Rob, I downloaded and 3-D printed your motor framework. I have four of them, now. My buddy Len, and I are going to take a crack at building two microphones, each. If they sound pretty good, I know he'll use his to record his wife who is a very accomplished folk musician; singer and guitar. I'll be recording classical clarinet-string quartet-piano combinations with maybe a few tries with my jazz trio now and then. I might build an adapter to turn two single, cylindrical-case ribbon microphones into a linked stereo microphone. It seems like a fun project!
No need 3D printing. You can carve FR-2 sheet. Unfortunately high noise floor. Need more winding ratio of the transformer. Perfect job Cheers from Indonesia
Try using google sketch up. It is easy to learn and you can have your part 3d printed when you are finished. Use the part I shared in the comment below as a starting point.
Hello, Rob. I enjoyed your video. I have questions if you are still taking them. I just got a Geistnote's GN-C36 1:36but I have stumped my self over thinkin g the wiring. This my first mic project. I am using an old xlr cable for my plug it have the raw copper in the housing for the ground and red and white. Can I solder to those wires If so can you tell me the color combo. (Red, double from the top of ribbon, Blue from the bottom of the ribbon.) Then where from there? Thanks for your time.
Skinny, Sorry it has just been so long since I made this video and I haven't really done and microphone stuff since around that time, that I am not really much help.
@@SkinnyMcGee I have the same question. How do I get the two wires at the top? The transformer only has the one coming out of it. So confused about this step
@@eggplnt The two reds (pos.) run to the red on the transformer. The bottom single wire is the neg. runs to the black. the other end of the transformer is pos., neg. and ground. I ran to a cut xlr. It went as follows. Red to brown. yellow to white. copper shield to black which I ran a little pig tail off of to the body of the mic. It worked. I did have get a Fethead to bump up the vol. and reduce noise.
A ribbon mic transformer is needed like a lundahl or edcor. He just used a regular step up transformer, that would explain low output high noise. Also its not in a case the metal body or metal screen adds emf protection
For the noise, I have couple of suspicions. One could be that the ribbon motor induces noise; usually the two top wires go both sides of the motor to cancel out noise. Here they go side by side, although twisted. And the second and the most obvious one is the preamplifier, it needs to be quite good. I'm no means an expert, just made one ribbon mic recently. It has no more noise than a Shure 57 that I used for some kind of a benchmark to test my preamp :)
Hi Rob, great job and the guitar sounds very natural. The only question I always have with a ribbon mic is: how do you know when you have to right tension on the ribbon when you clamp it?
+Rob's Fixit Shop My school has a 3D printer. I've never used it before. I just downloaded your file, imported into the MakerBot software, and hit print. Thank you for taking my 3D virginity, haha. Worked great (1 hr, 15 mins to print).
Could you explain the wiring? I am trying to make this, but I have little experience with wiring. I can't understand where the two red wires came from. There is only one red wire on the transformer.
The colors don't matter - there will be a primary and secondary winding. The primary side is the low-impedance to the ribbon but DON'T use a meter to measure that as you could jigger the transformer by magnetising it slightly. The signal is always AC so it really doesn't matter which way you wire it provided you feed the ribbon output the to primary and the secondary (high impedance) side to your amp.
you have inspired me to build my own ribbon mic even tho i could buy a cheap one for less money, I too can 3d print and CAD so i will add a place in the frame for the transistor and print small brackets for the ribbon. would you like the STL?
I used to work at a lab where anyone could pay a membership for unlimited use of our woodshop, metal shop, and laser printing/3d printing shop. It hurt when they said they charged you $25...the cost to make that part is maybe... $.0005...the labor is all in the design.. Buy yourself a $200 cheapo DIY 3d Printer kit and then the world is your oyster.
eBay these days. For anyone reading this now, the most powerful magnets we can get to the general public look like N52 and believe me those beasties will take your fingers off it you're not careful.
