Topic: DPA 4061 Cable repair

[jb63]

OK.
Here's another shot.

How tricky can this be?

These DPA mics are the smallest I have ever used, and I have matched set from Len at Core that I have been using since 2002!
(Yes, they have done me 8 years of solid service!)

Unfortunately there is a short in one of the cables that may run all the way up to the mic cap itself.

Is there anyone on this board that think they know a guy who can actually mount a new cable to the cap?
I've had the set with Paul @ Pro Digital for a while, and his best bet is just replace one mic, but I just don't have that kind of scratch right now.

Who can give me opinions on possible ways to keep the same mic working?
When the connection is solid, it works like a charm, so the actual mic works, but the wire... well, you see what I mean.

I was going to have him just chop it down to about a 14 inches and replace the all the wire from there to the plug and hope for the best with an ugly connector in the middle of my cable (way too close to the mic cap, but again, better than nothing), but if anyone here thinks that they could do magic and open up the mic cap, run a new wire & close it up again, I'd be happy to pay for their time to try. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work and retain its size as well as still fit the plastic protector cap.

Any Advice?

jb

[Gutbucket]

I was going to have him just chop it down to about a 14 inches and replace the all the wire from there to the plug and hope for the best with an ugly connector in the middle of my cable..

Why not try this first?  Can't hurt and you may just end up with a heatshink connection on the wire. 

How do you know where the short is? wiggle test?  You might try cutting the lead wire down by increments starting at the connector end, until you eliminate the portion with the short, to preserve as much original cable as possible and keep the splice closer to the connector end.

If you have to open up that tiny capsule housing, you might try to find a broken mic that someone will give you just for autopsy purposes.  You might destroy your good mic trying to open it up and solder on new leads. It would help to do the exploratory work on a cadaver.

[acidjack]

Is there a reason why you haven't asked Len to fix it?  He has a guarantee on the mics, I think.  I bought a used set from another member here that had a short when I bought it.  Len fixed it for (I think) something like $30.  They work perfectly now.

Considering how much these mics cost, less than $100 to have them fixed properly seems like a good investment to me, unless you're really confident in your skills.

OK.
Here's another shot.

How tricky can this be?

These DPA mics are the smallest I have ever used, and I have matched set from Len at Core that I have been using since 2002!
(Yes, they have done me 8 years of solid service!)

Unfortunately there is a short in one of the cables that may run all the way up to the mic cap itself.

Is there anyone on this board that think they know a guy who can actually mount a new cable to the cap?
I've had the set with Paul @ Pro Digital for a while, and his best bet is just replace one mic, but I just don't have that kind of scratch right now.

Who can give me opinions on possible ways to keep the same mic working?
When the connection is solid, it works like a charm, so the actual mic works, but the wire... well, you see what I mean.

I was going to have him just chop it down to about a 14 inches and replace the all the wire from there to the plug and hope for the best with an ugly connector in the middle of my cable (way too close to the mic cap, but again, better than nothing), but if anyone here thinks that they could do magic and open up the mic cap, run a new wire & close it up again, I'd be happy to pay for their time to try. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work and retain its size as well as still fit the plastic protector cap.

Any Advice?

jb

[jb63]

Is there a reason why you haven't asked Len to fix it?  He has a guarantee on the mics, I think.  I bought a used set from another member here that had a short when I bought it.  Len fixed it for (I think) something like $30.  They work perfectly now.

Considering how much these mics cost, less than $100 to have them fixed properly seems like a good investment to me, unless you're really confident in your skills.

Really, there isn't, and I wish i had done that a long time ago.
I was going to be taping for the Month of march, and sent all my gear in to Paul @ Pro digital.
I had isolated the break to be near the battery box, and a Paul got everything back to me in time but the mics, which have been (as far as i can tell) passed around the house at PD as they have tried to isolate the break in the line...

unfortunately (yes, just NOW), I have been informed that they can't do anything because the shot/break/whatever goes into the mic cap.

So now it's all a @#$%ing rush and won't be really be viable by Sunday Night, now will it.

Why can't this just be easy?

;-)

j

[johnnyb]

I wonder if the issue could be the battery box and not the mics, Ive been thru a few battery boxes with core. The battery box with the toggle gave me the most issues where is the battery box without the toggle set in the flat postion seemed to last the longest

[jb63]

I had THOUGHT that's what it was, but we repaired that and it didn't do it.
When they were last in my hands, that was the ONLY problem I could diagnose.

They are on their way to Len now, but I'm 99% positive that my 8-year-old set needs a mic replaced.

[kubacheck]

funny, I have the exact same problem in mine, a short in one of the cables up near the mic, AFAIK...... I was struggling to put the windsocks on one of the mics,and I must've pulled something loose, because after that,  sometimes the mic worked and sometimes not..... when I had the mics in the right position, it worked great, but sometimes I'd lose the connection and the mic would cut out or cause static on that channel..... please update when you find out what's up....

[Church-Audio]

OK.
Here's another shot.

How tricky can this be?

