Chiming in to say that this cable from eBay is working for me! Thanks for the tip!
Here’s a direct link to the seller’s website. Just over $7 shipped, not bad!
Hi. I recently got a Syntakt and I’m planning to use a power bank as power source for portability. I’ve already received a Blind Spot USB-C to 12V adapter, and I’m sourcing out a power bank currently - I, more or less, know what specs to look for. But I’m wondering whether anyone here (or anyone you know of) has had the misfortune of having their Elektron box malfunction, either instantly or over time, after using such a solution (power bank plus 12V adapter/converter). Thanks!
Just chiming in w/ a combo that worked for me, amazon links:
1 Like
Sorry I’m just seeing this now! Adafruit is based in New York, NY, US
I’m thinking of getting one of these, since I found out my powerbank can only output either 12V or 5V, not both at the same time and the model:cycles wants max 10V… so to run syntakt and cycles together this thing would be the cats ass… no special usb cable required! Assuming the polarity on the plugs is correct. I haven’t tested this but if I do I will come back here… might have to make your own cables but generally it seems like center positive on the barrel jacks as the going standard so probably would be ok out of the box. Additionally, it might output 14.6V when fully charged, it’s not clear based on the specifications listed… I would definitely read the voltage before plugging in the syntakt first as I’m not sure how much the Elektron boxes would like that extra 2.5 v as they are already getting warm using stock PSU is providing around 12v i think… but maybe if you are taking it outside for one of those cold winter jams it might even out, who knows, your analog circuits might get a bit more flavor! 
I’ve had success with the following power bank & the blind spot power pipe version 2…
Warning: This power bank is heavy…
Have a good one,
3EO
1 Like
I use the same to power Syntakt and even Akai Force!
link to it?
Do I need to use something like the Blind Spot or Bird Chord for a battery like this UGREEN Nexode 100W 20000mAh? The ratings for the battery says it can output 12V at 3A from one of the USB-C ports.
USB C1 Output 5V3A, 9V3A, 12V3A, 15V3A, 20V5A, Adaptive Charge 100W Max
That sounds like I could just use a UCB-C to ‘correct input type’ for Syntakt.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C3GTMX5M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AXZ3JQ1GVFPIF&psc=1
If it supports 12V over USB-C you just need a trigger cable with the right barrel connector on the end, or a trigger adapter like the MyVolts Step Up.
I have the same one, it can power even my Akai Force.
I picked up an Anker 533 Powerbank (PowerCore 30W) this weekend, as it seemed to meet all my requirements:
- I trust the brand. I’ve had one of their older models for five years now and it’s still working reliably. Friends that bought from other brands have complained about significant decline in capacity after a year, or it stopped working.
- The latest generation of Anker products all seem to include 12V support now (previously only 15V).
- It’s a compact 10K battery with two USB-C PD ports, and one USB-A.
This did not work out well.
It reports about 2 hours battery life with Syntakt, and 5 with Digitakt.
I haven’t tested it fully, but it drained 25% in 30 minutes so it seems accurate enough.
I didn’t think Syntakt drew that much power. I was expecting at least 3 hours.
In future, I suppose I should be looking at 20K+ powerbanks (there’s a Belkin 26K that looks good).
When more than one device is connected, all outputs drop to 5V.
Despite the 30W rating, it doesn’t seem to support two 12V outputs, or 12V+5V.
And once the output has dropped to 5V, I could not get 12V out of the USB-C ports again without hard-resetting the powerbank.
This also seems to be true of my previous Anker power bank, now that I’m aware of it.
This is done by shorting it out with a C-to-C cable connected to both outputs. I don’t like that.
The USB-C ports also get stuck at 5V if the low-current charging mode is activated.
12V over USB-A did not seem to be affected in either case. That always worked without having to reset it.
Oh, and if you connect more than one device - even if they are all 5V - power is cut as you connect each one.
So it will reset anything being powered by it, rather than charging.
.
On a related note, I can no longer recommend the MyVolts StepUp adapters.
Despite only using one sparsely over the course of 3 months now, it no longer stays on many of my USB-C cables reliably. Even the slightest touch can cause it to cut out.
