Wiring PSU for Stanton M 303 DJ Mixer

[Slapaham]

Hi folks,

New to the forum but long time lurker.

I bought a mixer a bit blindly late last year... a Standon M303. I made the daft assumption that while it didn't have a power supply, it would be something fairly generic and easily replaceable. How wrong was I! I've looked everywhere but to no avail!

After looking around, I finally found what the connection was on the back of the unit for the power supply - a female GX16 3 pin aviation connector. So I bought the connector to start to consider how I might make my own power supply for this. It seems to be a 12v supply. Now I'm a total novice with electronics - no point in beating around the bush! But I am always willing to try for myself. My intention had been to make a connector that would hook up to one of these generic all-purpose power supplies... this kind of thing -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Switching-Connector-Computer-Monitor-12V-5A-AC-11-DC-JACK/dp/B07RZY52QN/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=power+supply+12v&qid=1610714275&sr=8-10

So buy something like this off ebay -

12V DC Male Female Power Balun Connector Cable Adapter Jack Plug for CCTV CAMERA | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12V DC Male Female Power Balun Connector Cable Adapter Jack Plug for CCTV CAMERA at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

and wire up to my GX16 3 pin aviation connector. This way, it would adapt the replacement PSU to the connector required to the mixer. My question is would this be feasible? or sensible?

Any help or advice is massively appreciated!

 

[Gray]

Hi folks,

New to the forum but long time lurker.

I bought a mixer a bit blindly late last year... a Standon M303. I made the daft assumption that while it didn't have a power supply, it would be something fairly generic and easily replaceable. How wrong was I! I've looked everywhere but to no avail!

After looking around, I finally found what the connection was on the back of the unit for the power supply - a female GX16 3 pin aviation connector. So I bought the connector to start to consider how I might make my own power supply for this. It seems to be a 12v supply. Now I'm a total novice with electronics - no point in beating around the bush! But I am always willing to try for myself. My intention had been to make a connector that would hook up to one of these generic all-purpose power supplies... this kind of thing -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Switching-Connector-Computer-Monitor-12V-5A-AC-11-DC-JACK/dp/B07RZY52QN/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=power+supply+12v&qid=1610714275&sr=8-10

So buy something like this off ebay -

12V DC Male Female Power Balun Connector Cable Adapter Jack Plug for CCTV CAMERA | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12V DC Male Female Power Balun Connector Cable Adapter Jack Plug for CCTV CAMERA at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

and wire up to my GX16 3 pin aviation connector. This way, it would adapt the replacement PSU to the connector required to the mixer. My question is would this be feasible? or sensible?

Any help or advice is massively appreciated!

The picture I saw shows that the 3-pin connector is labelled 'AC input'.
Am I right about that?
If so, that Amazon PSU will not be suitable.
Does your instruction manual give specifics about the power supply requirements? The voltage AND the current requirements.

 

[Gray]

....amongst the images there was also a picture of a Stanton?? PSU that had 2 different AC voltages on the same connector, which would complicate your DIY effort.
Short of buying the correct PSU, can you find and post a picture of the right PSU (which clearly shows it's labelling)?

It might help you to open the mixer and look at the back of the connector - see whether only 2 or all 3 of the pins are actually wired.

 

[Slapaham]

Thanks Gray.

It seems very hard to find the power supply or any reference to it online. The only way I can see power supplies for this unit is by searching completed items on eBay. Strangely, a lot of these mixers are sans-power supply - only 2 had them, so that kind of says it all! This is one I found...




230v, 50hz, 120w AC

I must admit, I'm a bit lost as to what might work for this so any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[Gray]

Thanks Gray.

It seems very hard to find the power supply or any reference to it online. The only way I can see power supplies for this unit is by searching completed items on eBay. Strangely, a lot of these mixers are sans-power supply - only 2 had them, so that kind of says it all! This is one I found...


View attachment 1975

230v, 50hz, 120w AC

I must admit, I'm a bit lost as to what might work for this so any recommendations would be appreciated!

If I was a cynical person (I am) I might suspect that label was deliberately not showing the info we need

You mentioned 12volts.....do you know that for sure?
Does your manual quote current (milliamps / amps) consumption?

 

[Slapaham]

Haha, does seem that way, right? They are at least making me work very hard to figure this out. Nothing on the mixer itself... more digging online... an Irish auction site has this...



and finally managed to find a US version of the PSU...



so 16.8v 1A - so ignore what I said about 12v!!

I'm in the UK, so it'll be 230v not 120v.

 

[Slapaham]

The replacement number for the power supply in the manual for the mixer is also PS-16Uk which seems to confirm 16v

 

[Gray]

The replacement number for the power supply in the manual for the mixer is also PS-16Uk which seems to confirm 16v

I'll get back to you....later.