These DPA mics are the smallest I have ever used, and I have matched set from Len at Core that I have been using since 2002!
(Yes, they have done me 8 years of solid service!)

Unfortunately there is a short in one of the cables that may run all the way up to the mic cap itself.

Is there anyone on this board that think they know a guy who can actually mount a new cable to the cap?
I've had the set with Paul @ Pro Digital for a while, and his best bet is just replace one mic, but I just don't have that kind of scratch right now.

Who can give me opinions on possible ways to keep the same mic working?
When the connection is solid, it works like a charm, so the actual mic works, but the wire... well, you see what I mean.

I was going to have him just chop it down to about a 14 inches and replace the all the wire from there to the plug and hope for the best with an ugly connector in the middle of my cable (way too close to the mic cap, but again, better than nothing), but if anyone here thinks that they could do magic and open up the mic cap, run a new wire & close it up again, I'd be happy to pay for their time to try. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work and retain its size as well as still fit the plastic protector cap.

Any Advice?

jb

If you feel its inside the "head" it self there is nothing that can be done. Once these mics develop a problem up in the head of the mic chances are its not a wire issue but a fet issue. And not fixable.. That being said send them to me if you want and I will take a look at them just pay for return shipping.

Chris

[it-goes-to-eleven]

This is one of my big concerns (only?) with the 406x...  If the cable gets yanked and damaged up near, or in, the capsule, they are toast.  Those cables are very strong, but ya know.

Even if the tiny capsule could be opened and soldered, the wires are the diameter of hairs.  Even if soldered or epoxied, the repair needs to be somehow strain-relieved so it doesn't get yanked out.

It always makes me nervous to loan mine out.  I bought them used, and they work great and seem fairly well matched.. If you loan them and one stops working, how do you resolve that?   They could be replaced with another used pair that fails quickly, because ebay dpa's are always a risk.  Ugh.

At least a Schoeps active can be repaired if the cable gets yanked out.

[jb63]

Yeah, but Schoeps are the size of my _______ and the 4061s are the size of my __________ .

Heh.

Anyway, thanks for the the info.
I ended up sending them to Len, who pronounced them dead on arrival.
So I sucked it up and ordered a new pair. OWCH.
He still has the old ones, so once I get them back I will try to send them to Chris to see if he wants to dismantle them and turn them into tiny tanks.
I don't have much faith in them, but they served me pretty damn well, and that's why I made the decision to replace them.

Of course now the chain in all my decks is acting up.

So the next purchase is cables!

I'll post the details len told me about the damaged mics this week.

jb

[darktrain]

Yeah, but Schoeps are the size of my _______ and the 4061s are the size of my __________ .

Heh.

Anyway, thanks for the the info.
I ended up sending them to Len, who pronounced them dead on arrival.
So I sucked it up and ordered a new pair. OWCH.
He still has the old ones, so once I get them back I will try to send them to Chris to see if he wants to dismantle them and turn them into tiny tanks.
I don't have much faith in them, but they served me pretty damn well, and that's why I made the decision to replace them.

Of course now the chain in all my decks is acting up.

So the next purchase is cables!

I'll post the details len told me about the damaged mics this week.

jb

I think you just overpaid again, there are a lot of people who have had issues with those core sound dpas, you would be better off buying a used set on ebay for less than half the cost and on this board people have had far fewer problems with buying on ebay than with the core sound builds, food for thought

[fmaderjr]

I think you just overpaid again, there are a lot of people who have had issues with those core sound dpas, you would be better off buying a used set on ebay for less than half the cost and on this board people have had far fewer problems with buying on ebay than with the core sound builds, food for thought

I wouldn't buy anything from Core Sound due to all the customer services issues I've read on this board and my one experience with him. I once bought a $35 cable from him & didn't hear anything for 2 months. After a bunch more e-mails he finally sent it, but implied that he suspected I was lying about not receiving it months ago. 

[groovon]

I think you just overpaid again, there are a lot of people who have had issues with those core sound dpas, you would be better off buying a used set on ebay for less than half the cost and on this board people have had far fewer problems with buying on ebay than with the core sound builds, food for thought

I wouldn't buy anything from Core Sound due to all the customer services issues I've read on this board and my one experience with him. I once bought a $35 cable from him & didn't hear anything for 2 months. After a bunch more e-mails he finally sent it, but implied that he suspected I was lying about not receiving it months ago.

@ Fmad: Are you happy with where you bought your DPAs from (and where was that, if I might ask)?

thanks!

[fmaderjr]

@ Fmad: Are you happy with where you bought your DPAs from (and where was that, if I might ask)?

I can't really help you there-I didn't buy new. I got 4061's from an E-Bay seller with an excellent reputation which worked out great, but she no longer seems to be selling them on E-Bay. I then bought a pair of 4060's in the yard sale and sold the 4061's. I like the higher sensitivity of the 4060's better.

I would try to buy a pair in the yard sale if you can. You'd save a lot of money & not have to deal with Coresound. Post an ISO DPA's notice in the yard sale and somebody may want to sell theirs.