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Mission Engineering 529i Power Supply Review – Is battery powered better??
Introduction
When you look at your pedal board, what is the last thing you think of? The power supply (or maybe cables)! Good-quality power is key! You need good-quality power for your pedals to sound correct! In this article, we are looking at the Mission Engineering 529i Power Supply.
The Mission Engineering 529i power supply is a high-quality power supply with a big difference! It contains a battery/power bank! This means it can run your pedals cable-free, as well as any other devices! This is a huge step for several reasons we will get onto shortly. Before that, I think we should go over the key features of this power supply and talk about what it has up its sleeve and what it is capable of.
Mission Engineering 529i Power Supply
The Mission Engineering 529i power supply comes in a nice blue color. The labels are all screen printed in bright white. LEDs will show which outputs are plugged in and also using the battery indicator how much charge you have left. The 12v input is a different color to differentiate between input and output.
So what IO does the Mission Engineering 529i power supply have? It has a 5-volt USB output, allowing you to charge any USB devices you might be using if you are running iPads or tablets for lyrics/music. However, you can also charge the power supply through USB as well, so if you carry around a separate power bank, you are able to give the power supply a quick charge. Then we get onto the main points; it has 1-2 9v 500mA output and also 3-6 9v 300mA outputs. All the outputs are individually isolated.
More Features on the Mission Engineering 529i
As far as the battery goes, it isn’t no tiny power bank. This is packing a massive 8000mA battery which has a quoting operating time of 2 hours (running at 1000mA continuous load) and a charging time of 3.5 hours (at a 2000mA load).
I paid £175 with free delivery from Thomann for the Mission Engineer power supply. If you want to pick one up yourself, you can click the affiliate link at the bottom of the page to check it out.
Why not go standard?
So why even try a Battery-powered Power supply? What’s the point? What’s wrong with a normal one? Well, to put it simply, cables! I hate cables! Doing what I do (function and corporate gigs), you find yourself on small stages or having little room! I hate looking down and seeing cables everywhere! Makes it hard to move, unsafe, and also more hassle to load and unload! So, this is something I want to try to see if I can remove a power cable and a power brick and hopefully make load in and out a lot faster!
Not only that, but it makes set up easier and quicker as it one less thing to plug in and find cable and space for! We will be doing a full article on my quest for a cable-free (or as little cables as possible) rig! But for now, this is a huge start! So, since receiving it, I have been using it for rehearsals and have mixed and matched my pedalboard with more and fewer pedals with different power needs! I have also been using some of the other features that the Mission Engineering 529i power supply has up its sleeve. So let’s go over our thoughts and what we think about it!
What are my thoughts?
To start with the packaging and build quality of the 529i is top-notch! The box it comes in is very “Apple” in design and function, all very minimal, no waste, and very well thought out. The power supply itself is very well built, no wobbly parts or loose bits on arrival. It is a good thickness and will fit under most pedalboards! Everything is clearly labeled and is easy to read, with the LEDs bright enough to see what outputs are in use and how much battery you have.
For a power supply that runs on batteries, I was surprised how many outputs it has, with its 8 pedal outputs and 1 USB output this can really power some gear! I think for most people this power supply will have enough output for their needs. Having the 2 500mA outputs is really helpful; it means you can power those bigger pedals! I think 2 500mA outputs are plenty for this power supply; any more and you are sacrificing battery power!
More Thoughts!
As far as the actual power, I have had it running a few high-power pedals and low-power pedals at the same time and haven’t had any issues. No noise or interference from the power supply! Good clean power! Everything you need to get set up comes in the box! You get several power cables plus the main plug to charge it. It also comes with several adaptors so you can use the same mains plug in various countries. A very nice and helpful feature if taking on tour.
From a full charge and having 5 pedals (2 of which are high current pedals), I only used 2 bars in my 2 hours rehearsal. Granted I was only playing for about an hour and a half, and was using mainly clean sounds for this rehearsal, so rarely were all the pedals on all together! However, this is still really good battery life in my eyes! If you only use a few pedals at a time then I would say you could be pushing 4 hours running time!
Mission Engineering 529i Continued
If you are really concerned with battery life you can always use a USB power bank to charge it In between sets. So say you do a 2 hour gig with 2 1 hours sets. During your 15-30 minute break you could plug a USB power bank in and give it a bit of a charge. This reminded me of another huge bonus, quick setup time, Fast load out time and also minimal cables! Using this pedal board I only had a cable going in and a cable coming out, that Is all the cable in front of me. If I use my Lekato Wireless (Review here), would only be one cable on the floor in front of me! Super clean and quick to set up!
Negatives
The battery can’t be replaced!! One huge issue I have with this power supply is that the battery inside can’t be replaced! Which means once the battery reaches the end of life, the device is bricked and can’t be used! I don’t like this! I like to buy equipment that can last, to buy equipment that if it breaks I can fix it or replace parts! Now, What does make this slightly better is that Thomann offers a 3-year warranty with the product, so if it breaks (within reason) in the first 3 years, it will be covered. I couldn’t find any warranty information from Mission Engineering directly.
One of the biggest issues I have with this pedal board is that you can’t charge it and use it at the same time! This was one of the reasons I purchased the Mission Engineering 529i. Use it on battery but then you can plug it in if you want. The instructions say you must charge and then use it on the battery and then charge after (or in between sets). This is a massive oversight from Mission Engineering! This would have been a Huge selling point and is a reason most people would buy it!
Final Thoughts
Small note on charging, I noticed that the UK plug is “the wrong way round” meaning when you plug it in the cable sticks out the top, so if you are using a multi plug brick you won’t be able to plug anything above it or you will have it stick out the brick! Not a huge point but bit of a strange design choice!
How much does all this come in at? Well, I got the Mission Engineering 529i for £175 (with free delivery) from Thomann. I think that this is killer value! The 529i packs a huge punch for the price! Now, you could pick one up second hand and save yourself a bit of cash, but my only issue with this is due to the lack of a replaceable battery I would be wary about buying a second hand one. As much as I hate electronic waste, you would be better off buying new and having a fresh battery!
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Mission Engineering 529i Power Supply emerges as a formidable solution for musicians seeking a cable-free and efficient pedalboard setup. Its sleek design, robust build quality, and numerous outputs make it a standout choice in the market. The incorporation of a substantial 8000mA battery offers a liberating two hours of operation, catering to diverse pedal power needs.
If you want to check out more on this power supply you can visit the links below! If you want to purchase one we have an affiliate link below. Using this link helps out the site massively as we get a small kick back at no cost to you!
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