DIYAC Ribbon Mic Kit One Time Offer March 6, 2012 22:58 54 Comments

Almost all the ribbon microphones have transformer outputs and transformers block all the direct current, so generally most ribbon microphones are phantom power safe. The problem (and concept) comes from jack patch bays. When You connect or disconnect the jack connector You short circuit the signal pins to the ground for a moment and this indeed can kill the ribbon if DC is applied. I usually suggest to avoid connecting or disconnecting XLRs with phantom power engaged too, as there might be small issues with static changes etc… But if Your microphone is already connected, You can switch the phantom power on and it will not have any affect on ribbon. It is important to know, as some consoles have one master phantom switch without individual switches on each channel, so if You want to use ribbon on such console together with condensers – it is absolutely fine, just remeber to switch phantom off before You connect or disconnect anything.

Is there a protection built in for accidentially induced phantom power?

Stephan, Rode have put to live a great idea with prolonged ground pin, indeed it adds some extra protection against static discharge, but it cannot be considered absolutely safe anyway. I would suggest same precautions, as with regular XLRs. It’s like an airbag, good to have it, but it is not supposed to be relied upon – Your safety is in Your hands :) Another thing – I don’t think that such connectors are obtainable as parts or are they???

Hi all,

@artur: some mics (such as some made by Rode) have an xlr connector with an extended first (ground) pin. Would that “fix” the problem, i.e. making the mic more secure against potential damage?

stephan

Artur,

I just ordered two of these kits. Your audio samples of the accordion and harmonica sold me!

When might I expect these to ship? Also, will these mics include internal xlr connectors and other hardware (such as screws, etc.) to build the mic?

Thanks,
Dan

I’ll let Artur chime in, but seeing as the difficult part (the ribbon motor), comes pre-assembled, I think you can do it! There are essentially three connections to be made: between the ribbon and transformer, then between the transformer and XLR plug.

Hi,

I’m a begginer in building DIY kits/soldering: i’ve only built a couple of guitar pedals and a Line2Amp kit.

Would building the RM5 be suited for my humble skills?

Thanks!

Hi…
well actually it seems that those sockets are not available as parts. At least I did not find them. I am not sure if Rode has a patent on those.

best,
stephan

Hi, Dan! Thank You for Your order. As declared, kits are most likely to be shipped in the beginning of April. Maybe earlier, but I can’t promise, I will let each buyer know individually when their kits are shipped. XLR connector and all the screws are included.

I can’t answer for Artur, but since a ribbon microphone typically puts out even less power than a guitar, 22 AWG wire should be more than ample. 22 AWG is rated to carry 7 amps for in chassis wiring! That’s the equivalent of about 4 full 51x Alliance racks drawing maximum power.

If you’re concerned about the resistance of the wire, keep in mind that the connections within the RM-5 will be very short. 22 AWG is rated at 53 Ohms of resistance PER KM!

Anyway, I’m not a mic designer so I’ll let Artur give you a definitive answer.

Dear Artur,

what wire gauge do you recommend? I got some push-back AWG 22 (.65mm) solid core wire. That’s what I use for wiring up guitars, amps etc. Would you rather recommend AWG 18 (1mm) or thicker for your design?

best and thanks,
stephan

Cylens, by 10 grade difficulty this project is probably 1. The motor (sensitive element) comes assembled, You just have to solder the transformer between the motor and output – two wires to motor and three wires to output XLR, and fix everything together. The motor gets fixed inside the upper cap.

Check out my page with information on construction of ribbon microphones and You will understand everything: http://www.diyaudiocomponents.com/ribboninfo.php?sub=1

Stephan, yes, that’s what I thought. I know that Rode have pioneered this approach and it might be patented, as I haven’t seen anyone else to do so.

Cheers!
Artur.

Thanks. Just ordered :)

There is a mounting slot and tightening screw in upper cap to mount the motor. A piece of cloth is typically used to wrap the transformer and stuff it inside the body. This cloth also functions as body resosnce damper, so it is the best way to go, rather then mounting transformer with screws, etc… Such piece of cloth is not included, but You can use almost anything. I give preference to synthepone (the thing used to stuff synthetic sleeping bags).

Is everything included in the kit to “mount” the ribbon motor and the transformer inside the body? Do i need something else then wire?