Hello sir, which winding part of the transformer should we connect with the Aluminium foil (primary or secondary) ? Your Microphone cool by the way 😁 Thank you for this video 👍 (Mahmoud Official)
BW, I had put the link to the part as the first comment but I am happy to see see that there are many comments so I moved it into the description under show more. Thanks for pointing it out. I would add the cut out for the transformer and the ribbon hold downs to the part design if I were doing it again.
Hi Fernando Pontin, if you have access to a 3d printer, you could build up a corrugation machine, which isn't that complicated. Actually you only have to mount two cogs on a adjustable slide rail or a apropriate mount. Maybe the on thingiverse published project from Harvahamma might help you to build such a "machine". The link is:www.thingiverse.com/thing:2806010/files .
Cool. I've seen some other videos about this subject and noticed on one they mounted a little 'puff screen' over the ribbon, would that be a good idea?
Josh Zook I went to the UPS store here in town. I was able to email them the files and my credit card # and then I picked it up the next day. It cost me about $28.
I had them print two of them, using the UPS near Penn State University. They mailed them to Baltimore, for me. The whole thing, with shipping and handling was a painful ~$90. They used PLA and it might have been cheaper if I chose a less dense printing pattern. They asked how dense and I said as dense as it gets, since I wanted strong plastic and don't know any better.
use water bottle caps of proper size, fixated on wood with nail or screws. find ones that work duckduckgo.com/?q=water+bottle+caps&iax=images&ia=images Or make 2 wheels out of wood...etc.
Hey i wish to build this but i am a bit of an audio noob so i have a few questions. When you used the xlr cable did you give it phantom power or not and also will i be able to plug this straight into my PC and use it or will i have to use a mixer, give it phantom power, and then plug it into my PC Thanks.
bob(the one that is at war with google +) I just made sure that they were attractive to each other by having them attract to each other through the temporary plexiglass divider
bob(the one that is at war with google +) No phantom power. I went into a usb mixer but the output was too low. I am not sure if direct to PC will work. It works much better to my Yamaha power amp / mixer. Preamps for these mics is a pretty deep subject that I am pretty weak on.
Rob's Fixit Shop Wow thanks for the fast reply. I did some research of my own and i think i might go for a 2.5 or 4 micron foil but i want to test out that i can build it so i'm just gonna use the kitkat foil for the first test than,is it works, i'm going to commit to it and buy high quality parts. I might try a XLR to 3.5mm jack cable to see if it will work straight to the pc.
Aliexpress or EBay. Search '50mm Neodymium magnets' - The ones he is using appear to measure 50mmx10mmx10mm. I've seen other people using the 5mm thickness ones in their projects. That's another option.
2.5 microns thickness. (2.5 microns is 0.0025 millimeters) But yeah, very thin. A close plosive 'blast' from your mouth could cause it to rip (which is why they are usually covered over with a shield / screen).
somewhere I heard it is 1 : 37, stepping up input to 37 times. So use a 5 volt or 6 volt transformer in reverse, it might work, say from dead/cheap USB charger. 220 / 37 = ~5.95 almost 6. ruclips.net/video/_tWbwcS_9sA/видео.htmlm8s ruclips.net/video/xMNTOXGdYM4/видео.html (toroid transformer)
This would be OK as an experiment. However, the impedance of the input and output windings of the transformer are also important - Especially the secondary, as it has to provide a match to your pre-amp. There are special ribbon microphone transformers available for this purpose.
not good sound , good job but i wouldn't be using that over cheap chinese headphone mic , not to mention anything better . Really its like low pass filtered its that bad , ive never used ribbon mic i dont know ifthat is their characteristic , but even if it is i wouldn't use it
This is a very well made film. Shot with a lot of clarity, attention to what the camera needs (the silver lines on the edges), etc. Good job.
Royer labs is responsible for the thumbs down. Great job on the mic!
Love that warm ribbon sound.
I love the basic 'chassis' design. Well thought out, simplifying the rest of the assembly.Well done, that man!
Rob, I downloaded and 3-D printed your motor framework. I have four of them, now. My buddy Len, and I are going to take a crack at building two microphones, each. If they sound pretty good, I know he'll use his to record his wife who is a very accomplished folk musician; singer and guitar. I'll be recording classical clarinet-string quartet-piano combinations with maybe a few tries with my jazz trio now and then. I might build an adapter to turn two single, cylindrical-case ribbon microphones into a linked stereo microphone. It seems like a fun project!
