the ASK SELLER A QUESTION link to see if he minds providing you a photo of the label on the side of the power supply - tell him you need to see it before bidding (to get his interest in assisting you). Then if it shows a model number you'll have something to start looking into

 

[db]

I expect the power supply would be the same as included with this one, and it is indeed like a mono headphone plug...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KAM-KMX-1...pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Mixers&hash=item58bad67a15

I'd use the ASK SELLER A QUESTION link to see if he minds providing you a photo of the label on the side of the power supply - tell him you need to see it before bidding (to get his interest in assisting you). Then if it shows a model number you'll have something to start looking into

you absolute ruddy genius - that mixer is identical to mine, down to the finest detail, except mine is silver/grey and has "SILVER DWARF" printed along the top instead of KMX100 at the bottom-right!! presumably mine is a special edition or some other rebranded short run, hence why i can't find any trace of it anywhere on the internet..

i shall do exactly as you suggest, plus i can start researching this KMX100 mixer as well as i am 100% convinced they are one and the same internally..

cheers, chap

 

[wmrcomputers]

Good luck! Keep us updated

 

[db]

no reply from the ebay seller yet, but...

Another consideration is whether or not you need a regulated or unregulated PSU. I have a feeling that it needs to be regulated as most sound equipment gets "unwanted noise" if not (usually in the form of a humming noise). Also, if it genuinely needs 12v AC as stated on the casing then the adaptor you mentioned is no good as it's a DC output.

i just assumed the "12v AC" was a bad, lost-in-translation print job, and it simply meant "12v AC adapter plugs in here", but you may be right i've been googling "kam kmx 100" and stumbled 'pon this:

http://forum.speakerplans.com/best-dj-mixer-for-mobile-12v_topic56820.html

that seems to suggest that it is an AC input, and goes so far as to say that most mixers are AC.. does that mean my hopes of finding a suitable PSU are dashed?

all i want is a small, working mixer so i can get my decks up & running again, alongside my computer on my tiny 138cm office desk

 

[db]

oh, and found this interesting little project where some chap took the same mixer apart and crammed it in a nicer box - i was sure there would be some nice close-ups of the circuitry or some other clues to the PSU, but nothing that i can see:

http://www.55th.co.uk/research-department/55th-mixer/

 

[db]

hmmmm - possible light at the end of the tunnel.. this chap, who is clearly even more clueless than me, seems to have been in a similar sitch and got it working eventually:

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/dj-equipment-help.143663/

he bought a cheapo pair of decks and a KAM KMX100 mixer off ebay, but had never used decks before and didn't know how to set them up.. he mentions that he bought a standard universal DC adapter to power the mixer (or "crossfader", as he initially calls it) but nothing seemed to work, so i assumed all hope was lost.. but the last message says:

I found out what the problem with the mixer was, I had to buy a power cord for it and got one with changable adapter bits. I had the right adapter becuase it fit the mixer and the power light was on when I put it in. What I hadn't done was changed the bit on the mains plug to the right voltage setting. Everythings working now, although the decks are a bit shit I'm happy.

so this would seem to suggest that he got it working in the end!

ah well.. hopefully i'll hear back from the ebay seller of the KMX100 that @wmrcomputers pointed out and that will shed some light

 

[db]

bless 'em, they have replied! can't ask for a better photo than this (click for big):



i'm pretty sure that that is a standard 12v DC output.. doesn't say anything about polarity, though - unless one of those symbols indicates that, in which case i hope someone here can decipher them!

