charge pump

A charge pump is a circuit inside a pedal that converts the input supply voltage to a different voltage, most often doubling 9 volts to 18 volts internally¹². This raised internal voltage gives the circuit more headroom, which can also allow quieter operation³⁴⁵. It lets a pedal run at higher internal voltage while still using a standard 9V power supply⁶⁷. In some pedals, a charge pump instead acts as a polarity reverse circuit, enabling use of a standard 9V DC center negative adapter and daisy chaining with other pedals⁸⁹. It appears in circuits such as the Klon Centaur and its clones, where it is considered part of the original design¹⁰¹¹.