Thank you
Basile

awesome! thank you both!

stephan

Stephan, as far as I see, You have ordered kit with options, so You will have Edcor transformer. I always suggest to use transformer leads. They are long enough for most applications.

Regarding the gauge, it is not exactly power handling capability we are interested in, but balance between the resistance of lead wire and resistance of transformer windings. For example, if winding has resistance of 100 ohms, then even 1 extra ohm wouldn’t really matter, but 1 ohm is a huge number when we talk about a 4" long lead.

Basically, we should keep wire gauge just bit thicker then wire used in winding, which is usually very thin except for some special cases of very expensive transformers where DCR is kept to near theoretical minimum.

Are there still sets available? Thanks!

Hi, Mark! As stated in the description – around 15th of April.

When will these be shipped. Even a rough estimate would be nice.

Hi, there! It depends purely on Your preamp whether additional preamplification with inline devices in necessary. I would suggest to try without any extra devices first and then decide. Of course, the setup is also dependent on what You are going to record. A loud guitar cabinet and a fingerpicked acoustic guitar would need very different approach.

Hi, Jacco! Not with defected bodies, as offered here, all sold. Drop me an e-mail (the address is available on my web-site as well as in this article) and I will try to figure out something for You.

Any recommendations on a Signal Boost for the Ribbon Mic? I am familiar with the CloudLifter which boosts the low gain signal coming from the Ribbon Mic for best quality in SNR before hitting the PreAmp. Not sure if there are any kits that emulate the Cloud Lifter or if it’s considered necessary.

http://cloudmicrophones.com/cloud12/?page_id=217

Look forward to receiving my kit! Thank you

Artur,

Kit arrived today. Any suggestions for mounting the xlr connector in the bottom of the mic?

Thank You!

Here is correct pinout: blue wire goes to center terminal, red wire – to side terminal, XLR pinout is correct. Black wire should be connected to Pin 3 and XLR body pin (the one that is usually unused) using a jumper. Cheers!

Greetings – very pleased to have received my Ribbon Mic Kit. Now I am working on the assembly. There are no explicit instructions, as it seems simple enough. Just want to make sure I have this correct -

EDCOR RMX-1 (Red Wire) soldered to Center pad at bottom of ribbon motor

EDCOR RMX-1 (Blue Wire) soldered to Side pad, either left or right at bottom of ribbon motor, essentially this is signal ground

EDCOR RMX-1 (Green Wire) soldered to XLR Jack – Pin 2

EDCOR RMX-1 (Yellow Wire) soldered to XLR Jack – Pin 3

EDCOR RMX-1 (Black Wire) soldered to XLR Jack – Pin 1

Should I also solder the Black wire to the Ribbon Motor (Left or Right Side Pad) completing the signal ground?

Thank you —

@ChiantiM. You might build an inline preamp yourself. If your interface has good phantom power (read “quiet”) you can build a cheap ppowered inline preamp a la fethead or cloudlifter etc. with a handful of parts. Imho “magick factor” with those designs is rather limited. pristine transparency is the prime goal.

If you use internal preamps of a rather cheap (reading cheap parts, not necessary low price) interface you might try if there is improvement through pre-pre(?)-amping as the last 20-30% of interface gain is where cheap preamps reveal their “cheapness”. Pushing those to max might give you enough gain but also noise and mushmush.

just my 2c

Thanks for notice! What is Your opinion on microphones for vocals and fiddle?

Thanks a lot for helping me in helping out other buyers! Thanks for a feedback as well!

Two are built. Tried them on vocals and fiddle to start things off. I’m hopeful that they’ll work nicely on upright bass and guitar amps.

I first took apart the XLR Connector, separating the metal body from the pin assembly from the black sleeve.

Then I unscrewed the Mic Body Bottom using an allen wrench. Grabbing a rubber mallet I gently tapped the metal body of the XLR Connector so it was flush with the Mic Body Bottom. It will fit snugly and hold very well.

Now you are free to wire your transformer to the XLR Pin Assembly. BE SURE to first push the Yellow, Green and Black Wires through the Black sleeve. Remember that Pin2 goes to Green, Pin3 goes to Yellow and Black goes to Pin1. ALSO jumper a wire from Pin1 to the small tab which will ground against the metal XLR body when you slide everything together later.

