A number of Kaleidoloop owners have reached out to us about getting replacement mics. Unfortunately we won’t be stocking replacements. Here are instructions for making your own.
STEP 1: Get the Parts
You will need:
- One Mic Capsule
- A length of cable
- One 1/4" plug with TS connections
- TS = Tip & Sleeve. It’s a monophonic plug. (A stereo plug is Tip-Ring-Sleeve or TRS.)
- Heatshrink tubing or electrical tape to protect solder joints
For items 2 & 3 the end of a working electric guitar cable works great. If you are unsure if the cable is working, use a multimeter or cable tester to check for continuity for both the ground/shielding wire (Sleeve) and signal wire (Tip).
We’ve sourced suitable parts from Digi-key and tested them. You can probably find the same parts from other suppliers if you want to shop around. The parts are:
1/4" TS Plug: 102-4789-ND
Heatshrink: Q2F10-KIT-ND. (This is a pack of 10 6"-long tubes which is way more than you need, but is smallest/cheapest way to get it from Digi-key)
Cable: We had some cable around the shop so we didn’t source that. Hopefully this is not too hard to find. If you want to order a cable to avoid buying the 1/4" plug and save yourself some soldering here’s a list of cables with 1/4" TS plugs.
Mic Capsule: There are two options we like for their similar sensitivity and audio quality as compared to the ‘stock’ microphone. The choice is yours. The real difference is size: One capsule is bigger at 0.375" diameter (like the stock mic) and the other capsule is 0.25" diameter. The photos below are not to scale.
Big Mic (0.375" dia.) - Part # 668-1296-ND:
Small Mic (0.25" dia): Part # 668-1425-ND
STEP 2: Solder Connections
Your mic/cable/plug set up should look something like this:
Here are connections:
Order of Operations:
- Familiarize yourself with the pins of the mic you chose. In the diagram above, the mics are shown from the pin/lead side. The links above also have further links to datasheets.
- Solder both plug connections
- Attach Plug cover (if you don’t do now, you won’t be able to later)
- Solder mic connections (might be best to pre-tin the mic pins
- Wrap one of the mic leads with electrical tape to prevent short later on.
- Test
- Cut length of heatshrink tubing and place over mic and wire. Carefully use a heat gun/hair dryer (or lighter (risky!!)) to shrink tubing.