Making a clone of the U87 studio mic

Discussion in 'DIY' started by dBel84, Oct 3, 2015.

  1. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    This next project was an interesting challenge as I had never done anything like it and it required some real McGuyver genius to get some of it all put together.

    Luis had asked me if I would modify a Boehringer Studio mic into a clone of the classic U87 recording mic.

    He had acquired a set of boards and a much higher quality diaphragm but sourcing the parts was up to me.

    Step 1 was to carefully take the original apart – I documented every step in case I needed to reconstruct it if the clone didn’t work.

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    The original switch could not be easily modified so I made a new PCB and aligned new switches with a lot of faith in faerie dust.

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    I made a small bracket for the output transformer and fixed it with cable ties

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    test fit of the boards to make sure they will fit

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    New boards assembled

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    Assembling the primary body of the mic

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    Testing the necessary test points for the boards and setting the JFET bias prior to assembling the new mic diaphragm

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    Final assembly

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    I obviously wasn’t able to test it in a studio setting but it had a wonderful tone when speaking through it and listening through headphones ( I used the little mixing board for the phantom supply and testing)


    Perhaps LFF can let us know how it all worked out when he gets time away from the books one day.

    ..dB
     
  2. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    I've been somewhat in awe of those guys who diy microphones esp. on the Group DIY boards. I'm kinda curious as well how well it functions as a U87 clone.
     

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