Once the soldering is complete, rotate the Pin Assembly so Pin2 is closest to the notch in the metal body. This will assure that the mic cable will line up properly when you go to test. Next wrap the black point insulator around the wires then screw down the Black sleeve making for a firm connection to the XLR metal body.

You can now solder the Ribbon Motor and slide the whole assembly into the Mic Body. Be sure to wrap the transformer with some insulation. Artur included some with my package (thank you!)

The Microphone is AMAZING!! I began recording this evening and the vocals are so clear and articulate. No need for a significant Pre-Amp boost. Pop Filter is a must ~ Couldn’t be happier!

Unless Artur jumps in to correct me, I’m going to say you must be right, Eric. Pin 1 is where transformer shield, cable shield, and mic body should meet.

“Black wire should be connected to Pin 3 and XLR body pin (the one that is usually unused) using a jumper. Cheers!”

Is that correct? Should it be Pin 1 & XLR body?

Hi Bill, sorry to hear that. I’ve forwarded your comment to Artur, he will be in touch with you soon.

So my kit hasn’t arrived yet… Should I be concerned?

Recieved mine today!

Some questions:

Is there a front to the ribbon? Or does it sound the same from both sides?

Are the screws supposed to stick out? (Mine do stick out about 2mm)

Thanks!

Hi Eric, I passed that along to Artur. Did you receive it yet?

Hey Peter, still waiting on my kit as well if u could let Arthur know. Just wanted to check up. Thanks!

I just got mine yesterday.

Finished this guy up last night. Great mic. I posted a few pics of the build & a quick test.
http://rhythminmind.net/1313/?p=3848

I got my kit today, but it’s a little worse for wear. I’ll email Artur privately about the issues.

Thanks.

I was talking about the 3 screws on the body. The two that secure the top cap and the other that secures the XLR connector. Are they supposed to stick out some millimeters?

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! My mistype! Of course it is the PIN-1 that must be connected to the body! Thanks for pointing out!

Hello, Tom!

Both sides sound the same, but one is positive (in phase), while the other one is negative (out of phase). Basically, there are no front and back on the motor, it is just a matter of the way You connect transformer wires to motor and XLR plug.

I don’t perfectly get the question about screws, but is You mean the nuts on the other side, then yes, they are supposed to be there, as otherwise clamps couldn’t be fastened.

End of May 16 and no word on the mic kit. Any idea when mine will be shipped out? It is coming to me in CA, USA. Any idea on the days to ship to me once it leaves? Thanks in advance for the reply.

I did thanks! Yeah, turned out it was at the post office, just didn’t get the notice from them for whatever reason.

Dang! Sorry to hear that. I’m sure Artur will take care of it.

Strange… I meant to post that as a reply to my previous post.

Anyway, regarding the screws: I had to trim away a bit of the top corners of the motor plate to get the top screws to sit flush. Be careful not to trim too much though or you will have the opposite problem.

For the bottom screw, I simply filed off the point of the screw until it sat flush but still held the XLR barrel tightly.

hi there Artur…… I am interested in trying to design or build my own microphone suitable for recording purposes… and was wondering if you could possibly offer a little info or advice on where I can get the components and microphone outer bodies from please ? I am in the uk…. and how much am I typically looking at spending inorder to make something which will work well hopefully as my project please – and which can be used for a good all round microphone which would be mainly used for recording vocals and various instruments possibly… I saw a youtube clip recently and someone made a very good microphone from some simple easily available bits and pieces which can be found in various electronic and hobby stores… so thought I would try to make something similar…. but to increase my chance of success it would be great if I could get your advice and some ideas as to what components to use for my build. your reply appreciated…please reply…thank you in advance. – Rob

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Great! Let us know how it goes.

I received it yesterday. Thank you (and Artur) for following up with me. I woke up extra early (0500) this morning to solder in the transformer and secure the motor & XLR jack in the body. Should be recording after dropping the kids off to school! My first test subject will be a newly acquired Peavey 6505+ w/ a 12" Celestion G12H30. Can you say “high gain” and “hello SPL”? I knew you could!

Hi Stephen, to my knowledge they were all shipped in mid-April. I will email Artur now to see if he has any info on the status of your package. I know of at least one that made it to CA a week or so ago.