That's really cool to hear. Thanks for sharing!
This is by far the best DYI vid I've ever seen... and I've seen many... Thank you... Subscribed (I don't do that often) Thank you...
No need 3D printing. You can carve FR-2 sheet.
Unfortunately high noise floor. Need more winding ratio of the transformer.
Perfect job
Cheers from Indonesia
ibles bosuok I thought the noise was caused by lack of shielding? Why do you think it’s a transformer winding issue?
Great job! I only wish you had not epoxied in the transformer. I'd have left in the option to swap it in and out with others for design.
Wow that actually sounds great! I have the aluminum and the magnets. Next I need to design a chassis some how
Try using google sketch up. It is easy to learn and you can have your part 3d printed when you are finished. Use the part I shared in the comment below as a starting point.
Great!!! Awesome work.
3d printer, brilliant idea!
Супер! уважуха за проделанннаю работу!
Hello, Rob. I enjoyed your video. I have questions if you are still taking them. I just got a Geistnote's GN-C36 1:36but I have stumped my self over thinkin g the wiring. This my first mic project. I am using an old xlr cable for my plug it have the raw copper in the housing for the ground and red and white. Can I solder to those wires If so can you tell me the color combo. (Red, double from the top of ribbon, Blue from the bottom of the ribbon.) Then where from there? Thanks for your time.
Skinny, Sorry it has just been so long since I made this video and I haven't really done and microphone stuff since around that time, that I am not really much help.
@@RobsFixitShop That's fine. Thanks for getting back. I figured it out.
@@SkinnyMcGee I have the same question. How do I get the two wires at the top? The transformer only has the one coming out of it. So confused about this step
@@eggplnt The two reds (pos.) run to the red on the transformer. The bottom single wire is the neg. runs to the black. the other end of the transformer is pos., neg. and ground. I ran to a cut xlr. It went as follows. Red to brown. yellow to white. copper shield to black which I ran a little pig tail off of to the body of the mic. It worked. I did have get a Fethead to bump up the vol. and reduce noise.
The noise floor is quite high. How do you amplify the signal?
A ribbon mic transformer is needed like a lundahl or edcor. He just used a regular step up transformer, that would explain low output high noise. Also its not in a case the metal body or metal screen adds emf protection
xabc1 I think he is using the Geistnote GN-C36 ribbon transformer. So it is a proper type of transformer.
Thanks for letting me know!
For the noise, I have couple of suspicions. One could be that the ribbon motor induces noise; usually the two top wires go both sides of the motor to cancel out noise. Here they go side by side, although twisted. And the second and the most obvious one is the preamplifier, it needs to be quite good. I'm no means an expert, just made one ribbon mic recently. It has no more noise than a Shure 57 that I used for some kind of a benchmark to test my preamp :)
apinakapinastorba :10 How is this a 'motor'
Hi Rob, great job and the guitar sounds very natural. The only question I always have with a ribbon mic is: how do you know when you have to right tension on the ribbon when you clamp it?
Awesome video!
Wonderful job.
verry nice! so, does the copper contact need to be foil? could it be some thinwire rolled in a little plaque?
Wish I knew what connections you were soldering where?? First timer with no electrical experience. The transformer connections I am clueless
Thank you for the video.
And
Where does the hiss sound come from?
Magnets .25"x.25"x1.5" the sketch up file for the part is here:drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1g8oI55v-DgTlVNSEpnY2laUU0&usp=sharing
+Rob's Fixit Shop My school has a 3D printer. I've never used it before. I just downloaded your file, imported into the MakerBot software, and hit print. Thank you for taking my 3D virginity, haha. Worked great (1 hr, 15 mins to print).
Could you explain the wiring? I am trying to make this, but I have little experience with wiring. I can't understand where the two red wires came from. There is only one red wire on the transformer.
