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Showing posts with label Microphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microphone. Show all posts

Monday, November 8, 2021

Save $2970! Build this $30 DIY Microphone!


There are a number of good ideas in this video.  We've known for a long time that many expensive mics are really simple, cheap mic capsules in fancy packaging.  This video takes a $12 mic capsule (which looks a bit like the ones we are using for the podcast), adds come amplification, a USB interface, and some really cool looking bronze packaging to come up with a very nice microphone. 

I liked his use of solder wick as a shield for the DIY mic cable.  Who knew the wick was hollow!  I also like the cooking torch for use in soldering the brass.  I need one of those. The little Murata DC voltage booster with positive and negative output seems useful. 

It seems that anyone working on this kind of project quickly gets pulled into the use of "audio speak." Late in the video Matt says his mic has nice low-end "presence."   A quick look at the comments section shows one person saying that one or the other of the mics sounds a bit "moist."   

There are many other similarly interesting projects on Matt's YouTube channel:

Friday, February 19, 2021

James West, Inventor of the Electret Mic, has THE KNACK

 
James West (r) with Gerhard Sessler (l)  Bell Labs 1976

https://hackaday.com/2021/02/17/james-west-began-40-years-at-bell-labs-with-world-changing-microphone-tech/

For many reasons, this is a really nice story.  It is about a kid with The Knack, a kid who, like young James Clerk Maxwell, wanted to understand how things work.   It is also a technology story, the story of the invention of a device very important to us: the electret microphone. (Remember the earlier carbon mics in telephones?  I'll bet more than a few of our readers are guilty of stealing a few of those mics from pay phones.)  And it is a reminder of the benefits of helping kids who might need a mentor... or and Elmer.    

Thanks Hack-A-Day.  And three cheers for James West. 




Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Microphone Men -- A Really Nice Video


Thanks to Rogier PA1ZZ for sending me this really nice video.  

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Godzilla, an SP-600, a D-104, and a Turner SSB+2 Transistorized Mic



We were in a restaurant last week and this trailer played on a TV that was all the way across the room.  The SP-600 caught my eye.  I once had one of those, but chickened out when I read about the horrors of black-beauty cap replacement.   There is also a D-104 in the trailer (several of those are with me now).  And the girl is transmitting with a Turner SSB+2 Transistorized mic -- I have one of those also. 

Thomas K4SWL over at The SWLing Post  notes that the SP-600 Tuning Dial appears to have been modified.  I'm thinking the wanted it to look like some sort of transmitter output meter. 

I think I can also see some sort of Collins antenna tuner.   

Any ideas on whose shack this all comes from?   It looks like a real ham shack.  

From the trailer, it appears that the ham gear somehow helped us establish contact with Godzilla, who then went on to save the planet.  I hope.  ONCE AGAIN, HAM RADIO SAVES THE DAY! 

The ham radio stuff is in the first minute or so of the trailer. 

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Homebrew Your Own Electret Microphones

Don't be such a microphone appliance operator.  Whip up some of your own electret material and turn it into a mic.  Imagine how the audio adjustment guys will react when you tell them you are using a special, tailor-made,  homebrew electret material that gives added PRESENCE and BRIGHTNESS and SPARKLE.  Wow.  Minds will be blown.  A cottage industry could be launched.  

I realize that I tried to fool you guys with a bogus story about making your own Rochelle Salt mics using Tartar sauce.   But on this one, I'm not kidding.  Check out Hack-A-Day's excellent article: 

https://hackaday.com/2018/03/07/a-bit-more-than-a-microphone-the-electret-story/

Friday, August 11, 2017

Alaskan Road-Kill Microphone


I got a kick out of Paul's message from Alaska -- on my bench I have an almost identical project, including the sink strainer (see below).  And of course the now-iconic SolderSmoke podcast mic is just an electret element inside what used to be an IKEA floor lamp. 