 

[Slapaham]

Thanks Gray,

In the meantime, this is what I think may work (based on my novice-level skills) - but correct me if I'm wrong!!:

8.5V/12.6V/16.8V/21V/25.2V 1A 2A Battery AC Charger Power Supply Adapter | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 8.5V/12.6V/16.8V/21V/25.2V 1A 2A Battery AC Charger Power Supply Adapter at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

16.8v 50/60mhz 1a UK/EU 100/240v AC adaptor

 

[Gray]

Thanks Gray,

In the meantime, this is what I think may work (based on my novice-level skills) - but correct me if I'm wrong!!:

8.5V/12.6V/16.8V/21V/25.2V 1A 2A Battery AC Charger Power Supply Adapter | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 8.5V/12.6V/16.8V/21V/25.2V 1A 2A Battery AC Charger Power Supply Adapter at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

16.8v 50/60mhz 1a UK/EU 100/240v AC adaptor

Try to follow this:
Your mixer's 'AC IN' label means that it is designed to accept actual low voltage AC in. Not, as is usually the case, mains AC adapted to low voltage DC (In which case it would be labelled 'DC IN').

What you've found above has a DC output.

Even so, there's every chance it could power your 303 without problem. But without seeing inside (or a circuit diagram), I can't give you a 100% guarantee.
As it happens, whatever you connect to the 3-pin connector you've bought, you'll need to look behind the connector to see which 2 of the 3 pins they're actually connecting to.

You should see it by just removing the bottom plate of the mixer.
If there's any chance of taking a picture and posting it here, I might also be able to see if (as I expect) the wires go straight to a rectifier.

Meantime, this is the closest I've found to a direct replacement:

1000ma(1a) 18v(18 volt) 18VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor/Supply/Transformer : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

1000ma(1a) 18v(18 volt) 18VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor/Supply/Transformer : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.co.uk

It's AC out, 18V, but the extra 1.2v wouldn't be significant. Currently unavailable at Amazon.....but if you can find an equivalent (or even closer) with an AC output......

 

[Slapaham]

Thanks Gray - appreciate the help on this. I’ll review everything carefully and then if it all adds up get the power supply ordered. 👍🏻

 

[Gray]

Thanks Gray - appreciate the help on this. I’ll review everything carefully and then if it all adds up get the power supply ordered. 👍🏻

Make sure you see my edited post.
Just wanted to give the you the chance to get something more suitable

 

[Slapaham]

Just a quick update on this, I found the one you suggested online elsewhere but while I was on their site, I noticed they also had a 16v version - it looks like the same specs other than the voltage being lower:

1000ma (1a) 16v 16VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor

A 1 amp 16 volt 16 watt Power Supply. 16w Transformer, Peavey CD Mix 9072A Peavey Production Mixer 902 PS4AC 70902571 70902572 00710160 PV6 PV8 RQ200 Spectrum Bass II Synth Presonus Monitor Station V1 Schiit Mani SCH-18 Magni ADC160100 compatible. AC 230-240 volt - 50Hz Output - AC 16v 1a 16VA...

www.poweradaptorsuk.co.uk

Here is the 18v you linked to:

1000ma (1a) 18v 18VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor

A 1 amp 18 volt Power Supply. Transformer Jack Size - 2.1mm x 5.5mm. Alto Lynx-Mix62 FX AMX100FX ZMX122FX ZMX862 Mixer Proel MI12 Mixer compatible. Input - AC 230 volt, 50Hz Output - AC 18v 1a 18VA Cable Length - 1.5m Packaged Weight - 650g Measurements - 80mm (h) x 54mm (w) x 56mm (d) EAN...

www.poweradaptorsuk.co.uk

Which would you recommend? Slightly under by 0.8v or a bit over at 1.2v? I'll get one ordered and then set about looking inside for the pinout once it arrives.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Gray]

Just a quick update on this, I found the one you suggested online elsewhere but while I was on their site, I noticed they also had a 16v version - it looks like the same specs other than the voltage being lower:

1000ma (1a) 16v 16VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor

A 1 amp 16 volt 16 watt Power Supply. 16w Transformer, Peavey CD Mix 9072A Peavey Production Mixer 902 PS4AC 70902571 70902572 00710160 PV6 PV8 RQ200 Spectrum Bass II Synth Presonus Monitor Station V1 Schiit Mani SCH-18 Magni ADC160100 compatible. AC 230-240 volt - 50Hz Output - AC 16v 1a 16VA...

www.poweradaptorsuk.co.uk

Here is the 18v you linked to:

1000ma (1a) 18v 18VA AC/AC (AC Output) Power Adaptor

A 1 amp 18 volt Power Supply. Transformer Jack Size - 2.1mm x 5.5mm. Alto Lynx-Mix62 FX AMX100FX ZMX122FX ZMX862 Mixer Proel MI12 Mixer compatible. Input - AC 230 volt, 50Hz Output - AC 18v 1a 18VA Cable Length - 1.5m Packaged Weight - 650g Measurements - 80mm (h) x 54mm (w) x 56mm (d) EAN...

www.poweradaptorsuk.co.uk

Which would you recommend? Slightly under by 0.8v or a bit over at 1.2v? I'll get one ordered and then set about looking inside for the pinout once it arrives.

Thanks again for your help.