I would recommend trigger cables that are hard-wired, with clearly-labelled outputs.
Many of the cheaper ones don’t seem to indicate voltage or polarity, and that seems dangerous.
That leads into the other reason I can no longer recommend the StepUp adapter.
It still lights up green even if it’s not delivering 12V.
The only reason I know this is because I have a USB tester:
These things are quite affordable now, and are handy when troubleshooting USB power issues, or monitoring what devices are drawing.
When the powerbank is stuck in 5V mode, green.
And when it’s connected to my old Anker power bank, that only supports 9V and 15V over PD (no 12V support) it will output 9.25V and still lights up green.
Now in most cases the voltage is going to be low enough that a 12V device just won’t power up.
But maybe some devices are still going to run if you send them a lower voltage, and could potentially be damaged.
Seems like a bad design to me. It should only light up green if it’s delivering 12V.
They released USB cables with a “power meter” built in at the same time as these StepUp adapters, but they only display wattage.
It’s a neat thing to have built into the cable, but it seems like displaying voltage would be far more relevant for USB-PD - so you know what is being delivered before connecting it up to a device.
2 Likes
@fancato , did these work out for you? The USB-C PD power bank cable to the Syntakt? Thinking of going this route.
1 Like
Unfortunately I have to also confirm this.
The connector tip showing a green light when it is not delivering enough juice to move the Digis is misleading.
In the other hand, I have their 6V old model paired with my Octa mk1 and it works flawlessly.
Edit/Errata: while the green light is confusing, there is indeed a proper indicator of enough power in the cable screen. The “PD” symbol must be lighted to confirm enough power is delivered:
This thing can get the Syntakt running without issue (all analog and digital tracks going on). Syntakt is usually pulling just 12W to 13W according to vale meter:
Just for the sake of science, A4 running the 4 analog tracks pulls less than Syntakt, at 11W to 12W:
So yes:
This thing supports Syntakt without issues when properly used.
Also Syntakt gives you more analog and digital tracks for less carbon footprint than A4 + Digi, if that is a concern…
1 Like
Absolutely! Just make sure you also have a PD USBC Power Bank.
I was able to test a Belkin 26K 4-port 32W PD power bank, as a friend picked one up while they’re on sale (£70 down to £40).
This thing was seriously dense - which I’d say bodes well for its capacity vs other banks claiming the same thing while being much lighter.
It proved to be much better than the Anker 533 I tried previously.
It can simultaneously handle:
- One 12V device via Type-C.
- One high-current 5V Type-A device.
- One low-current 5V Type-A device.
What that means is it was able to run a Syntakt (12V PD), Digitakt (MyVolts Ripcord), and Wirehead FreaqFM (Micro USB) all together at the same time.
There were no issues with 12V support - it seemed to trigger correctly every time.
And connecting/disconnecting devices did not interrupt power either.
It’s not perfect though.
- Connecting two Type-C devices limits the output of both to 5V.
- The Type-A port is only 5V - it does not support 12V QC.
- Connecting two high-current Type-A devices; e.g. Digitakt via Ripcord, and a phone, caused the DT to restart over and over.
The limit seems to be 12W total across both Type-A ports - so you really don’t have much to spare with one device running off a Ripcord.
Overall, it was far better than anything else I’ve found from a reputable brand; but not exactly what I’ve been hoping for yet.
Pretty good value at this price though, if those restrictions work for you - and very useful for travel with its four ports if you are looking to charge devices.
I see they have a newer 20K 3-port 65W PD power bank now though.
It’s more expensive for lower capacity, but seems like it may be what I’m looking for, as it supports a higher wattage output and does have 12V QC support on the Type-A port.
It seems like the power draw is split as 45W on one Type-C port, and 20W shared between the other Type-C/A ports though - so it’s all going to come down to how the device actually negotiates power.
In theory you could be powering a Syntakt (12W) off the main Type-C port and two digital boxes (14W) off the other Type-C/A ports if it can negotiate 12V on all three simultaneously.
In practice, it may still only support 12V on one Type-C port and force 5V on the other.
It might be able to still do 12V QC via Type-A though - which would at least avoid converters like the Ripcord. I don’t really like using them, as I’ve not found it reliable.