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Planning module power draw in milliamps against PSU capacity prevents overloading rails when building a system

Procedure L2First instrument E · Modular, Eurorack, grooveboxes & dawless

Before purchasing a case or adding modules, add up each module’s current draw on each rail (available in the module’s user manual or on Modulargrid) and compare the totals against the PSU’s rated capacity. The PSU must supply more mA than the system demands on each of the three rails independently — running close to capacity risks instability, noise, or damage. The recommended workflow: plan your module list in Modulargrid, check the calculated power totals, choose a case whose PSU exceeds those totals with headroom. Rails are not interchangeable — excess capacity on +12V cannot compensate for a deficit on +5V.

Examples

If your planned system draws 800mA on +12V and 150mA on -12V, you need a PSU that can supply at least 800mA +12V and 150mA -12V, plus headroom (say 20%) for thermal stability.

Assessment

Describe the step-by-step procedure for verifying that a Eurorack case’s PSU can power your planned module list. What tool is recommended for this planning?

Prerequisites — understand these first

Don't confuse with

Sources

“plan out a rough idea of what modules you'll want in your system and add up how much power they take on each rail. A module's user manual should list how much of each type of power it consumes, but Modulargrid is a really great resource for doing this.”
corpus · building-your-first-system-cases-noise-engineering · chunk 2

Taught in modules