N2CQR Lamp Mic 
Hi Bill and Pete,

I have been following your and Pete’s adventures on Soldersmoke for a while and want to say that each episode always brings some of my past experiences to the surface.  I have been fiddling with radios and electronics for over 60 years, licensed since 1964.
I needed a mic for Bitx40 build and started thinking about this as I was working on other projects. Every day I walk a mile and a half to my mailbox. Wednesday’s and Friday’s happen to be the days of trash pickup and people put the trash bins out next to the road for pickup.  Last week I spotted a little desk lamp sitting on top of one of the trash bins with the cord cutoff so on my return from the mailbox it was still there and it followed me home.  (fig1)
Removing the shade left a flexible vertical support for a mic, (fig 2).
Your recent podcast you mentioned your D-104 microphone, that was my first mic once I had phone privileges back in ’65.  Scrounging through my treasure box I came across a 1 ¼” to 2” PVC pipe coupling that looked just like the basis for a mic. A few hours of mediation and a couple hours at the lathe and mill produced a mic with stand and a PTT switch (fig 3).
Some scrap bin aluminum and a free lamp from the trash and another hour at the lathe, (fig 4 & fig 5). And yes, it has some heft as the base has a large hunk of cast iron in it. Will admit I spent $1.24 for the sink strainer that sacrificed itself to become the grill ala D-104.
The self-satisfaction of building your own gear and accessories is one of the rewards of this hobby, can’t buy that in a store. And repurposing someone’s trash into something useful is a plus.

Keep the soldering iron hot.
73’s
Paul KL7FLR
Wasilla, Alaska
PS JoAnn’s is one of my favorite places for finding useful materials.






Saturday, July 29, 2017

SolderSmoke Podcast #198 - D-104, HW-8, Juliello, DIFX, Dishal, Baofeng, MAILBAG

Bill Breshears WC3K (SK)
SolderSmoke Podcast #198 is available. 


29 July 2017

Sign on a beach store:  SHACK-TACULAR! 

Noticed that EB63 amp was getting hot. Why?  

TT2, Herring Aid5, Farhan's Key:  QRPp and CW!  See?

D-104 lore -- Reading from Bill Breshear's (WC3K) ER article
Astatic  crystal/ceramic element -- disappointingly flimsy
Electret-ing it.  The G-Spot (see picture above)
Walery KB2FIV sent crystal mic element and piezo buzzer (reverse for mic!) FB
HW-8 AF filter Center Frequency Problem.  IT'S TRUE!  Fixed!  Finally. 

Shack re-org at N2CQR
Got Steve Silverman's HP 8640B Sig gen on the bench.  Required reinforcement

Pete's new DIFX
LM373 rigs.  Perhaps with that CA3020 Pete sent me. Chips Ahoy! 
Juliano Yellow? Origins of Blue?  Juliello? Julionyx? 
HB Crystal Filter Capitulation? Don't give up Pete --  just dish the Dishal!
Ceramic VXOs?  K.P.S. Kang
Crystal testers by G7WKE and Dino KL0S.  Impressive. 

Antennas and BITX40 modules.  Antennas are important.

Bill's new Baofeng HT on 440.

Fixing my Sony SW7600GR

MAILBAG
Steve Silverman alerts us to NYC radio row now in the Bronx.
Tony G4WIF on the cover of SPRAT -- Getting the Don Cameron award. FB 
Armand WA1UQO points out that the Berryville hamfest is coming up... 
Thomas KK6AHT F4HDQ writes in. 
On the air with W8NSA

Juliello.  No. 


Sunday, July 16, 2017

Excellent Description of the Electret Microphone

I've been experimenting with electret replacements for the D-104 crystal element.   I found this site with a really excellent description of what lies inside those little electret capsules.  Here it is: 

http://www.openmusiclabs.com/learning/sensors/electret-microphones/index.html

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Have You Ever Seen What's Inside a D-104 Crystal Element?

