Topic: M10 teardown notes

[dabbler]

Only scratching the surface today, hopefully more next weekend.

The battery cover can be removed without undoing any screws by compressing the plastic just a little while angling it.
I did this while considering a mod where I could siphon off power from the 2 AAs to guarantee 3V power for mics.

I got a little more adventurous... Removing top back cover:
2 screws are near the battery cover hinges and obvious, 2 are hidden are hidden under the soft adhesive feet at the top.
Note the positions of the Mic Sensitivity, DPC, and Auto/Manual switches on the back, they will shift when the back cover is removed.
Remove the screws and the top back cover should slide up and out.
Replacing the cover means putting the 3 switches into place (careful to ensure alignment), and sliding the cover back on and rescrewing things back in.

I removed the switches for Mic Sensitivity and Auto/Manual Rec Level from my back cover (bending the plastic) since I always have those switches taped to prevent accidental toggling at shows anyways.
I can still toggle the switches with a fine tip like a toothpick with the cover reattached, though.

The internal mics are removable from their holders with tweezers (but hard-soldered).
You can also remove the mic grilles with one screw each (near the input jacks).
I'm keeping these as-is for now...

I am considering removing the internal mics to put the necessary capacitors and resistors for mic powering (once I get the tools and parts).

I may also repurpose the remote jack for mics since I never use it.

I should also be able to remove the metallic mounting thread since I never use it, adds weight, and is a fairly dense piece of metal.

I'll look under the PCB next weekend to see what free space I can find...

[udovdh]

Very interesting!
About the mic powering: could we do PiP of 7 to 9 V?

[dabbler]

The battery cover can be removed without undoing any screws by compressing the plastic just a little while angling it.
I did this while considering a mod where I could siphon off power from the 2 AAs to guarantee 3V power for mics.

Probably not going to happen, since only brand new alkaline AAs deliver >= 1.5V and they'll drop over the course of a show.
I could try other battery types, but ideally all my power sources should be easily acquirable and replacable while traveling.

I may try to stuff some button cell watch batteries into it, but replacing batteries or even checking them might be difficult.

[dabbler]

Very interesting!
About the mic powering: could we do PiP of 7 to 9 V?

I doubt it (or doubt it's worth the effort), that's a large step from the roughly 2.8V we expect from normal alkaline AAs, but I'm not an electronics expert, either.

[Gutbucket]

Very interesting!
About the mic powering: could we do PiP of 7 to 9 V?

Powering from the two internal AAs, this would require adding a DC/DC voltage converter.

[dabbler]

Have you measured the PIP voltage?  That would be a first step before tearing open the unit.

Oops, I forgot to mention I started down this path because I only got 2.5V with a voltmeter attached to a male-male mini-cable into mic-in.

[dabbler]

Maybe my old RadioShack analog voltmeter isn't up to the task (it gives expected ratings when going directly to the battery, though).

Using a newer multimeter (Etekcity UT61A), I'm getting 2.95V from the M10 PiP.

Jon: thanks for the tips, but those things might not be necessary with my DPA 4063 right now (and I'm unsure if my soldering skills are up to the task).

[ArchivalAudio]

Any photos of the tear down? that would be very helpful!

thanks for the notes.

[dabbler]

Sorry, I think somebody else already had some from another forum or thread, I forget.
I tried going a little farther but things were too small and beyond my skill level at the moment.
I was happy to see the line/mic input jacks were soldered well into the PCB, unlike the R-09 I used previously.

[dabbler]

Sorry no pics :x  I'm not sure if my phone camera would've been good enough, either.
The mics were small omnis encased with a rubber cage for shock protection, I could not tell the make/model.
The mic wires were soldered to the PCB and terminals were too small for me to confidently work with :<

[tubems]

I did a how-too for adding hard wired rca's to an m10 a year ago, it has pictures in one of the forums I forget.  I'll look for link

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=166841.msg2080686#msg2080686