how can i find out, if the capsule of a mic is damaged ?

[RockOrDie]

can i see if the capsule on a small condenser mic is damaged ??
i wanted to clean the capsule of my sennheiser mkh 406 p 48 and in doing so i removed the grill and blew a few times on the capsule.
well - i know that´s stupid - i just don´t know why i did that anyway.
now the mic has a very, very low output, but there still is some output.
is a capsule damage visible, or is the only way to find that out measuring ?
as i posted in another thread, i also switched the pin connectors of the mic cable with the consequence, that the 48v phantom were sent to the wrong pin .. loads of mistakes ...
which of those do you think is the most common for the damage i caused to the mic??
thanks,
micha

 

[dementedchord]

can i see if the capsule on a small condenser mic is damaged ??
i wanted to clean the capsule of my sennheiser mkh 406 p 48 and in doing so i removed the grill and blew a few times on the capsule.
well - i know that´s stupid - i just don´t know why i did that anyway.
now the mic has a very, very low output, but there still is some output.
is a capsule damage visible, or is the only way to find that out measuring ?
as i posted in another thread, i also switched the pin connectors of the mic cable with the consequence, that the 48v phantom were sent to the wrong pin .. loads of mistakes ...
which of those do you think is the most common for the damage i caused to the mic??
thanks,
micha

screwing with the phantom wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done... and may cause damage to the preamp as well... there are some variables to how bad it could be though... may be simple fixes... you're gonna need some professional help here as you obviously dont posses the skill set necessary...

 

[RockOrDie]

well prof. help is needed for sure.
the preamp is ok luckily ... but the mic has definately taken damage.
thanks for your post!
has anyone a clue if a damage on the capsule is visible ?
i hope it´s not the capsule, that would make the whole thing even worse.
i´ll try to contact the guys of sennheiser service next week, i´ve already contacted them once and they are really willing to help.
i got the mic for 200 euro together with a "neumann km 54 ac" in perfect shape, so it´s a great deal anyway, the neumann was the one i was looking for. now i´ve got a nice pair of them ... but i´m still wondering why i´ve been so dumb.
cheers,
michael

 

[Minion]

I think he is Talking about the Preamp inside the Mic it"s self....Like in your other post I believe that other Internal components would get dammaged before the capsule, Namely the Transistors in the preamp and the Polarized Capacitors....Look inside and see if you can find any electrolytics that are Bulging ,Bulgeing electro"s are a sure sign that they are dammaged, The Tantilum caps would just explode.....

Contact senheiser and ask for a schematic for your mic so you can repair it and then post it as well as Pictures of the Mic curcuit board and then we can probably help you a lot beter....

also if you have another simular mic laying arround you can try swapping the capsules to see if it is a capsule problem or a problem with the curcuitry....

Cheers