The world's first power brick with switching power supply technology.
The 1 SPOT Pro Story
“A lot of people over the years had told us that we should make a power brick. Even some of my own staff urged me to do it, but I didn’t want to for two reasons. First, I knew the 1 SPOT could power just about every pedal out there, so I didn’t see the need. Second, I didn’t want to make just another knock-off of someone else’s power brick. If we were going to make one, we were going to do it our way and have features that nobody else could offer. As pedal designs changed and it became more common for digital pedals to require isolation and for others to need something other than 9Vdc, I finally saw a reason for us to design a power brick.”
“It took 3 years and lots of experimentation, but we were finally able to design a 1 SPOT Pro, using our own proprietary technology to give musicians all the features they need for today’s pedalboards. The original 1 SPOT still works great for most musicians, but for those who need more power and versatility, the 1 SPOT Pro fills the need perfectly.” - Bob Weil
1 SPOT Pro Features (All Models)
1 SPOT Technology
1 SPOT Technology… what does that mean and why should I care? Technically, it’s switching power supply technology, which is very different than what anyone has ever put inside a power brick. Normally, you would find just a big transformer and a handful of small electronic components inside a power brick… old tech that hasn’t changed in decades and has a lot of limitations. We took the same triple filtered switching power supply technology found in our famous 1 SPOT and scaled it up to make the 1 SPOT Pro models. With much more space to work with, we were able to completely eliminate noise, provide total electrical isolation between outputs, create multiple voltages, and still give you the ability to use it anywhere in the world.
A major benefit of using a switching power supply is that it can handle far more current (power being pulled out of it) than any transformer-based power supply. Although we had to put power rating labels on each output to satisfy certification agencies (yes, we actually certified these, unlike many companies), the outputs can generally handle far more than the label shows. For example, you can connect a 300mA pedal to a 200mA output, without causing any problems. With a transformer-based power supply, you can’t get away with that. The important thing is to not exceed the total of all the labels. With a CS7 (for example), the output labels add up to 1900mA total. That means the total current draw of all your pedals should be less than 1900mA.
If you’re a touring musician, or even if you just play at the local pub regularly, you know how important it is to have roadworthy gear. No worries with the 1 SPOT Pro. The housing is all steel, with cleverly designed vents that should keep out the accidental beer spill, should that ever happen.
Since pioneering the first switching power supply for musicians, the original 1 SPOT, we’ve gained many years of experience in creating very low noise power for pedals. When we started designing the 1 SPOT Pro, the first multiple output switching power supply, we worried a lot about how to eliminate noise completely. Isolation is part of the solution to noise elimination, but not all of it. Each output is galvanically isolated from the other to help give you pure, clean, noise-free operation of your pedals. However, we also provided an additional layer of pure analog regulation, taking advantage of the greater ability of analog circuits to provide the highest possible suppression of in-band audio noise. There is an artistry involved in these designs, and it’s come at the price of decades of hard work. But all of this put together is what we call Pure Isolation.
