Microphone repairs

[80zboy]

OK tech heads... I have a question for you. I bought a drum mic kit a couple years ago... don't even remember the brand name... something very pedestrian like 'Audio tech' or something.

 

Anyway, they haven't been used all that much, but I'm beginning to have real problems with the connectors. You have to really play around with the mic cable ends to get the connection, and then have to tape the cable in place. One interesting detail, is that in order to get a connection, instead of pushing the cable in firmer, if you pull back on the cable, you're more likely to get flow.

 

The question is: What do I do? Take them to someone to get them fixed? Take them back to the store? Get a hold of the manufacturer? Or should I be able to fix this myself? I did open them up, but the connections all look to be good.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[ashivraj]

if it's Audio-Technica, contact them. they're pretty big and you might be covered by warranty.

 

otherwise, you're best off buying another mic...

 

AS

[agedhorse]

Are you sure it's a mic problem and not a cable connector problem?

[80zboy]

 

Originally posted by agedhorse Are you sure it's a mic problem and not a cable connector problem?

 

 

Yeah... I've tried other mics on the same cable's and they're fine... I've also tried other cables.

[RickJ]

 

80zboy wrote ... they haven't been used all that much, but I'm beginning to have real problems with the connectors... ... instead of pushing the cable in firmer, if you pull back on the cable, you're more likely to get flow...

 

 

Two clues that may indicate that the culprit is corrosion on the male pins inside the mics, especially if they've been stored in a humid environment like a garage or basement.

 

Carefully remove the connectors by unscrewing the set screw and sliding them out. Use fine sandpaper to clean each pin. Wipe off any residue with a dry cloth before re-inserting them into the case.

 

It's worth a shot ...

[80zboy]

 

Originally posted by Audiopile I think the ID for mic bodies at the XLR connection is suspose to be 5/8" (0.632") + 0.003", -0.000" (or something like that). The male pins in the XLR connections in a mic body are suspose to be 0.092" +003", -0.000" (or something like that). Therefore, FXLR connectors need to have an OD slightly less than the narrowest ID mic body with the spring connection points that will accomodate the fattest pins in a mic body. Neutrik NC-3FX connectors have an OD of about 0.620" (by my calipar). I speculate that the reason the Neutrik connector has an OD of 0.012" to 0.015" smaller than what a mic body is "suspose" to be is because of the wildly varying deviation from spec that mics actually are... particurally recently and particurally from the off shore copy machine. Point is: technically, Neutrik (and many other) connectors outer shell might fit really loose in a mic body; therefore, the Neutrik style connector relies heavily on the "O" ring and the spring contact points in the body to keep the connector square and snug in the body of the mic and make good contact. If the pins in some other mic or connector are really fat, they can tweek the springs in the cord end where they don't work as good in a mic with correct sized pins. Also, if the catch point for the latch on a mic body is recessed too far, a Neutrik style connector might have to be pushed on really hard to get the catch to latch... and will pound out the "O" ring. Therefore, it might be that your drum mics are out of spec enough to make good cords work flaky, and/or: it might be some other rogue mic (s) with really fat pins and really sloppy bodies have tweeked your mic cord ends enough that they don't work well in your correctly sized drum mics but the cords do still work ok with your out of spec other mics...maybe.... or maybe all the pins and solder points in your drum mics, or capsules are crap???

 

 

So the long and short of it is that my cable connectors could be shot so try some brand new connectors on them?

 

I'll try that and let you know. Thanks very much for the feedback.

[80zboy]

You might all be interested to know that with Mark's help, the problem is... no longer a problem. Instead of buying new cables, I just went through my cables one by one. When I found one that seemed to be a tighter fit in the microphone I tested it by plugging it into the board and pushing and pulling the connection every which way (not too hard). Some had the same problem I was experiencing before, but some were rock solid. Once I found four solid cables for each of the drum kit mics, I put an orange velcro wrap on them. Now these cables will ONLY be used for the mic kit.

 

Thanks so much for your help guys, and especially Mark.

 

On another matter, I saved myself money on repairs on my fx unit which seemed broken... Once I pulled it out, I realized some genius (probably me) had plugged the wrong transformer into it! Yikes! Once I plugged the right one in, everything worked again.

 

Between the mics and the fx unit, I thought I was gonna get soaked on repairs, but I ended up not spending a cent! Today is a good day.

 

Tomorrow my keyboard player and backup singer are getting married... it's shaping up to be a great weekend.