What Should My Tattoo Power Supply Settings Be For Gun Speed

A tattoo power supply is a piece of equipment that is used to run your tattoo machines. But without general knowledge, it can get a little tricky to deal with one of these. Besides, you are at risk of harming yourself without the proper knowledge.

When you are using your tattoo machine for lining, keep the voltage from 7.5 to 8.5 Volts. When you are shading, the voltage should be from 8 to 10 Volts. 

There are different types of tattoo power supplies available in the market. While some are very basic with just power buttons and a few knob dials, some come with LCDs, different knob dials, and switches.

These can get a little trickier to use. If you have gotten one of these and wonder what my tattoo power supply settings should be for gun speed, then rest assured. In today’s article, we will get to all about that.

Types Of Tattoo Power Supply For Tattoo Guns

Although there are many types of tattoo power supplies available in the market, the most popular types are the basic ones and the digital ones. Before you try to understand the power settings, it is important to know all you can about the power supplies available.

Basic Tattoo Power Supply

When it comes to tattoo power supplies, this is the most basic it can get. It is simple, easy to use but also very traditional and deviated from technology. It offers power buttons, knob dials to adjust voltage, etc.

Using this is very easy as all you need to do is just plug in your tattoo gun and foot pedal, turn on the tattoo power supply, adjust the voltage using the knob dial, and use.

Basic tattoo power supplies offer 4-12 voltages at most. These do not offer the luxury to plug in multiple tattoo machines at once.

Digital Tattoo Power Supply

Digital tattoo power supplies offer LCDs, multiple knob dials, phone jacks, multiple outlets to run numerous tattoo machines at once. Most digital tattoo power supplies have designated outlets for line work and shade work. You have to plug in the liner and the shader according to that.

Another type of digital tattoo power supply is all digital ones. These are very popular amongst newer tattoo artists as using these are very easy. If you have basic knowledge about voltage and other technical issues in a tattoo machine, you will be able to navigate through these machines very easily.

These offer digital screens along with menus where you can just choose the voltage on the screen.

What Certain Settings Mean In Your Tattoo Power Supply:

1. Power Button: This is the button you will be using to turn your tattoo power supply on and off.
2. Switch: Most tattoo power supply machines allow to hook up more than one gun at a time. If you have a power supply like that, it will most likely have a switch. A switch is used to switch or flip between different machines.
3. Knob Dials: Knob dials are used to control and adjust the voltage.
4. Voltage: A regular tattoo machine requires 4 to 12 Volts to run. But it is recommended to use lower volts. With higher voltage, your tattoo guns will overheat. But it will also make your tattoo guns work faster.
5. Duty Cycle: Understanding what a duty cycle means is probably the trickiest part of this list. A duty cycle means the amount of time your tattoo gun’s contact screw is touching the front pox, which leads to an open circuit. 50% is the right amount of duty cycle, according to many professional tattoo artists.

Tattoo Power Supply Settings For Tattoo Guns

According to many professional tattoo artists, there are no “right” tattoo power supply settings. This might sound ridiculous, but this is what most experienced tattoo artists think.

There are some things and rules one needs to maintain for a tattoo power supply, but that’s about it. A tattoo machine runs from 4 volts to 12 volts. It is said that the lesser the voltage usage, the better.

Most professionals like to keep their power supply voltage from 7.5 to 8.5 voltage when doing line work. Some also want to keep it at exactly six volts. When doing the shading, most professionals like to keep the voltage from 8 to 10. While some professionals believe shading work requires lower voltage than lining work.

Most professional tattoo artists use one common trick to determine the right settings for their tattoo power supplies. They listen to the buzz produced by the gun and adjust the voltage according to that.

They look for a steady humming noise. If the machine is producing a cracking noise, such as a typewriter, they change the voltage immediately.

How To Pick The Best Tattoo Power Supply For Your Tattoo Gun?

Picking the right tattoo power supply for your tattoo gun is not that hard. It honestly depends on what you are looking for and what kind of tattoo machine setup you are trying to create. Although the usual voltage count for a regular tattoo gun is from 4 to 12 volts, there are power supplies able to provide up to 20 volts.

In order to find the best tattoo supply for your tattoo gun, here is what you should remember:

1. Sufficient Power Supply: It is important that you pick a tattoo power supply that provides enough power to your tattoo gun. Be sure to check the required power to run your tattoo gun and then buy a power supply according to that.
2. Features: When we are talking about features, many things come to mind. For example, as we have mentioned initially, some power supplies offer digital screens, while some don’t. It is important that you know what you would like to buy. If you are a beginner, my recommendation would be to get a digital tattoo power supply, as those are very easy to use.

Next comes the switch. It is recommended by many professional tattoo artists that you do not use one tattoo gun for both linework and shade work.

If you are a beginner, I would suggest you check whether your tattoo power supply offers you to use multiple guns or not and buy according to that.

1. Accessories: Your tattoo power supply requires a foot pedal and multiple cables to operate. Do not forget to check whether these are offered with the power supply or not. Yes, you can get these separately, but most brands offer these along with the original power supply.
2. Warranty And Guarantee Service: This is not important for many people, but I think it is important to have a good warranty time for your tattoo power supply. In case anything goes wrong, a warranty will always ensure your money is not getting wasted.

How To Set Up A Tattoo Power Supply?

Setting up a tattoo power supply is not that hard if it is not your first time. But if it is your first time, here are a few tips for you to make the whole experience better.

1. As annoying as it might sound, read the provided instructions. Manufacturers who are directly involved in the creation of the tattoo power supply know better than us.
2. If the instructions are too hard to comprehend, check out tattoo power supply setup videos on the internet.
3. If you have a coil tattoo machine, place a finger against the armature bar. Be sure to notice whether the iron recovers instantly or not when the finger is removed.
4. Be sure to check whether there are any bad smells, weird noises coming or not. Your machine should run very smoothly.

Final Words

Tattoo power supply settings can be quite tricky if not understood properly. Hopefully, through this article, all of your queries have been answered. Always remember, tattooing is something you should take very seriously. If you find that something is not right with your tattoo power supply, stop using that immediately.