Good find, that 16v one will be fine.
Don't worry about the output voltage difference, it's irrelevant.
(Variation in the mains to your house will vary it by more than that anyway).
Either of those PSUs would be well within the tolerance of your mixer's internal voltage regulation, just makes sense to go with the closest voltage

 

[Slapaham]

Thanks Gray,

Ordered the 16v this morning so will await it's arrival then onto the next stage - that site looks v useful! I will try and look inside the mixer and the connection port when I have a spare minute.

I ordered a soldering iron over Christmas and will use this project to cut my teeth.

Thanks again

 

[Gray]

I ordered a soldering iron over Christmas and will use this project to cut my teeth.

....and a rewarding project to start with too ✔

When you get round to it, use the following soldering tips to avoid a bit of swearing :

Use some clamp or small vice to hold your connector in place

Before soldering, attach your 2 wires to the connector contacts
(To get good electrical connection even before covering with solder).
Also means you don't have to hold the wires in place - you want only
iron in one hand, solder wire in the other.

Apply iron tip to the pin / wire for a few seconds, keep it there and apply solder wire right at the junction between iron tip and pin / wire.
This gets the pin hot enough to accept the solder and allows it to flow nicely.
(Some people load the iron tip up, carry a blob of molten solder over and wipe it on a cold pin....then wonder why the solder easily detaches from the pin ).

Avoid overheating
It's quite easy to leave the iron on the joint for too long.
The heat very soon conducts and can melt the insulation off the wire - and even melt the insulation between the pins on some connectors.
If that happens you will swear 🤬

Have fun and report back when* the mixer works.

*Notice I said 'when' and not 'if'🤞

 

[Slapaham]

Okay, so everything I need has arrived - now that the bit I'm most nervous about - the soldering! Thanks for those tips - I'll try and approach it optimistically as everyone has to start somewhere!

As you recommended, I removed the base of the mixer to see what the pinout was... tried to take photos but to avoid a full dismantle, I couldn't really take anything clear. With the use of my phone's torch, I could see that the pinout corresponded as below:



Before I undertake the soldering, I had a couple of questions please...

This is the existing connector to the PSU...



I'm no electronics guru but I'm assuming that there will only be 2 cables running from this (I'm yet to chop the end off!)... assuming one will be brown and one will be black (or equivalent) - how do I connect these 2 to 3 points in the new connector please? Would it require a small daisy chain from the black so it can connect twice over? Or can it just be connected to one and not the other?

My second massively noob question is this is the solder I have:



According to the documentation this is tin wire - can I assume this is okay to use for this task?

Appreciate your help so far on this!

 

[Gray]

Important question first:
Are you sure there's a wire to all 3 pins of that connector?

 

[Slapaham]

Hi Gray,

Yes, 3 cables running from a block connector on the PCB - 2 brown and 1 black... all connected to the male GX16-3pin male connector on the mixer. Rubbish photo but maybe it'll help (you can see the 2 brown connections but not the black one that feeds underneath):

 

[Gray]

Thanks, not a rubbish photo but, as often, things are a bit cramped inside.
When I was looking at Stanton PSU photos, you may remember I saw some that gave out 2 different AC voltages - which would explain the 3 wires.
I'm hoping that the PSU you found on the Irish website was actually the correct PSU for your mixer. ......it has only the single AC output...so we were hoping to see only 2 connections to the male connector.
Next move.
If you could possibly take a picture showing a fairly wide angle of the underside of the PCB where your thumbnail is in that last photo.
If you remove the white connector, you may be able to see words on the PCB giving some clues (the connector only fits one way round so you can't reconnect it wrongly).

If you could find a circuit diagram of your model online, it would be helpful.
Finally for now, whereabouts in the UK are you located?

 

[Slapaham]

So I've gone back in... the block connector is so tight that I'm not hugely keen to take it out unless it's absolutely necessary...(sorry!)... if it is, I'm combat it - just let me know!

So this is what I've got...



Then with any text I can see near the block connector - I can only read MOLEX1. The order of the block connector cables is brown/black/brown.

As I'm sure you guessed, there is hardly anything online for this mixer.. it's v strange! I'm London-based.

Thanks!

 

[Gray]

OK, here's where we're at:

The PSU you've now got is the equivalent of those two you pictured in post #6.
All of them have a single AC output. Only 2 conductors are necessary for the single AC ( which is why there's a 2-core cable on your PSU).

I mentioned seeing an online picture of a Stanton PSU with dual AC outputs. .....which would be connected to its mixer by 3 conductors. You see where I'm going with this?
The fact that your mixer has all 3 pins connected, strongly suggests it's looking for the dual AC supply!!
In other words, how sure are you that those 2 PSUs in post #6 are actually for your model?
Are you certain?

Meantime, one more picture if you can (your photos are good).
The board with the white connector is the power supply board.
A nice, clear, full picture of the component side of that (with PCB markings) might be handy.........

 

[Slapaham]

Sorry Gray, been snowed this week - I will try and find some time over the weekend to look at this! Appreciate your help so far!