I had not seen this  I must say, I am disappointed.  I had visions a circular collection of shiny Rochelle salt crystals.  But look at this thing.  It is quite flimsy -- not at all what you'd expect from the sturdy D-104 exterior.  It has kind of a "Wizard of Oz" behind-the-curtain feel to it.  Yuck. If I can't find a D-104 element in good shape, I might reach for a dynamic element or -- gasp -- an electret.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Stop Me Before I Commit an Electronic Atrocity!

Sadly, not mine
I like the D-104 mic.  I bought one from Astatic shortly before they went under and it has provided good service with many different rigs for a long time.

I wanted another one, primarily for my DX-100/HQ-100 station.  I saw one on e-bay and a few days later it was here.  Unfortunately the seller was correct when they warned that it showed no output.  I had hoped it was a problem with the amp in the base, but no, it seems that the crystal element is quite dead.  It is an MC320 cartridge marked 7-77.  There is an aluminum sheet at the front that is apparently supposed to be riding atop a center support that connects mechanically with the magic crystals.  But it looks like a circular tent that has poked through the center support and collapsed around it.

Just a few years ago there were some options for replacement elements, but it seems that most of these are gone.  Bob Heil does have a dynamic element replacement kit for about 68 bucks. 

There are many schemes for putting electret elements in the old D-104 head...  I was reaching for the junk box but I stopped myself.  NO!  I will try not to commit this kind of electronic barbarity. (I have already sinned by killing several QF-1 Q multipliers and a couple of Benton Harbor lunch boxes.)  I will instead turn to the SolderSmoke brother/sisterhood and ask if anyone out there has a crystal element that could bring this old mic back to life.  My DX-100 deserves nothing less. 

Anyone have a D-104 crystal element in their junk box? 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

On the Air with the BITX 40 Module

This morning I built a mic/PTT for the BITX 40.   I used the little electret element that Farhan sent with the rig.  The element sits atop the plastic tube from a pen.   For the push-to-talk I used a little push switch that locks down (on) until you push it again (which opens it).  This is very convenient -- you don't wear your thumb muscles out on long "old buzzard" transmissions!  I used some PVC pipe and some wooden dowel to make the thing a bit ergonomic. It is held together with Gorilla tape.

It works great!  I put the rig on the air this morning and very quickly worked KD3TB up in Pennsylvania -- Irwin was testing his K3.  Then I worked KM4LWP -- James was only a mile or so from me, running 3 watts from a KX3.   Then Mario, K2ZGW called in.  Everyone said the rig sounds great. 

In the picture above you see the rig, the mic and (on the right) the VFO.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

New Rigs but Old Mics


So now I have THREE BITX transceivers on the operating bench.  I've been getting tired of moving the old D-104 around as I change bands.  Surely each of these rigs merits its own mic.  This would allow me to avoid the hassle of having to adjust the level on the D-104 each time I change rigs.

Fortunately in the junk box I have some useable old mics.   An old "Turner SSB+2" mic  has been kicking around in there for decades.  I probably got it when I was a kid. The element was no longer working, so I just popped an electret element in there, took out the preamp circuit, but kept the adjustment pot.  At first I had a 3.3 uF coupling cap in there at the output, but this was letting too much 300 Hz energy through.   So I changed the coupling cap to .1 uF and this seemed to even things out a bit. 

I know, I know: It is CB gear.  It is painted BLUE and it looks like something George Jetson would use to talk to his interstellar Good Buddies. But it was preceded by a very similar mic made for hams (see above).   And I like it.  It even has the word "Transistorized" emblazoned in script across the PTT bar. 





Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

High Pitched Audio QRM in SS #148


Two listeners blessed with good high frequency hearing alerted me to the fact that the latest podcast had some annoying high pitched noise in the background.   Peter, VK2TPM was the first to report it -- he sent along the above spectral analysis of a gap between words.  Steve,  W1KF,  also heard it, and provided a clue that I think solved the mystery.  

