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How To Power MPC One From Portable USB Batteries

Dieter

Playing music on the go is great, regardless of whether it’s in the park, on the train, or at the beach. You never know when creativity will strike. Unfortunately, your favorite MIDI sequencer is very power-hungry so is it even possible to portably power it without carrying a huge battery around?

The short answer is yes, you can portably power your Akai MPC One. The most practical and affordable way is to use portable PD chargers (also called USB-C PD power banks or USB-C PD portable batteries). PD stands for “Power Delivery” which is a new fast-charging standard for smartphones and laptops. But how can you utilize these powerful batteries to power your MPC One?

How to power the MPC One from portable USB-C PD power banks?

This is where our new product comes into play: The Birdcord PD 20V power cable allows you to connect a USB-C PD power bank to your MPC One and it also tells the power bank to switch to 20V. This method gives you 65 Watts of power (3.25A@20V) so you can easily power your MPC One.

What do you need to make it work?

How long does the battery last?

From experience, the recommended Baseus 65W 20000mAh PD battery will last more than 5 hours powering the MPC One.

Important additional info:

If you want to power the MPC One+ (MPC One Plus) you need a different Birdcord, the Birdcord PD 12V. Other than that it’s just as simple as described above.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch via email (dieter@songbirdfx.com) or Instagram.

How To Power NI Maschine+ From Portable USB Batteries

Dieter

Playing music on the go is great, regardless of whether it’s in the park, on the train, or at the beach. You never know when creativity will strike. Unfortunately, your favorite stand-alone groove box is very power-hungry so is it even possible to portably power it without carrying a huge battery around?

The short answer is yes, you can portably power your Maschine+. The most practical and affordable way is to use portable PD chargers (also called USB-C PD power banks or USB-C PD portable batteries). PD stands for “Power Delivery” which is a new fast-charging standard for smartphones and laptops. But how can you utilize these powerful batteries to power your “Maschine Plus”?

How to power Maschine+ from portable USB-C PD power banks?

This is where our new product comes into play: The Birdcord PD 15V power cable allows you to connect a USB-C PD power bank to your Maschine+ and it also tells the power bank to switch to 15V. This method gives you 45 Watts of power (3A@15V) so you can easily power your Maschine+.

What do you need to make it work?

  • a Birdcord PD 15V
  • a USB-C PD power bank that is rated 45W or higher. Best choice: Baseus 65W 20000mAh PD
  • a USB-C cable to connect the power bank to the Birdcord (usually included with the power bank)
  • your Native Instruments Maschine+ (of course)

How long does the battery last?

From experience, the recommended Baseus 65W 20000mAh PD battery will last 8 to 9 hours powering the Maschine+.

Important additional info:

  • Not all PD chargers are capable of outputting 15V. Check the specifications or get the recommended Baseus PD charger

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch via email (dieter@songbirdfx.com) or Instagram.

(Post updated on April 10th, 2024)

birdcord pd 9v 12v 15v 20v power delivery songbird birdcable elektron battery mobile portable charger

PRESS RELEASE: New Birdcord PD-Series Finally Released

Dieter

Songbird FX Introduces New Birdcord PD Power Cables

It‘s now possible to portably power musical devices via USB Power Delivery!

Molln, Austria – January 30, 2023 – Songbird FX has unveiled their new Birdcord PD power cables, designed for easily powering various audio devices from a USB Power Delivery charger.

Features:

  • 4 Different Voltage Versions
    9V, 12V, 15V, and 19-20V versions are available.
  • High Output Power
    With an output current of up to 3A, the Birdcord PD power cables are significantly more powerful than other USB power cables. That‘s enough current to power multi-effects pedals, 12V Elektron devices, amplifiers, synths, samplers, and all sorts of other demanding DC devices.
  • Play Your Music Outside!
    Get many hours of grid-independent and noise-free power by using a USB PD portable charger/power bank.
  • How Does It Work?
    The Birdcord PD makes use of the new USB Power Delivery (PD) fast charging standard. It communicates with the USB PD portable charger (or USB PD wall charger) to negotiate the desired output voltage. The voltage conversion then takes place inside the PD charger.

