johnclubvec
New Member
My first project: a diy measurement and recording microphone using the Panasonic WM-61A electret capsule?
I am new to this forum and am delighted to have discovered it! The FAQ stresses the need for lots of detail, particularly in posts from the inexperienced, so I have done my best. I am VERY inexperienced with electronics. I realize that people inexperienced in a particular domain tend to unknowingly include many irrelevant details and unknowingly leave out important ones. Please forgive me.
I will check in on this thread at least once a day and read and respond to questions and advice from anyone and everyone as best I can. I will keep going until I get somewhere!
About me:
I am a trained musician and a composer who uses computers to make his compositions.
Electronics knowledge: minimal. I don't remember what the symbols on a circuit diagram refer to without a cheatsheet. Even then, I have nearly zero understanding of how the circuit would function, or why. Beyond the most basic ideas, I'm pretty much lost.
Practical electronics knowledge: Even less. In former days, I would fairly regularly solder mic plugs to cables, things like that, but would steer clear of anything electronic. Most importantly, I have no idea of how to translate a circuit diagram into a practical project. I can follow directions, but that's it. If the parts are all included and there is a pre-printed board where I can insert and solder Part A where the pre-printed board says 'Part A'", and absolutely everything is spelled out in minute detail, then I can just barely handle it, by following the directions blindly. In other words, as far as electronic projects go, I'm merely a slightly more fastidious and careful version of my eight-year-old nephew.
WHY I'M HERE:
I'd like to try to build a diy measurement and recording microphone. I have wanted one for years, but could never justify the cost. The mic's first job would be for use in 'Digital Room Correction' to better correct the response of our basic home stereo, which is all I have for a reference system while I compose. Essentially, drc involves convolving a digital audio signal with an Inverse Impulse Response adjusted to your room, prior to analog (re)conversion and transmission to the loudspeakers. A drc link (for the curious) is here:
http://www.duffroomcorrection.com/wiki/Main_Page
I stumbled across Siegfried Linkwitz's page on constructing a "high quality measurement and recording microphone with flat frequency response" here:
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/sys_test.htm#Mic
I found slightly more detail here,:
**broken link removed**
I have found the described WM-61A electret capsule at digikey.com. I assume I can find anything else I need at Radio Shack.
Ideally, I would eventually be able to make a couple of mics and use them both for measurement and recording.
However, I don't understand how to make the circuit that would provide current to the mic and make it play nice with a mic input (on a PC or anywhere else). I don't know what to buy and how to build it. Please remember that I am too ignorant to build anything directly from a circuit diagram. I need the information Mr. Linkwitz provided reinterpreted so that a careful eight-year-old (that would be me) could blindly collect the parts and build it himself.
For example, could you point me to a link that has pictures of building an electret microphone circuit similar to the one I need? As I've said, if I can see it, I can follow it, but otherwise I'm at a loss.
I have searched through the forums and found a question about building a circuit for an electret mic, with this intriguing answer from 'audioguru': "I answered your question on the other site, and even showed a pic of your mic." Such pics I would love to see. I found that exchange at:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/electret-mic.21405/
Failing that, can someone recommend a library book about how to interpret and build from circuit diagrams?
Or maybe one of you has a better idea that I simply haven't thought of.
I hope I have not worn you all out in advance with my 'detail'. Above all, please tell me if this project is simply beyond my all-too-meager capacities.
Thank you all very much.
I am new to this forum and am delighted to have discovered it! The FAQ stresses the need for lots of detail, particularly in posts from the inexperienced, so I have done my best. I am VERY inexperienced with electronics. I realize that people inexperienced in a particular domain tend to unknowingly include many irrelevant details and unknowingly leave out important ones. Please forgive me.
I will check in on this thread at least once a day and read and respond to questions and advice from anyone and everyone as best I can. I will keep going until I get somewhere!
About me:
I am a trained musician and a composer who uses computers to make his compositions.
Electronics knowledge: minimal. I don't remember what the symbols on a circuit diagram refer to without a cheatsheet. Even then, I have nearly zero understanding of how the circuit would function, or why. Beyond the most basic ideas, I'm pretty much lost.
Practical electronics knowledge: Even less. In former days, I would fairly regularly solder mic plugs to cables, things like that, but would steer clear of anything electronic. Most importantly, I have no idea of how to translate a circuit diagram into a practical project. I can follow directions, but that's it. If the parts are all included and there is a pre-printed board where I can insert and solder Part A where the pre-printed board says 'Part A'", and absolutely everything is spelled out in minute detail, then I can just barely handle it, by following the directions blindly. In other words, as far as electronic projects go, I'm merely a slightly more fastidious and careful version of my eight-year-old nephew.
WHY I'M HERE:
I'd like to try to build a diy measurement and recording microphone. I have wanted one for years, but could never justify the cost. The mic's first job would be for use in 'Digital Room Correction' to better correct the response of our basic home stereo, which is all I have for a reference system while I compose. Essentially, drc involves convolving a digital audio signal with an Inverse Impulse Response adjusted to your room, prior to analog (re)conversion and transmission to the loudspeakers. A drc link (for the curious) is here:
http://www.duffroomcorrection.com/wiki/Main_Page
I stumbled across Siegfried Linkwitz's page on constructing a "high quality measurement and recording microphone with flat frequency response" here:
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/sys_test.htm#Mic
I found slightly more detail here,:
**broken link removed**
I have found the described WM-61A electret capsule at digikey.com. I assume I can find anything else I need at Radio Shack.
Ideally, I would eventually be able to make a couple of mics and use them both for measurement and recording.
However, I don't understand how to make the circuit that would provide current to the mic and make it play nice with a mic input (on a PC or anywhere else). I don't know what to buy and how to build it. Please remember that I am too ignorant to build anything directly from a circuit diagram. I need the information Mr. Linkwitz provided reinterpreted so that a careful eight-year-old (that would be me) could blindly collect the parts and build it himself.
For example, could you point me to a link that has pictures of building an electret microphone circuit similar to the one I need? As I've said, if I can see it, I can follow it, but otherwise I'm at a loss.
I have searched through the forums and found a question about building a circuit for an electret mic, with this intriguing answer from 'audioguru': "I answered your question on the other site, and even showed a pic of your mic." Such pics I would love to see. I found that exchange at:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/electret-mic.21405/
Failing that, can someone recommend a library book about how to interpret and build from circuit diagrams?
Or maybe one of you has a better idea that I simply haven't thought of.
I hope I have not worn you all out in advance with my 'detail'. Above all, please tell me if this project is simply beyond my all-too-meager capacities.
Thank you all very much.