The colors don't matter - there will be a primary and secondary winding. The primary side is the low-impedance to the ribbon but DON'T use a meter to measure that as you could jigger the transformer by magnetising it slightly. The signal is always AC so it really doesn't matter which way you wire it provided you feed the ribbon output the to primary and the secondary (high impedance) side to your amp.
@@marcdraco2189 Hello, did he used the primary winding or the secondary winding with the ribbon copper contacts ?
@@firstgear11382 primary side is the low impedance FROM the ribbon. The high impedance goes to the preamp.
@@marcdraco2189 You mean the secondary?
@@firstgear11382 yeah. The higher impedance matches to the preamp.
you have inspired me to build my own ribbon mic even tho i could buy a cheap one for less money, I too can 3d print and CAD so i will add a place in the frame for the transistor and print small brackets for the ribbon. would you like the STL?
I thought it was a pretty fun project. Maybe you could put the STL where other people that are watching this video could get to it.
I used to work at a lab where anyone could pay a membership for unlimited use of our woodshop, metal shop, and laser printing/3d printing shop. It hurt when they said they charged you $25...the cost to make that part is maybe... $.0005...the labor is all in the design.. Buy yourself a $200 cheapo DIY 3d Printer kit and then the world is your oyster.
I've got my own now. Once a I got a taste of thinking it and then making it, I couldn't turn back!
guys, 2 likes needed for his video and it will become 1K
how many turns of the primary and secondary winding ?
That's what I am looking for too..
Hi Sir, may I know where to get the super strong magnets as well as the aluminum sheets please?
eBay these days. For anyone reading this now, the most powerful magnets we can get to the general public look like N52 and believe me those beasties will take your fingers off it you're not careful.
Hello sir, which winding part of the transformer should we connect with the Aluminium foil
(primary or secondary) ?
Your Microphone cool by the way 😁
Thank you for this video 👍
(Mahmoud Official)
Cool project. It'd be a lot cooler if you put a link the the 3d print file. Which in the video you said you'd try to do that, but no link. :)
BW, I had put the link to the part as the first comment but I am happy to see see that there are many comments so I moved it into the description under show more. Thanks for pointing it out. I would add the cut out for the transformer and the ribbon hold downs to the part design if I were doing it again.
Rob's Fixit Shop THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS!
Quality lol. Idk what you could do to lower that noise floor but that static is the only issue I could hear
I think enclosing it in a metal case with a screen would help a lot
@@RobsFixitShop good idea
Is there a way to suppress the noise floor ratio?
Warm sound
More good stuff!!!
Hi my friend, where did you buy that very thin aluminium? Thanks
Hi Fernando Pontin, if you have access to a 3d printer, you could build up a corrugation machine, which isn't that complicated. Actually you only have to mount two cogs on a adjustable slide rail or a apropriate mount. Maybe the on thingiverse published project from Harvahamma might help you to build such a "machine". The link is:www.thingiverse.com/thing:2806010/files .
ebay has several
Cady Kyst, thanks I ordered a bit of the Japanese 2.5 micron microphone foil.
This is amazing.... ;)
Cool. I've seen some other videos about this subject and noticed on one they mounted a little 'puff screen' over the ribbon, would that be a good idea?
+selah62 The whole thing should be put into an enclosure that is shielded and has puff protection.
DIY + The UPS Store 3-D Printer.
Hi, What are the dimensions of your ribbon motor?
Please give me information about the transformer
I need that information too please
hi!
How the transformer specs ? the ribbon is aluminium ?
AWESOME!!!!
Can we used magnet rubbing on a metal surface
How should the magnetisation of the magnets should be?
Through the ribbon lengthwise
@@RobsFixitShop Thank you
Didn't the material melt while soldering the leads?
Where can you get that 3D printed? Thanks.
Josh Zook I went to the UPS store here in town. I was able to email them the files and my credit card # and then I picked it up the next day. It cost me about $28.
Rob's Fixit Shop What kind of material they used? I guess it has the be quite sturdy.
