Planner · Guitar rig
Build a pedalboard that fits, powers up, and is wired in the right order
Drop in your pedals, drag them into signal order and see instantly whether the board fits, whether the supply has enough milliamps on each isolated output, and whether fuzz, wah and delays are wired where they sound best. All maths runs in your browser.
Board & supply
inputsIsolated outputs mean one pedal per output unless they truly share voltage and headroom. Daisy-chaining digital pedals on one output is the usual failure.
Add pedals
libraryCustom pedal
Figures are typical published values, not one vendor's spec. Check your own pedal's label — especially for Strymon and other digital units.
Signal chain
drag to reorderBoard — top down, in signal order
no pedals yetThe board packs pedals row by row in signal order, front row at the bottom. Tall or expression pedals belong at the back/front where your foot naturally falls.
Power per output
first-fit assignment| Output | V | Cap mA | Pedals | Used mA | Left |
|---|
First-fit: each pedal goes to the first isolated output with the right voltage and enough milliamps left. Sharing reduces headroom and can add noise on digital pedals.
Pedal detail
signal order| # | Pedal | Type | V | mA | W×D mm | Area |
|---|
What to fix before you buy
How the numbers are worked out
Every figure below is arithmetic you can check by hand. Nothing is fetched from a server.
Board area and rows
Board area = W × D. Pedal area = Σ(w × d). Usage % = pedal area ÷ board area × 100. Rows are packed in signal order: fill the board width pedal by pedal (plus 10 mm gap) until the next pedal would overflow, then start a new row. Row height = the tallest pedal depth in that row; the board overflows when Σ row heights exceeds the board depth.
Current and watts
Total milliamps per rail = Σ mA of pedals at that voltage. Watts per pedal = (V × mA) ÷ 1000; total watts = Σ watts. Headroom % = (supply total − draw) ÷ supply total × 100. Voltage must match — an 18 V pedal on a 9 V output is a mismatch even if milliamps look fine.
Per-output assignment
Each isolated output starts with its rated milliamps. Pedals are placed first-fit in signal order onto the first output with the same voltage and enough milliamps left. A pedal that never finds such an output is marked unpowered. Sharing is allowed only when milliamps and voltage still fit — digital high-draw pedals sharing one output are flagged.
Signal-order rules
A rule engine checks the ordered chain: tuner at position 1; germanium/vintage fuzz before any buffered bypass; wah before overdrive/distortion/fuzz; compressor in the first three after tuner/wah/fuzz; modulation after drives; delay then reverb near the end; looper last; volume either before delay or at the very end. Buffered-bypass count is tallied for tone advice.
What this is not: an estimate from published pedal dimensions and current figures; check your own pedals' specs, and always leave supply headroom.
Pedal figures are typical values rounded for readability, not bonded to one vendor's spec sheet. Cable thickness, jack placement and risers are not modelled. When in doubt measure the pedal and read its label.
Questions
Should the tuner go first in the signal chain?
Yes. The tuner wants the cleanest, unbuffered guitar signal to track accurately, so it sits before any buffer, drive or modulation. The planner flags the chain when the tuner is not in position one.
Why does fuzz want to be before a buffer?
Vintage germanium fuzz circuits expect the high impedance of a passive pickup directly. A buffered bypass pedal in front lowers that impedance and changes the fuzz tone, so the planner warns when a buffered pedal sits before fuzz.
Can I share one power output between two pedals?
You can daisy-chain only when the pedals share the same voltage and the output has enough milliamps for both, with comfortable headroom. Digital delays and reverbs draw a lot and often need their own isolated output — the assignment table shows which pedals share.
How much power headroom should I leave?
Leave at least 20–30% above your total measured draw on each rail. The planner compares your total milliamps against the supply total and per-output limits and reports the headroom percentage.
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