Almost one year ago the Birdcord USB→9V Converter Cable has been released and as you can imagine I learned a lot of things and got a lot of feedback from you since then. I now integrated these lessons into the Birdcord to offer you an even better product.
New Packaging: It turned out that the acryl box is very unpracticable because it’s hard to put the cable back in (too small). I now replaced it with a beautiful drawstring pouch with the Birdcord logo on it.
Cable Length: Due to popular demand I changed the cable length from 50cm (19.7″) to 55cm (21.7″).
Soft Start: Powering bigger devices like the Boss RC505 or RC300 Loopstations or the Digitech Trio+ from USB power banks has been a problem before because these devices need a very high initial current/startup current. Even though the Birdcord could handle this current the power banks would shut down. Not anymore! I now integrated a soft start circuit into the Birdcord that allows starting up these devices without overloading the power bank. It works with any USB power bank with an output current of 2A or higher (small devices still work from any USB port of course).
More Output Current: The new revision of the Birdcord is capable of a maximum output current of 1000mA@9V. Having said that I still recommend not drawing more than 700mA for permanent use to have some margin left for short current peaks and to ensure a long life of the Birdcord and your USB power bank.
Thank you all for your support 🙂 Dieter
P.S. I didn’t update the product pictures in the webshop yet because I’m going to release new voltage versions of the Birdcord very soon and will combine the photoshoot for all the different versions.
It has been about 7 months now since the release of the Birdcord USB to 9V Converter Cable and many musicians around the world already got one. Most use it to power their pedalboard, but there are also some who use it for powering synthesizers, drum machines, portable amplifiers and more. The feedback that I get is extremely positive. More than half of the sales come from recommendations. Thanks to everybody who bought a Birdcord, to everybody who provides me with feedback and product wishes and of course thanks to everybody who spreads the word online and offline, you are amazing!
Here’s an extract of the online reception of the Birdcord:
Our newest innovative product, the Birdcord, is now available for purchase. The Birdcord is a USB to 9 Volt Converter Cable. It can power your 9 Volt guitar pedals (from any manufacturer) and mini amps from any USB source, be it a computer, a wall charger or a USB powerbank. Make sure to catch it at the lowered market entry price! Any questions? Write us to support@songbirdfx.com
The Wagtail Trem is a USB rechargeable vintage Tremolo, based on an analog optical circuit that recreates the sound of the legendary Fender Super Reverb amplifiers of the sixties. The two legendary Youtube guitarists Gearmanndude and Mike Hermans tested in on their videos. Check it out!
We have great news for you! Thanks to our new adaptor cable you can now also power our pedals with a standard 9V DC power supply. From now on the adaptor cable is included with every order of a USB rechargeable pedal @ www.songbirdfx.com
Our new opto tremolo pedal, the Wagtail Trem, is going to be released on June 19th. Pre-order now and get it at a massively reduced price: Product Page Wagtail Trem
After countless modifications and testing more than a dozen of different resistive optoisolators I am finally at a point, where my new Vactrol-based opto tremolo circuit sounds just awesome. I already sent a first prototype to Styrian guitar player “Sir” Oliver Mally, who confirmed my assessment: this is something big. I’m really looking forward to bringing this little sound monster to market in the next weeks!
What Is The Output Impedance And Why Do I Even Care About It?
The output impedance or source impedance Ri of a perfect signal source is 0Ω. When talking about DC voltage sources it is also called internal resistance (That’s why I call it Ri even though a guitar pickup is an AC signal source). A (passive) guitar pickup is by no means a perfect signal source (Ri > 0Ω). This means that the output voltage will drop when connected to a load (effects pedals, amplifier). This effect will be more significant the higher the output impedance of your guitar pickup and the lower the input impedance of your amplifier/effects pedal is (voltage divider between Ri and RL).
voltage divider between output impedance Ri of the guitar and input impedance RL of the load
Recently I simulated the circuit of a Fuzz Face with LTspiceIV and realized that the output impedance of the guitar affects the final output waveform of the effects pedal.
Example:
Fuzz Face Schematic:
Output Waveform Of A Fuzz Face With Perfect Signal Source (Ri=0Ω) At Input:
Output Waveform Of A Fuzz Face With Realistic Signal Source (Ri=10kΩ) At Input:
You have to find out for yourself if you like the sound of those interactions or not. If you don’t like it you should reconsider the order in which your guitar effects are arranged in your signal chain. Buffer and booster/preamp pedals have a high input and a low output impedance. They can be used to preserve the original waveform coming from your guitar pickups when used as the first pedal in your signal chain. Active guitar pickups are even better than buffer pedals because the guitar cable is a (capacitive) load too.
How To Measure The Output Impedance Of Your Guitar Pickup?
For measuring the source impedance of your guitar you will need an oscilloscope. If you don’t have one you can use my results because it won’t differ that much. By the way the exact model name of my guitar pickup is a Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB in bridge position.
Measure The Peak-Peak Voltage With Open Output:
Turn your guitar up to full volume to make sure that the pots don’t influence your measurement. Then strum a note (I strummed the thicker E string).
Measure The Peak-Peak Voltage With A Load (RL=1kΩ):
Strum the same note with the same intensity as before to get the best results.
Calculate The Output Impedance Of Your Guitar Pickup:
Finally we can take the voltage divider formulas from above and substitute the variables with our measured values. Result: The output impedance of my guitar is about 10kΩ.
Note: The impedance changes with frequency. This result is only true for the lower E-string, however we can assume that it won’t change dramatically. To get a more detailed result you can repeat this procedure at different frequencies (different notes).
USB Rechargeable Guitar Effects
Are you tired of low 9V batteries in your pedals? This is now over! My company Songbird FX invented the world’s first USB rechargeable Overdrive pedal, the Bluebird Drive. Below you find a video of the Germanium version, produced by the great Mike Hermans.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. OKMore Information
Datenschutz und Cookies
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
