I was curious about the Mini’s locking power connector and jack, so I poked around online and found these on DigiKey:
I ordered a couple of each. Here they are:
Notice how the outside of the connector barrel has the tabs poking out of the side. These fit into two inserts in the jack; then you turn the connector to lock.
A standard non-locking 2.1mm connector will fit into the jack. QC Mini owners who want to mount their devices to a pedalboard–for example–can still use an external power supply. You don’t have to resort to the OEM power supply only.
If you’re mounting to a pedalboard, there’s a 99% chance you don’t need the lock because your power cable shouldn’t be in a position to fall out anyway.
It is nice to have the locking feature to prevent the connector from popping out, but there is a flipside to that coin: It may be possible to damage the jack and/or its solder connection to the circuit board internally if you accidentally step on the connector or otherwise rock it too hard while it’s still locked in. Not trying to be an alarmist, but want to encourage everyone to exercise caution.
Needless to say, but attempting to replace the non-locking jack in your standard QC with a locking one will 100% void your warranty. I don’t know enough to say whether tampering with the OEM power supply will also void any warranty, but better to be safe than sorry.
By the way, are we collectively going with “Mini” or “QCm” shorthand from now on?
