Like many manufacturers, our pedals use the Input jack to connect power to the internal pedal circuit. What this does is saves the battery life by completely disconnected power from the circuit when no cables are plugged into the pedal.
This will also disconnect the power from your Made in China, out of date Pedal Power copy.
For testing, please feel free to connect your guitar to the Input jack on the Sparkle Drive, and connect the Output of the Sparkle Drive to your amp.
Let us know if you are still having any troubles.