Steve noted that the noise was not present during the sponsor ads that were included in this episode. 
That let me figure it out.   On Saturday when I was recording this,  I got through about half the show when the power went out (that happens a lot here).  The battery in the laptop I was using to record the podcast saved the day and no data was lost.  The power came back on within a few minutes, but the outage had turned off the main PC in the shack.  That PC (AND ITS FAN) remained off when I was recording the ads.   I did the same kind of noise removal processing that I always do, but this time the noise sample that I used was taken from the mic with the main PC (AND ITS FAN) turned off.  My guess is that the whine from the fan (which I can't hear due to tinnitus) didn't make it into the noise sample, and thus didn't get removed from the podcast audio.    I went back and did a couple of rounds of noise removal and low pass filtering.  I think (I HOPE) I got rid of the offending noise. 
I have uploaded a new and hopefully improved version of the podcasts.  Audio reports will be appreciated.   

One of my New Years resolutions is to improve the technical and substantive quality of the podcast. 

Thanks Peter, Thanks Steve. 

Happy New Year to all! 
  
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Homebrew Microphone Using Cream of Tartar (NOT Tartar Sauce)

Podcast listeners will recall that this year's April 1 edition featured a story about my (supposed) efforts to cure long-standing audio problems by "chemically tailoring" home-made microphone elements. I asked for listener suggestions on which kitchen ingredients I should add to the mix. Very few listeners fell for it. But now -- as often happens -- somebody out there has completed the project that we were using as our annual hoax. Check it out. Very interesting:
http://leafcutterjohn.com/?p=1518
And I think he has a follow-up post.

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Sunday, April 17, 2011

PUT DOWN THE TARTAR SAUCE AND STEP AWAY FROM THE MICROPHONE!

Monday, April 4, 2011 11:27 AM
From:

"solder smoke"

CREAM OF TARTAR - A fine white powder used in cooking. It is the potassium salt
Potassium bitartrate, KC4H5O6. It is a food stabilizer and is also used in some baking powders.

TARTAR SAUCE - A sauce for seafood made from mayonnaise, pickles, and onions. It is unrelated to cream of tartar.

73 de Steve WA0PWK

Italian Chemical Tailoring of Crystal Microphone Elements -- The Bugiardo Method

We will discuss this in SolderSmoke Podcast 133, but for those of you who are not among the MORE THAN 200 listeners who went to the recipe site, I thought I should post the REALLY INCREDIBLE e-mail that started all this.

Before you read it, you might want to fire up that Italian-English translation feature in Google and check out the meaning of some of names and places. Like Dr. Andrea BUGIARDO who wrote in the Italian magazine Radio-FURBIZIA while living in the beautiful mountain town of SCERZO-BARZELLETA in the picturesque (I'm sure!) province of TRUCO-IMBROGLIO.

--------------------------------------------

TO: soldersmoke@yahoo.com

FROM:i.nocente@primaprile.it

SUBJECT: CHEMICAL TAILORING OF CRYSTAL MICROPHONE AUDIO RESPONSE

Ciao Bill! Greetings from not-so-sunny Roma! After I read you blog posting (http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2011/03/homebrew-literally-your-own-microphone.html) with the video about how to grow your own piezo-electric crystals at home, I was reminded of an article from an old Italian radio magazine that I came across not long ago. Having heard of your recent (well, long-standing) problems with audio quality and microphones, it occurred to me that this old Italian article might be the solution to your audio difficulties.

The article appeared in the Italian radio magazine "Radio-Furbizia" April 1950. Tough times in Italy! Hams had to be inventive and ingenious, and they had to put to work whatever resources they had at hand. Dottore Andrea Bugiardo, I0SOL, was clearly a man for those times. During the post-war period, writing from his hamshack in the beautiful village of Scherzo-Barzelleta, in the province of Truccoimbroglio, OM Bugiardo produced a steady stream of truly incredible ham radio innovations.As you know, life in an Italian home revolves around the kitchen, so it should come as no surprise that Bugiardo based many of his devices on things that he found there.