Prior to the 1 SPOT, musicians either used one linear power supply (a.k.a. wall wart) per pedal, or used batteries. Both solutions for powering pedals were very inefficient with energy, with batteries also contributing greatly to the toxic waste stream. In 2000, we pioneered the use of switching power supply technology to alleviate this condition in an economically-, energy- and environmentally-conservative way. The 1 SPOT power supply was designed to replace many such external power supplies and/or batteries simultaneously. It provided plenty of power with a very low noise level to successfully meet the needs of musicians. By offering musicians a solution that was more cost effective and energy efficient, and moving the market away from linear transformer-based power supplies to switching power supplies, Truetone has caused the saving of thousands of watt-hours per musician per year. Utilizing a more comprehensive switching power supply solution, the 1 SPOT Pro sets a new level of efficiency for power bricks, while still meeting the needs of musicians for low noise operation, even in severe conditions where the pedals themselves may generate interfering noise.1 SPOT Pro Comparison Chart
| Features | CS6 | CS7 | CS12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Outputs | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Maximum Total Current Output | 1600mA | 1900mA | 3000mA |
| Total 9Vdc Outputs | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| 9/12Vdc Outputs (switchable) | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 9/18Vdc Outputs (switchable) | 2 | - | - |
| 18Vdc Outputs | - | 1 | 2 |
| 9Vac Outputs | - | - | 1 |
| Variable 4-9Vdc Outputs | - | - | 1 |
| Mounts under Pedaltrain Nano/Metro (flat boards) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Mounts under Pedaltrain Jr., PT2 and Pro boards | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Comes with Pedaltrain mounting brackets | ❌* | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dimensions | 6.3" x 3.46" x 1.2" | 5.5" x 3.37" x 2.0" | 8.12" x 3.37" x 2.0" |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs. | 1.3 lbs. | 2.35 lbs. |
| * The low-profile CS6 can mount under almost any pedalboard without using brackets. |
CS12 Photos
Click an image to enlarge.
CS12 Specs
Dimensions
8.12” x 3.37” x 2” (206 x 86 x 50mm); 2.35 lbs. (1.06 Kg.) - weight and dimensions of power supply only, not including cables or packaging.
Power cables (all are center pin negative polarity):
The only power brick to include easy-to-install mounting brackets for Pedaltrain pedalboards. We even duplicated the output labels under the unit, so you can easily see which output is which, when working on your board. Yes, we thought of that too!
Video
Manual
Tip: To save the pdf to desktop, right-click and select print or save as.
1 SPOT Testimonials
"It's funny just how quietly the 1 SPOT Pro operates. I built my home tracking/recording pedal board recently, and when I went to plug it in, I was sure that I must have had a bad cable or something, as none of the usual background noise was present. No white noise from the drives, no throb from my tremolo pedal, and no wah noise when engaged. I grabbed my guitar, plugged in, and everything worked flawlessly. It was so much quieter than my past power supply, that when I didn't hear the background noise I was used to, I thought something was wrong. Nothing was wrong at all, it was just that much quieter. In fact, it was dead quiet. This is the best testament I can give for a power supply."
-Tyler Chiarelli Guitarist/Band Leader - Florida Georgia Line
"PSA for all the guitar nerds out there... I recently switched to this new power supply by Truetone effects for my home studio rig. It solved SO many noisy, power gremlins... Unreal. Power is a constant battle for us. Single coil noise and light switches and ground hum and all... Whatever this thing does, it HELPS. Plus it powers all the big stuff too. (M9, Strymon, Memory Man, etc...) Pretty knocked out by it..."
-Derek Wells, 2016 ACM Guitarist of the Year
"The 1 SPOT Pro is absolutely phenomenal! What a brilliant design."
- Jim Messina
Holy sh*t.....I bought the CS12 to replace my (redacted brand name), simply cause the Long & McQuade didn't have any (redacted brand name) stuff in stock. Never heard of 1 Spot before and I usually research the f outta things before I buy, but the sales guy gave me that look and "Nah, this is what you need".
My thoughts on the (redacted brand name) are now that it made every single pedal sound like my speaker cab was wrapped in thick plastic. The CS-12 makes everything sound like the plastic wrap was taken off. That's the only way to explain it.
I had just turned on my Friedman BE-OD when my drummer and bass player walked in and they thought I bought another new OD pedal. When I said no, just bought a new power supply, they were shocked. F***in HUGE tone outta' that thing now in the 18v spot.
Anyhow, by fluke, I ended up with a 1 Spot Pro and it's the best. Nice work my friends......
-User email received at Truetone.com
"The 1 Spot Pro is the hands-down best power supply I’ve ever purchased! I just finished up a sold-out arena tour with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and the 1 Spot Pro took care of ALL my power needs! Plus I love the power cables that ship with it. The various lengths made for a neat and tidy pedalboard."
- Jerry McPherson
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