Bob Hart
September 10th, 2011, 02:06 AM
The Rode mic is a great instrument and this post is in no way a criticism of its design or quality. As with all good things in heavy use over time, wear and tear will have its way eventually.
In this instance the mic and pole went for a sliding tumble off a sound cart and the end of the mic tube struck a hard tiled floor. It worked okay but went dead on the next take.
The soundie got out its twin brother but also mentioned that it was not the best of the pair and that both had over the last four months had been developing an increasing noise floor which he was now routinely having to clean in post. He was awaiting a Sennheiser 416. On its arrival his plan was to send both mics back to Rode for a fix.
Given that any warranties were likely voided due to visible crush damage to the tip of the tube, we opened the body up to meter the obvious culprits like soldered wires falling off XLR pins etc.. We determined that there was an intermittent connection somewhere.
It eventually came down to a small threaded ring fastener which retains the capsule in the tube. There is likely a special service tool like a miniature Rolyn lens spanner to loosen or tighten this fastener. In the field, two prongs of the multimeter and some twisting sufficed.
The fastener had loosened enough for the capsule to move in its clearance fit in the tube and a resistive joint to build between the capsule and the tube body. Once tightened to security, the problem went away.
The other mic was then opened and the same issue found and fixed. Notable was that most of the tiny screws had worked loose in the second mic. As I mentioned, these mics have been worked hard and endured a lot of movement.
The precise machining of all the metal parts is a delight for a backyard machinist to look at and the PCB work, not a single bad hairy soldered joint anywhere in sight, all good work.
The recommended course of things is to send such a precise instrument to professional repair when things are not right. However, if you get caught out in the boonies with this issue, it is re-assuring to know it is likely field-repairable so long as you have miniature Philips and Flathead screwdrivers and good fine dextoral skills.
Take care to remove and fit the screws in the mike tube on a clean floor or in bottom of a large tray with high sides on a worktable. Those little screws can run like the wind when they are dropped.
If you are constantly in field away from accessible product support and operating the mic in rough conditions, banging about in offroad vehicles etc., it might be prudent to periodically make sure all the little screws are secure inside the body, plus those which attach the acoustic tube which has to be removed to get at the ones inside. The old ethos of "if it aint broke, don't fix it" probably is just as valid though.
The capsule itself is fed by a single white wire which attaches by a long screw through a central nylon pillar insulator. The three small screws which hold this tube section to the main tube body must be unfastened and the section slipped forward and off a shoulder. Take care. There is a small short wire which might be broken if violently offended. This wire must be disconnected before you can safely get at the threaded capsule retainer ring to tighten it.
There is an adjustable coil, transformer, inductance or whatever at front-end of the circuit board. The screwdriver slot in the adjust slug is tempting to mess with. Do NOT mess with it. This is a precision adjustment which likely requires specialised test instruments to reset correctly. Leave it ALONE.
When re-assembling the front section containing the assembled capsule to the rear body, take care to look for two tiny matchmarks. Take care also that the tag on the end of the white wire has not become bent by your endeavours and shorting out on the inside of the tube body.
FOOTNOTE: When re-installing parts like tube with screws which are on radial centres, an ideal practice is to fit each screw in its turn, screw it down to contact but not to final tightness, then after all screws are in place, tighten them all to security. If you tighten the first screw to security, you may find one or more of the other screws are difficult to offer up and fit.
As is usual with my home remedy statements, I am not a qualified industry practitioner, therefore my comments should be regarded with caution and tested for truth by separate investigation. The above comments are not endorsed by the manufacturer or vendors of the product. Therefore any attempt to adjust or repair the product by owners or operators is done at their own risk.
In the meantime, all the best in your use of a fine product. I confess to a certain bias. I am Australian as is the manufacturer of the product.
In this instance the mic and pole went for a sliding tumble off a sound cart and the end of the mic tube struck a hard tiled floor. It worked okay but went dead on the next take.
The soundie got out its twin brother but also mentioned that it was not the best of the pair and that both had over the last four months had been developing an increasing noise floor which he was now routinely having to clean in post. He was awaiting a Sennheiser 416. On its arrival his plan was to send both mics back to Rode for a fix.
Given that any warranties were likely voided due to visible crush damage to the tip of the tube, we opened the body up to meter the obvious culprits like soldered wires falling off XLR pins etc.. We determined that there was an intermittent connection somewhere.
It eventually came down to a small threaded ring fastener which retains the capsule in the tube. There is likely a special service tool like a miniature Rolyn lens spanner to loosen or tighten this fastener. In the field, two prongs of the multimeter and some twisting sufficed.
The fastener had loosened enough for the capsule to move in its clearance fit in the tube and a resistive joint to build between the capsule and the tube body. Once tightened to security, the problem went away.
The other mic was then opened and the same issue found and fixed. Notable was that most of the tiny screws had worked loose in the second mic. As I mentioned, these mics have been worked hard and endured a lot of movement.
The precise machining of all the metal parts is a delight for a backyard machinist to look at and the PCB work, not a single bad hairy soldered joint anywhere in sight, all good work.
The recommended course of things is to send such a precise instrument to professional repair when things are not right. However, if you get caught out in the boonies with this issue, it is re-assuring to know it is likely field-repairable so long as you have miniature Philips and Flathead screwdrivers and good fine dextoral skills.
Take care to remove and fit the screws in the mike tube on a clean floor or in bottom of a large tray with high sides on a worktable. Those little screws can run like the wind when they are dropped.
If you are constantly in field away from accessible product support and operating the mic in rough conditions, banging about in offroad vehicles etc., it might be prudent to periodically make sure all the little screws are secure inside the body, plus those which attach the acoustic tube which has to be removed to get at the ones inside. The old ethos of "if it aint broke, don't fix it" probably is just as valid though.
The capsule itself is fed by a single white wire which attaches by a long screw through a central nylon pillar insulator. The three small screws which hold this tube section to the main tube body must be unfastened and the section slipped forward and off a shoulder. Take care. There is a small short wire which might be broken if violently offended. This wire must be disconnected before you can safely get at the threaded capsule retainer ring to tighten it.
There is an adjustable coil, transformer, inductance or whatever at front-end of the circuit board. The screwdriver slot in the adjust slug is tempting to mess with. Do NOT mess with it. This is a precision adjustment which likely requires specialised test instruments to reset correctly. Leave it ALONE.
When re-assembling the front section containing the assembled capsule to the rear body, take care to look for two tiny matchmarks. Take care also that the tag on the end of the white wire has not become bent by your endeavours and shorting out on the inside of the tube body.
FOOTNOTE: When re-installing parts like tube with screws which are on radial centres, an ideal practice is to fit each screw in its turn, screw it down to contact but not to final tightness, then after all screws are in place, tighten them all to security. If you tighten the first screw to security, you may find one or more of the other screws are difficult to offer up and fit.
As is usual with my home remedy statements, I am not a qualified industry practitioner, therefore my comments should be regarded with caution and tested for truth by separate investigation. The above comments are not endorsed by the manufacturer or vendors of the product. Therefore any attempt to adjust or repair the product by owners or operators is done at their own risk.
In the meantime, all the best in your use of a fine product. I confess to a certain bias. I am Australian as is the manufacturer of the product.