Bugiardo opens his April 1950 article with a really touching admission of his deep, unfulfilled yearning for a Astatic D-104 microphone. I know this mic was not warmly received by your listeners (insensitive brutes!) but for Bugiardo, the D-104, with its chrome and its art-deco lines was the epitome of ham radio class! As you know, style and good design are important for Italians -- this is the country of "bella figura!" But alas, the dire economic situation did not permit Dr. Bugiardo to buy his coveted chrome lollipop. But, being a true ham, a ham's ham, he decided to "roll his own"as you Americans would say. He decided to build his own D-104.

The exterior did not represent a major problem. He had many friends in Milano who could handle the needed metal and chrome work. The problem was electrical... or should I say electro-mechanical. You see, Bugiardo needed the key component, or perhaps I should say, the key ingredient: he needed the piezoelectric element, the transducer, the piezo-electric device that transforms sound to electricity. It is very interesting. In growing his crystals, Bugiardo employed essentially the same techniques as described in the video on your blog. But -- and here is where I think his article could help you -- he went a significant step further and described how -- by using simple substances found in any kitchen -- the audio characteristics of the microphone can be tailored to the needs of any individual human voice. Bugiardo's research showed that by adding certain common crystalline substances to the standard mix for piezo-electric crystals (the familiar Tartar sauce formula) we can actually come up with the kind of mic we need! No need for EQ or mixer boards! Just start out with the right kind of crystal for your voice, and you are, as you guys say, "good to go!

The physics of this is all based on the physical mechanics of the crystals -- motional inductance and all that. I'll spare you the gory details. Here is the essential information:

-- You start with the standard mix for the crystal element as described in the ARRL Handbooks (this formula appears in all the handbooks from the 40's and 50's).

-- In order to have a mic that accentuates the high notes in the voice, add approximately 5 grams of sugar to the mix.

-- For a stronger bass response, highlighting the low frequencies, add approximately 5 grams of salt. Ordinary table salt will do.

-- For a "punchy" DX-hunter's sound, Bugiardo recommends adding some Tabasco sauce to the Tartar sauce before the initial mixing. (He says this will give you about 3.2456 db gain!)

-- As for your whistling SSSSS problem, Bugiardo's "cook book" does seem to hint at a solution: He says that by adding some molasses to the mixture, you can sort of "smooth out" the response. (This is no doubt caused by the molasses adding its sticky-ness to the crystal matrix.) PLEASE give this a try Bill. Mama Mia! Those whistles hurt my ears!

Anyway, I hope this proves useful. We all really enjoy the podcast.

Ciao,

Carlo

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

EME, Bob Heil, and The Grateful Dead



I really loved the TWiT interview with Bob Heil that I posted yesterday. Today we bring you a truly "must see" video on the History of Heil Sound. Really great stuff. Now I know that it was FATE that caused it to be a Peter Frampton song (using a Heil Talk Box) that helped me solve my RFI problem.

Bob Heil seems a really great guy. I liked the bio that he has on his web site.
http://www.heilsound.com/amateur/aboutus/index.htm

Name: Bob Heil
Bob Heil
Position: CEO/Founder
Started in: 1940
Bio: Bob's life mission is to have fun and bring LOTS of people along for the trip. Bob barely got through grade school and then started making more money than his teachers by playing the (Hammond) organ. Then Bob became a pimp for his high school gym teacher (Sarah can fill you in on the details). Bob had 50+ years of "just OK" life until God sent him a red headed bundle of joy along with her bundle of joy and together they have more fun than a couple of squirrels in a nut forest.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Interview with Bob Heil

W8FG alerted me to this interview with Bob Heil on TWiT. I think you guys will enjoy it (especially all of you rockers out there).

http://www.twit.tv/tri8

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Inside the SolderSmoke Microphone

Here's a really excellent description of how an electret microphone works, complete with a dissection of the device.

http://www.openmusiclabs.com/learning/sensors/electret-

Crystal mics are much more interesting, of course, because of the opportunity to chemically tailor the audio response...

Designer: Douglas Bowman | Dimodifikasi oleh Abdul Munir Original Posting Rounders 3 Column