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The complete name of this product is “Sanyo eneloop Pedal Juice KBC-9V3U-S 9V Mobile Music Booster.” I will refer to it as the “Pedal Juice” in this article.
What is it?
The Pedal Juice is a portable, rechargeable lithium ion 9 volt power source aimed at the musical instrument market, mainly guitar stomp boxes. It will power any device that requires 9V power, effectively taking the place of an internal battery or wall wart. We now have 4 options for 9V power – battery, wall wart, multi-outlet power supply and Pedal Juice.
First Impressions
The packaging is adequate to get your product home safely – but don’t expect it to last long as a road case. We’ve all done that, haven’t we? The box could have been a little larger to hold the contents without causing the lid pop up. The graphics give a tie-in to the product’s musical application with a guitar photo on the side panel. But its unclear, without reading the fine print, what the unit is.
The “PJ” is a beautiful piece, and encased in shiny bright white plastic, looks more like an accessory for my Macbook than a companion to a stomp box on a bar stage floor. It needs to exist in a pedal board case or it will look worn in no time. Not that the case is fragile – it actually feels quite strong and stiff. It would be a shame to scratch such a pretty unit.
Why Do I Need It?
I struggled with this question. It is clearly not a necessity, and its use is not a great advantage over the other available power options. There are, however, situations of useage and features of the unit where using the Pedal Juice is a benefit.
- “AC Free” scenarios. If you already have a complete set-up designed for areas without AC access (boats, street fairs, camping, etc.) then the “P Juice” – the name is getting shorter – will be a valuable addition to your rig.
- Ease of Useage.
• Compared to batteries – no batteries to change, only one unit to recharge
• Compared to AC – easier setup and less weight - Stability. When standard batteries loose power the unit being powered won’t function properly. With the Pedal Juice the indicator light keeps you informed – red=30% or less charge remaining, yellow=30% – 60%, green=60% – 100%.
- Low Noise. The Pedal Juice is not susceptible to AC related hum and buzz issues.
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