Power supply from salvaged suitcase cab?

[onthegreenline]

Here goes... a few years ago I got a great deal on a Mark II suitcase which I knew going in would be basically a salvage job. It had been stored in a damp environment and the keys and speakers were moldy, harp was a mess of rust, wood was shot, etc. The only thing I was able to rescue from the Mark II cab was the power supply, which I actually had rebuilt a few years ago in the hopes of restoring the whole setup.

A year or so later I come across a -mint- Mark I with the 5-pin preamp, the piano and suitcase cab are in perfect shape. No more need to restore my moldy Mark II.

My question is - can I take my "extra" power supply and somehow chop it down to the bare essentials and use it to power my Mark I when I don't want to lug around the cab? I'm considering a move to Japan in a year or two and it would be easier to bring over my Rhodes and a power supply than the whole cab. Any thoughts on how this could be done?

[Ben Bove]

Well, you definitely would want a back shell to put on that extra Mark II 5-pin power supply.  Because they're open-faced in the back it could be dangerous / easy to break.

You could possibly build it inside of a small wood box for example, free-standing.  So the entire amp unit would be a little "power amp box."  Handle on top, easy to carry.

Plug the 5pin into that, and 1/4" outs already built in would be sends to amplifier.

Of course, You should have something that can handle the stereo vibrato if possible

And if you're interested in selling your bottom suitcase cabinet, send me a PM.  Do you speak fluent Japanese?

[onthegreenline]

I'd definitely put it in some sort of box - very dangerous otherwise! My question would be if I could somehow "chop" all the unnecessary circuit boards for the speakers, etc and somehow trim it down to a smaller size. Sadly when I say the cab wasn't worth saving I mean it - the wood was actually gray and moldy, the speakers had rust and mold on them, and even the sustain pedal dowel had warped. I'm taking japanese 1 right now, my wife is a science teacher and hopes to get a gig at a school there so she can teach and I can gig!

[Rob A]

My point of view here:

You could probably construct a power supply that was perfectly capable of running the preamp alone for under ten bucks. The suitcase PS was for the amps too, which you don't need. You'll be toting a honking huge transformer around as a result. You could build a regulated, linear power supply yourself that would fit in a small package. Sell that suitcase setup on ebay.

[onthegreenline]

cool... good advice from all... is there a set of instructions or basic plans to build one? I'm handy with a soldering iron but not enough of an engineer to confidently pluck the parts I'd need off the shelf...

[Mark II]

I second RobA's opinion/advice.

I think this topic was covered by this site. Check these links:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4233&start=6

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_bipolar_ps.pdf

this is a basic suggestion which should be able to be rebuild for a couple of bucks.

good luck

Mark II