See the Birdcord PD demo video:

The new ‘Birdcord PD‘ power cables are the successor of the very popular series of ‘Birdcord USB‘ voltage converter cables. A lot of experience and customer feedback ran into their development to ensure highest practicability.

Each voltage version of the new Birdcord PD power cable is currently available at a price of €18.99 (approx. $20) directly from the Songbird FX webshop, where they provide fast and inexpensive worldwide shipping.

# # #

Songbird FX was founded in 2016 by hardware design engineer Dieter Höller in Molln, Austria. Their goal is to provide innovative portable power supply solutions for musical devices. Along with the new Birdcord PD (Power Delivery) power cables they also offer the original Birdcords, which are voltage converter cables for standard USB ports. Songbird FX are selling their products directly from their website. They provide fast and inexpensive worldwide shipping.

Birdcord PD Pre-Release

Dieter

The new Birdcord PD series of converter cables is now available. It’s a brand-new concept based on the fast-charging standard USB Power Delivery (USB PD).

We decided to do a pre-release without social media posts, press releases, and advertising to gather valuable feedback from loyal customers before ramping up sales.

KEY FACTS

  • 9V, 12V, 15V, and 19-20V versions are available
  • significantly more power thanks to USB Power Delivery (enough to power multi-effects pedals, 12V Elektron devices, amplifiers, synths, samplers,…)
  • up to 3A output current
  • grid-independent power in combination with USB PD power banks

For more details check out the product descriptions of the specific voltage version you are interested in:

birdcord

Shipping restrictions for some countries

Dieter

We get a lot of questions recently if ordering is still safe in times of the Coronavirus. The answer is yes. You can still order and we can ship your order, except for orders from some small islands. If you’re not sure you can contact us via email to get up-to-date information on your country or check the list of restricted countries here (CSV File “Letter Mail” written in German language).

As a precautionary measure, non-EU orders are being shipped as registered priority mails (with tracking number). Customers from EU countries now have a choice between unregistered shipping (Priority) and registered shipping (Registered Priority). Your order will be delivered by your country’s postal operator.

We observe the situation daily and update this post as soon as something changes. (Last updated in August 2022)

birdcord pd elektron digitakt syntakt digitone octatrack 12v power delivery songbird birdcable

Powering Elektron Devices From Portable USB Batteries

Dieter

Elektron is a Swedish brand of very popular electronic musical instruments. Most of their devices run on 12-Volt DC and they come with a power supply unit (PSU-3) that is connected to a socket. Wouldn’t it be great to play your favorite Elektron device wherever you like without the need for a socket and is this even possible?

The short answer is yes, you can power your Elektron device grid independently. The most practical and affordable way is to use portable PD chargers (also called USB-C PD power banks or USB-C PD portable batteries). PD stands for “Power Delivery” and it’s a new fast-charging standard for smartphones and laptops. But how can you utilize these powerful batteries to power your Elektron device?

How to power Elektron devices from portable USB-C PD power banks?

This is where our new product comes into play: The Birdcord PD 12V power cable allows you to connect a USB-C PD power bank to your Elektron device and it also tells the power bank to switch to 12V. This method gives you 36 Watts of power (3A@12V) so you can easily power any 12V Elektron device.

What do you need to make it work?

Important additional info:

  • Not all PD chargers are capable of outputting 12V. Check the specifications or get the recommended Baseus PD charger
  • These Elektron devices can be powered via Birdcord: Digitakt, Digitone, Digitone Keys, Syntakt, Octatrack MKII, Analog Rytm MKI/MKII, Analog Four MKI/MKII, Analog Drive, Analog Heat MKI/MKII
  • These Elektron devices can’t be powered via Birdcord (yet): Model:Samples, Model:Cycles, Monomachine MKI/MKII, Machinedrum MKI/MKII, Octatrack MKI, Sidstation, Overhub

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch via email (dieter@songbirdfx.com) or Instagram.