 

[Noah]

I would have thought that the ~ symbol after the 12V indicated AC

Edit. D*mn, the little wavy line symbol on the keyboard above hash came out as a straight line. So the wavy line symbol I can't type here means AC

 

[db]

I would have thought that the ~ symbol after the 12V indicated AC

Edit. D*mn, the little wavy line symbol on the keyboard above hash came out as a straight line. So the wavy line symbol I can't type here means AC

grud dammit, you're right

ah well.. i think my best option is to just buy this KAM KMX 100 that @wmrcomputers found - that way i will know it works, and means i (probably) have a spare which works with the same adapter, should i need it..

blates going to contact the seller of the original one, though, who stated "full working condition" - how could he possibly know that if he didn't even have the PSU?? hopefully i'll get a full refund and he won't want it back, because i can't be arsed sending it for the sake of a fiver or whatever it is i paid in the end..

thanks for all the help, chaps - especially @wmrcomputers for finding that alternative!

edit: oh, and @Noah - your tilde is showing up correctly, so i'm not sure why it's not at your end.. do these ones look straight, or tildey: ~ ~ ~ ~

 

[wmrcomputers]

I find it extremely unlikely that that it will be a DC supply - that may be a typical Chinese error on the pictured PSU. If that was the case then this one looks like it would do the job and have the necessary tip - but don't quote me on it.

@Gramaisc may have some thoughts on the matter, but low voltage AC is pretty rare as far as I'm concerned and I really can't imagine it being as such

Having said that, if you can buy the mixer I found at the right price, then jobs a good un, plus like you say you'll then have a spare mixer or be able to choose the best of the two.

 

[wmrcomputers]

just researched further and the reason they are usually AC input is so that the manufacturers can ensure a adequately matched ac/dc inverter insider the unit themselves - due to being audio equipment to ensure no noise is created from the power supply. Kinda makes sense.

If that is so you have another option depending on how techy you are.... to dismantle the mixer and see if you can establish a separate inverter circuit and bypass it with a DC adaptor wired directly in where necessary - avoiding the need for AC and avoiding the need for finding a suitable miniature jack plug. But in all honesty you could then hit noise issues unless spending quite a bit on a decent regulated DC power supply.

All not worth the hassle I suppose

 

[Noah]

grud dammit, you're right
oh, and @Noah - your tilde is showing up correctly, so i'm not sure why it's not at your end.. do these ones look straight, or tildey: ~ ~ ~ ~

Tilde - that was the word I was looking for. Both your & my tildes still look like dashes to me. Must be something in my setup. ~

Edit: except that in my quote of your post they look like tildes, but not in my reply. Strange

 

[Withnail]

It's the sans-serif font that has been introduced as the default.

Makes little difference if you post a tilde in your own avec-serif world if the recipient has sans-ed themselves by default.

Now i have to 'c. ' things that i cannot ~

 

[Noah]

So how do I undefault sans to avec?

 

[Withnail]

Bottom bottom left -> little cog icon whatsit 'Sans-serif fonts' -> Style chooser...

 

[db]

It's the sans-serif font that has been introduced as the default.

Makes little difference if you post a tilde in your own avec-serif world if the recipient has sans-ed themselves by default.

Now i have to 'c. ' things that i cannot ~

not sure what you mean, but i use the default sans-serif fonts (default everything, actually) and tildes definitely show up just fine for me, along with everything else..

So how do I undefault sans to avec?

you really don't want to.. people were (quite rightly) crying out for sans-serif fonts for ages, and this place looks so much better with the default setting, imo! to each there own, though, so if you like the serif fonts crack on.. it shouldn't make a difference to tildes, though (doesn't for me) - a tilde is a tilde, in whatever typeface one uses!

 

[db]

oof - this one is so close:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-power-supply-12Vac-500mA-/130996168929

label on the adapter suggests it is almost spot on, bar being 100mA shy of the required output

still, it gives me hope that such things exist!

thanks for all your suggestions @wmrcomputers but (rather embarrassingly since i have a degree in engineering) that's all a bit over my head..

(well, "i'm too lazy" would be a better assessment, but the net result is the same )

 

[db]

could it be??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-AC-MAI...A-1AMP-1000MA-12V-12-VOLT-2-1MM-/121288054559


edit: although, with P&P, that's totes expensive.. might be better off just buying the KMX one off ebay (although there are 2 bidders atm, so i might not get it for the knock-down price i was expecting )