How to make a cheap Gaming Mic (for your Favourite Headphones)

Hi Guys,

I've been pondering this for many years, and have never found a solution on the open market. So I decided to experiment, and here's the fairly successful result.

THE PLAN: To offer a cheap alternative to retail microphones, ideal for gaming and possible connecting to high grade headphones that don't come with a mic

BUDGET: Under £5 all inclusive

TARGET AUDIENCE: Gamer and VOIP'ers who have some nice headphones but that don't have a mic. Also people looking fora mic to stick to their monitor.

CURRENT MARKET OFFERINGS: Proper desk top mic, but that has no flexible arm. Maplin and similar don't offer a reasonable mic AND a way of attaching it to something.

REASONING: Most gaming headphones, while good, are not as good as the equivalent Sennheaiser (or similar) music/audiophile headphones. While high grade headphones do exist with mic's the market would like to chose thier own headphones and then attach a mic

OK..enough rubbish.

This is what I did:
While purchasing items from WWW.SCAN.CO.UK, I ordered this
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=256430
http://www.scan.co.uk/images/products/256430.jpg

They cost £2.34 inc VAT, and having now had them on my head, I can assure you, they are seriously uncomfortable. It matters not one jot. I purchased them to take apart :devilish:

OK, here's what you get
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/.../1startout.jpg

According to the picture you wear these upside down and on the wrong ears...trust me...it's rubbish. Mics go on your left ear. Almost always. These should, I DO know my left from my right (its on my wellingtons, my mum wrote it on there for me last winter)
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...ject/2lies.jpg

If ya wear them like that, Left and Right are arse about face, and they fall off! Look at her face..she's concentrating on not moving 1 milllimetre, or they'll fall off again and the camera man will shout at her!

As said before...its not relevent...they're coming apart!

Outer off, just use your fingernails
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/.../3outeroff.jpg

Prise the casing off the volume control on the cable, dead easy with a little screwdriver
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...t/4volout1.jpg

http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...t/5volout2.jpg Thats coming off, we only want one wire top to bottom, not two


We want to split the cable all the way up, and that means taking off the rubber blocks that hold them together.
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...tingcable2.jpg
Sharp knife...CAREFUL

And the joiner near the bottom .,.we only want one plug here
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...tingcable1.jpg

Trim as best and neatly as you can without ruining the cable....

now...up top...which cable is which inside the earphone?

It's easiest to do if you take the headband off, so prise off the plastic trim, and unscrew that little philips screw

http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...movingband.jpg

then

http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...ewireinner.jpg
Having split the wire top to bottom, you can push it up into the headphone earpiece, and then cut the proper one.

DOUBLE CHECK IT...then cut! Leave the knotted bit, it'll keep the cable safe from tugs

Now if you're going to stick this mic to a desk top/monitor or similar, leave the flat earplate in place, as it'll give you a good fat surface for a double sided sticky pad.

BUT...if you're gonna fit it to maybe the outer edge of a headhone, if it's a rounded shape, maybe pull out the flat earpanel and that'll leave you with a hollow shell. Use a piece of dense foam and adhere that to your headphones.
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...ovespeaker.jpg
It just prises out, easily.

DONT FORGET...this is a cheap alternative to something that doesn't yet exist on the market (far as I can see) so dont blame me if it ruins your Dad's £400 headphones. It's your call.

Result.............?

The finale:

For the rubbish bin:
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/.../12rubbish.jpg


For the desktop, monitor or side of your head!
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...2finished2.jpg

FOR £2.34 inc vat!!

Nice modding work there....but your still crazy none the less :)

You'll not catch me trying anything like that anytime soon. With the shakes I have, it would be prudent not to give me access to a soldering iron ;)

The potential?
http://www.zen100376.zen.co.uk/data/...3potential.jpg it looks like it'll fit my Senn's and is now on the top of my desk above my monitor. Its bendy and works a treat :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee @ SCAN

it would be prudent not to give me access to a soldering iron ;)

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no soldering dude...just cutting with an ickle bitty craft knife :)

gotta say...I'm quite proud of this. It's working really well :) Took under 15 minutes, I'd never done one before, and it's what Hexus.net is all about :)