(Post updated on August 25th, 2022)

New Birdcords Finally Released! (USB→6V, USB→9V, USB→12V, USB→18V)

Dieter

We just released the long-awaited new series of Birdcord voltage converter cables. It’s now possible to power your 6V, 9V, 12V and 18V devices from any USB port! Best use them in combination with ordinary USB power banks to get many hours of grid-independent and noise-free power! No more one-way batteries! No more hum, buzz and hiss!

Here’s a little demo video we made:

Details on the different voltage versions:

Birdcord USB→6V Converter Cable

  • Converts USB 5V DC (USB Voltage) to 6V DC
    Plug it into any USB port (wall chargers, computers, USB portable chargers,…) to power your 6-volt devices, more specifically devices in the range of 5.7V to 6.5V!
  • Compatible with Roland PSD devices
    Perfect choice for powering devices that would usually need the 5.7V PSD power supply from Roland. This includes many keyboards, amplifiers, and synthesizers like the Micro Cube GX, the Go Keys, the Cube 10GX, the JD-Xi Synthesizer and many more.
  • Technical Specifications
    Output voltage: 6V DC, peak output current: 1500mA, polarity: center negative, cable length: 55 cm (21″), output plug dimensions: DC 5.5 x 2.1 mm
  • More Infos

Birdcord USB→9V Converter Cable

  • Converts 5V DC (USB Voltage) to 9V DC
    Plug it into any USB port (wall chargers, computers, USB portable chargers,…) to power your 9-volt devices!
  • Compatible with Guitar Pedals, Mini Amps and more!
    The 2.1mm DC plug and the center negative polarity make the Birdcord compatible with the vast majority of guitar pedals out there. In addition, it can also be used for powering some mini amplifiers, keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, and more, including the Marshall MS-2, the Boss Katana Mini, the Roland SP404 Sampler, Cube Street, and Mobile Cube, and many more. With our optional Korg/Casio Adapter it can even power devices like the Korg Minilogue or the Casio CTK-1500.
  • Technical Specifications
    Output voltage: 9V DC, peak output current: 1000mA, polarity: center negative (Boss style polarity), cable length: 55 cm (21″), output plug dimensions: DC 5.5 x 2.1 mm
  • More Infos

Birdcord USB→12V Converter Cable

  • Converts 5V DC (USB Voltage) to 12V DC
    Plug it into any USB port (wall chargers, computers, USB portable chargers,…) to power your 12-volt devices!
  • Compatible with many different Portable Amps, Keyboards, and more!
    Perfect choice for powering all kinds of 12V devices, including devices that would usually need the power supplies Yamaha PA-130, and Yamaha PA-150, but also lots of devices from other manufacturers like Vox, Roland, Startone and more.
  • Technical Specifications
    Output voltage: 12V DC, peak output current: 750mA, polarity: center positive, cable length: 55 cm (21″), output plug dimensions: DC 5.5 x 2.1 mm
  • More Infos

Birdcord USB→18V Converter Cable

  • Converts 5V DC (USB Voltage) to 18V DC
    Plug it into any USB port (wall chargers, computers, USB portable chargers,…) to power your 18-volt devices!
  • Compatible with many Guitar Pedals and other Devices!
    Perfect choice for powering 18V audio devices. Especially overdrive and preamp circuits can often be powered with 18V which gives them more headroom than a common 9V power supply.  Some examples are the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone, the Fulltone OCD, the Headway EDM-1 and EDB-2 preamps and many more.
  • Technical Specifications
    Output voltage: 18V DC, peak output current: 500mA, polarity: center negative, cable length: 55 cm (21″), output plug dimensions: DC 5.5 x 2.1 mm
  • More Infos

Make sure to get your Birdcord now, here in the webshop. We provide fast and inexpensive worldwide priority shipping and although the pricing is in Euro, you can pay in any currency using your credit card or Paypal account.

Birdcord: New Packaging and Technical Upgrade

Dieter

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 birdcord pouch velvet bag drawstring output current usb 5v dc to 9v converter cable 5v center negative boss style effects pedals tip negative

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.

Great Reception Of The Birdcord | Product Of The Year

Dieter

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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJIMuZAuiv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet