Power supply for Keylab Essential 61

[dkettle]

Hi!

I'm looking for a power supply for the Keylab Essential 61, so I can connect it directly to a Moog Mother-32 with a standard MIDI cable without having to go through a computer. Arturia doesn't sell them, it seems, so I need to find one that would be compatible. The user manual says it should be "9v DC 500mA PSU', but doesn't say whether it should be centre-negative or centre-positive. Does anyone know?

Alternatively, someone suggested I could provide power with a USB recharging brick, the kind used to recharge phones. Would that work?

Thanks.

[Dugrok]

I don't know about the power supply itself, but I can confirm that powering the unit with a phone brick and the provided USB cable works on a Keylab Essential 49. Hope that helps.

[dkettle]

Thanks!

[dkettle]

Found a page on the Arturia web site that has power supply specs for all their products. It says "5V DC 500mA", but the user manual says "9v DC 500mA PSU".

Power supply specifications:

https://www.arturia.com/faq/utilization/psu-specifications-sheet

User manual for Keylab Essential 61 (see section 1.1, "Connecting KeyLab Essential"):

https://downloads.arturia.net/products/keylab-essential-49/manual/keylab-essential_Manual_1_0_3_EN.pdf

So which is it, Arturia, 5V or 9V? Is anyone from Arturia here?

[LBH]

This forum is'nt official Arturia support, even if Arturia sometimes answer here.
I suggest you contact Arturia support through your Arturia account.

My guess is, that the manual is correct, and there is an error in the FAQ chart for the Essential controller. In the chart the MKII is 9v. The old controllers 5v.
But i suggest you ask Arturia support to be sure.

[dkettle]

@LBH I already have contacted them (by email). Still waiting for a reply.

[dkettle]

Well, I got a reply from Arturia's "technical support" but it makes no sense. I specifically asked about powering the keyboard with a PSU, not through the USB port:

I'm looking for a compatible power adapter for my Keylab Essential 61. The manual says it should be 9v DC and 500mA PSU, but should it be centre-positive or centre-negative? And what should the the size of the plug be (both inside and outside diameters)?

This is the reply I got:

We label it as 9V in the manual as it can be up to 9V But as long as it is powered by USB, a 5V is enough.

Attached are the PSU specs from the manual (ScreenPrint1) and the specs from their web site (ScreenPrint2). To me, they seem to contradict each other.

[MajorFubar]

The barrel socket needs 9V DC and is clearly labelled as such. USB is 5V DC. If you choose to use the controller without a computer you need to plug it in via either USB or the barrel socket. If you choose the barrel socket make sure your adaptor is set to 9V DC center positive.

[dkettle]

I was asking about the Keylab Essential 61, not any of the other Keylab models. Under "PSU Specs", it CLEARLY says 5V, not 9V. But the manual says the PSU should be 9V. How is this not a contradiction?

In their response to me, they say that if it is powered by USB, the PSU only needs to be 5V. But why would anyone choose to supply power by BOTH USB and PSU? If you provide power by USB, you don't need a PSU at all. In any case, the chart on their web site should state this more clearly.

[LBH]

I agree it's not clear.
The use of 5v should imho also be covered in the manual.
And the use of 9v should imho absolutely be covered on the website.

I would use the 9v though, as it apparantly will work in all cases.
The use of a PSU even when a USB is connected can help against possible USB power issues. It can be more stable. I understand you can use both connections together with a PSU up to 9v.

[magilla66]

KeyLab Mk II includes a USB ground loop adapter in the box, probably could be used by any of the other Arturia devices.

https://www.arturia.com/faq/keylabmkii/keylab-mkii-general-questions

The Ground loop adapter supplied with the KeyLab mkII stands for two functions:

1. Split the USB data and power.
This allows to connect the KeyLab mkII to devices that can not deliver enough current to power it.
This way, you can plug your KeyLab to mobile devices likes tablets or iPads on the data side of the adapter, and use an external USB AC/DC on the power side of the adapter.

2. Kill potential ground loop effects
Ground loops can eventually be faced when using CV / Gate, USB, creating under some circumstances a parasitic noise.
In case you notice a hiss in your audio chain, we advise to use this isolator to split the ground and stop this effect.

[RalphNT]

I bought a universal centre positive PSU and set it to 9v DC 500ma and it works. The Arturia specs are correct.