Electronic – use network cable for low voltage DC power

currentdcguitar-pedallow-voltage

I'm a guitar player with a crazy idea for a 2 part bypass looper:

Enclosure A is just big enough to house 4 footswitches and an ethernet jack.

Enclosure B has 9V DPDT relays to route audio ins and outs. (9VDC is standard for guitar pedals)

Can I run power through CAT5 from the power source in Enclosure B to the switches in Enclosure A to make/break power to the coils of the relays back in Enclosure B?

The power supply would be one of 3 things: a 9V battery, an adapter with an output of 9VDC 500mA, or a "OneSpot" style adapter with an output of 9VDC 1700mA

The idea is to have a small controller mounted on the pedalboard with the larger enclosure hidden underneath, so the cable would only need to be 6ft at the most.

Could network cable handle this? Is there another compact solution that would be better? Any advice is appreciated.

Best Answer

Modular Jacks are rated for 1.5A per pin including surge current to charge caps with hot insertion.

There are many varieties of modular jacks and cables or crimp plugs so you can gang contacts. It is best for the longevity of "flash" ( u" thin) gold plating, that prevents rust, to avoid hot insertion ( live DC power) of the plug, rather make connections then turn on supply.

Examples of Jacks