[Sticky] USB-C Microphone (official topic)

Posted by: @ldoppea

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Posted by: @ldoppea

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And another question regarding the wires: I have no electric motor and I'm not sure that I want to buy a working motor just to dismount it. Are there some alternative where I can buy only some wire? Is there a dedicated name for this kind of wires? (so I can google it)

 

I realized that I have some old earbuds, maybe I can recycle their cable? Would it work?

 

Did you pop this in the wrong forum? Don’t remember anything about a motor but I might have missed it. 

Sorry my previous post got unnoticed because I'm a new member and my first posts took multiple days before being approved and so they were already lost behind more recent answers at the time they were accepted (you can find them here, here and here)

If your question was about the need for motor wire, this is about this part of the video (at 2:59) when matt suggest to get enameled copper wire on old electronic motor:

(that being said i just realized that matt did tell the technical name so my question from last day is answered 😋 )

Ah! Now I remember. (Senior moment I’m afraid.)

What you’re after is enamelled copper wire (ECW) which you can get on a spool or even rip some from an old “wall wart” transformer. Newer ones are no good as they use more efficient (and cheaper) switched mode regulators. 

Depending one where you live, you might be able to get it by the metre/yard from eBay etc. but it’s often easier to go “dumpster diving” or to charity shops, etc. and get an old radio or similar small electronic devices which have transformers in them. 

However this is potentially risky (it might be obvious but you’d be surprised the things proper do). 

headphone cable should work too but it won’t look as nice as Matt’s all copper design. 

Posted by: @marcdraco

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headphone cable should work too but it won’t look as nice as Matt’s all copper design. 

This shouldn't be visible, should it?

@ldoppea Ideally, no which is why Matt chose ECW with a de-solder braid as a screen - really quite brilliant actually. You won't see the wires well through the braid though - and alternative is to get some *braided* screened, stereo flex with 7-core inners. 

This stuff isn't that easy to find, many cheaper screened cables use "lapping" which is far cheaper because it's easier to make the cables and the machines will doubtless be cheaper too.

Braided gives a better screen that's more resilient to being tugged, bent and such - whereas lapped screens tend to develop small holes over time and use which may (emphasis on may) reduce the screening ability. In my experience that's never happened and with audio signals I doubt it would make a lot of difference. Modern lapped cables seem to often come with a lapped aluminium screen on top of the inner copper which probably makes them equally effective but still lower cost.

Braids probably have slightly lower impedance per unit length so don't load the circuit as much but again at audio frequency this isn't something we need to worry about.

But if you can find some braided stereo flex (eBay or one of the electronics specialists like DigiKey, Farnell etc.) all you'll have to do is remove the out plastic sleeve with a sharp knife and a LOT of care. I suggest splitting the top section for a couple of CMs (about an inch) and then peeling it a little like one might peel a banana so you don't either nick the braid or (worse) cut yourself!