I had them print two of them, using the UPS near Penn State University. They mailed them to Baltimore, for me. The whole thing, with shipping and handling was a painful ~$90. They used PLA and it might have been cheaper if I chose a less dense printing pattern. They asked how dense and I said as dense as it gets, since I wanted strong plastic and don't know any better.
man, can you tell me what how can i make de reel? i´m in brazil and i don´t know where can i find this reel and make it like you
use water bottle caps of proper size, fixated on wood with nail or screws.
find ones that work duckduckgo.com/?q=water+bottle+caps&iax=images&ia=images
Or make 2 wheels out of wood...etc.
фиг с ним с шумом, он работает...круть
Hey i wish to build this but i am a bit of an audio noob so i have a few questions. When you used the xlr cable did you give it phantom power or not and also will i be able to plug this straight into my PC and use it or will i have to use a mixer, give it phantom power, and then plug it into my PC
Thanks.
bob(the one that is at war with google +) also what is the polarity on the magnets
bob(the one that is at war with google +) sorry one more what in the maximum thickness the aluminium should be
bob(the one that is at war with google +) I just made sure that they were attractive to each other by having them attract to each other through the temporary plexiglass divider
bob(the one that is at war with google +) No phantom power. I went into a usb mixer but the output was too low. I am not sure if direct to PC will work. It works much better to my Yamaha power amp / mixer. Preamps for these mics is a pretty deep subject that I am pretty weak on.
Rob's Fixit Shop Wow thanks for the fast reply. I did some research of my own and i think i might go for a 2.5 or 4 micron foil but i want to test out that i can build it so i'm just gonna use the kitkat foil for the first test than,is it works, i'm going to commit to it and buy high quality parts. I might try a XLR to 3.5mm jack cable to see if it will work straight to the pc.
What was the size of your magnets? You said 1"1/4 , 1"1/4 by 1"1/2 ?
The magnets he appears to use are the 50mmx10mmx10mm ones - Easily available on eBay and Aliexpress.
Thank you. I understood he said an inch and a quarter but he said an inch a quarter. That confussed me a bit. Thanks for your reply.
Hello guys, do you know which winding of the transformer he connected with the aluminium ribbon contacts ?
I hace to check un muy scratch forma a 3d printer
hello, what transformer did you use?
I'm really trying to find out which windings he used with the ribbon in the transformer..
I will subscribe if you post link to 3d printed chassis.
Where can I purchase the magnets?
Aliexpress or EBay.
Search '50mm Neodymium magnets' - The ones he is using appear to measure 50mmx10mmx10mm.
I've seen other people using the 5mm thickness ones in their projects. That's another option.
:10 The ribbon is only 2.5mm thick? That's only a little thicker than the plating on a cheap gold watch
2.5 microns thickness.
(2.5 microns is 0.0025 millimeters)
But yeah, very thin. A close plosive 'blast' from your mouth could cause it to rip (which is why they are usually covered over with a shield / screen).
Rob..... are you a Minnesotan?
Oh yes. I can really hear my accent when I listen to my videos!
you did not clean the magnets
what voltage is that transformer
somewhere I heard it is 1 : 37, stepping up input to 37 times.
So use a 5 volt or 6 volt transformer in reverse, it might work, say from dead/cheap USB charger.
220 / 37 = ~5.95 almost 6.
ruclips.net/video/_tWbwcS_9sA/видео.htmlm8s
ruclips.net/video/xMNTOXGdYM4/видео.html (toroid transformer)
This would be OK as an experiment.
However, the impedance of the input and output windings of the transformer are also important - Especially the secondary, as it has to provide a match to your pre-amp. There are special ribbon microphone transformers available for this purpose.
wtf is a mayganet
something that attracts aaarn
lyque dis duckduckgo.com/?q=buzz+magnet&iax=images&ia=images
not good sound , good job but i wouldn't be using that over cheap chinese headphone mic , not to mention anything better . Really its like low pass filtered its that bad , ive never used ribbon mic i dont know ifthat is their characteristic , but even if it is i wouldn't use it
thank you for your informing inform ation. All Hail Dear Leader for creating best microphone. Best God Al, Highest University Degree for AL the God!