DIY microphones Where do i start

**kip4** · 02-06-2012

Here a story from shortly after the navy knocked me back.
I was so determined to prove dad and the navy doubters wrong.
I went to my local electroncs store and bought a simple flashing light kit made up of a couple of pcb with pots on wires ( to vary the amounts the lights flashed) bought the light box to go with it and so began my journey carefully soldering the boards in the manor sety out in the accompanying plan.
All in secret on my bedroom table late at night when everyone else was asleep. Except my younger brother who shared a room with me. He must have cursed me.
Anyway after a weeks work assembling and verifiying it. I smuggled said curcuit into the bathroom one evening when dad was listening to music on the headphones mum was busy in the kitchen and my sibblings where sat watching tv.
I got it all rigged up on the bathroom floor and plugged the monstrosity in.
Counted down from five and switched it on as if it was a lunar rocket launch.
this wasnt far from the truth actually, there was indeed a big bang and a big flash of light and it all went dark.
Fortunately I was in the right place because i nearly bobbed my self.
I blew the main fuse in the appartment.
AAAAAAhhhh now what
trying desparately to unplug it without fear of burning myself i stuffed it still smouldering in the dirty laundry basket in the balcony drying area outside the bathroom and carried on as if nothing had happened. Luckily i never got caught and luckily no clothing was ruined or caught fire, Phew.
i waited till the coast was clear and disposed of it never to repeat such a stupid act for years.
My cheeks puckered up that night and i resigned to wait a while before i did any more diy electronics again.

**moresound** · 02-06-2012

LOL Great story Kip!

**Steenamaroo** · 02-06-2012

Initially I was going to say you sound a bit like me, but after that bathroom story maybe I won't bother,lol.

Seriously though, I've always been a diyer or trier. I don't have a technical knowledge of or education in electronics, but (within reason) I can understand what i'm told or what I read.

I didn't start with mics, I started with racking some old preamps.

Along the way I found some really helpful people who had patience for a noob but in hindsight I think the hardest thing is asking the right questions.
If you don't know the terminology *like me*, it can be very hard to get help with things.

With the preamps for example, when things went well it was great but if I came across a problem people would say have you tried X,Y or Z.
They were probably standard go-to troubleshooting techniques, but man, I was lost! lol.

IDK, there'll be people reading this saying racking a few preamps is simple stuff, and it probably is, but to me that was a huge undertaking.

Anyway, no need for my life story. Good luck.

**kip4** · 02-06-2012

Steenamaroo
You just built a ribbon mic
can you post an article on how you did it and how it sounded in use?
I'd love to see it. It can be any worse than some of the abortions i've made over the years.

I can be pretty resourceful at finding bits and making stuff sometimes.
Theres some ribbon stuff on you tube too like this

DIY Ribbon Mic - Install the Magnets - YouTube

**kip4** · 02-06-2012

Heres another really simple idea that doesnt look to shabby on the end of the mic. I've not seen these
C3m connectors as he calls them but for me it would be a great solution

DIY Ribbon Mic - Assemble the Connector Plate - YouTube

**Steenamaroo** · 02-06-2012

Originally Posted by kip4

Steenamaroo
You just built a ribbon mic
can you post an article on how you did it and how it sounded in use?
I'd love to see it. It can be any worse than some of the abortions i've made over the years.

I can be pretty resourceful at finding bits and making stuff sometimes.
Theres some ribbon stuff on you tube too like this

DIY Ribbon Mic - Install the Magnets - YouTube

LOL. it's not worth an article dude. It really is terrible. Speech is barely audible, but just enough that I was kinda pleased with myself!

It's magnets glued to wood, glued to more wood with a gap between them,lol.

The 'ribbon' is crimped into spade connectors and they were glued into place too.

Really really bad stuff but I literally just wanted to see if I could capture a sound at all, and I did.

I did make me think with proper leaf and appropriate magnets, it might not be too hard to put a reasonable ribbon mic together.

When I get a transformer for my reslo I'll build it into a connector instead of fitting it to the mic. That way it'll always be available for things like this.

**kip4** · 02-06-2012

Which transformer did you get in the end mate and if it's not too rude a question how much?
And guys if you were still in any doubt I dont think i'll ever be in the same leauge as Mr Joly or MrH,
but i'd love to have a go at this and feel i have the back up i need not to make too much of a hash of it hopefully.

**Steenamaroo** · 02-06-2012

It's not rude at all.
Haven't actually picked one up just yet. They seem pretty expensive and i can't find a lundahl in UK.
Haven't looked super hard all the same. Kinda hoping something will come up on ebay.