EQU47 Mic Bodies | Orders open on January 19th 2013

[Skylar]

Skylar,

   On the first run, the diapham mounting plate sits above the body tube, and is not centered.
This is done by installing the headbasket, holding it to a light and by tighting the the side headbaskets screws, equally until it is centered. By shortening the inside side rails, the diaphram plate would be lowered into the body and be pre-centered.  

Making the change you suggest requires changes to 3 parts...the rails, the body tube, and the headbasket bottom ring. This also changes the internal volume of the headbasket, and it no longer matches the original U47 look. The better solution would be to just make the body tube longer (while keeping the holes in the same place with regards to the side rails).
Regardless, the current design has an advantage in that you can fine tune the capsule placement to make up for standard manufacturing tolerances.
You see the glass as half-empty...I see it as half-full.

There is a sort of "synergy" between the headbasket alignment, capsule alignment, body tube/end cap alignment, and the inner rails.
Because there is a little bit of play, you can make simple adjustments to get everything to fit just like you want it.
If this play wasn't here, there would be probably twice as many defects.
From my point of view, the current design is still advantageous because it allows for user-adjustment...c'mon, this is DIY after all!

Using angled side rails would give a way to mount and ground the P.S.B.
(I'm using zip ties ) and provide more stability.

No need for angled side rails. There are plenty of ways to mount PCBs without the need for zip ties.
I have shown several examples in the past:
       
http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=40191.msg497551#msg497551

Was there talk of some compensation or something for Round 1 unbiased headbaskets? 

There was indeed talk about this.
The manufacturer ended up not giving me any discount, so I have no discount to pass on.
When that was going down, I could have easily pulled the plug on this whole deal because the vendor was not willing to negotiate.
So, my choices were (a) shut 'er down, issue refunds to everyone or (b) move forward.
Had I chosen (a), no one would have an EQU47 nor would they ever.
I believe that I made the right choice for my own sake and for the sake of the DIY community.

 

[MATTI]

Estimated availability? -Oops did not read the page 1

Best

Matti

 

[radardoug]

Skylar, you definitely need to revisit the side rails and the position of the top plate. Where the bend in the side rail is, is right on the threaded hole for the screws holding the head on. When they did the bend, this distorted those holes, and is probably why many of them have stripped out. I am completely changing this part, and using a 6mm Lexan top plate.  I will rebend or replace the side rails, so the top screws go into the Lexan, and there will be brass threaded inserts in the Lexan.
Also the gap between the body and the head is quite large. On a real 47, these parts fit snugly. On your body it is about 1.5mm gap. In quality metalwork terms, thats a big hole!
There are good reasons to use the Lexan, mainly the high impedance at the capsule. When you pass capsule leadthrough wires through the metal plate, you are adding a leakage path to ground. I have previously had problems on a real U47 with dirt on the top plate causing noise. This high impedance area
MUST be carefully engineered.
I hope these points are usefull to the discussion, but a big thankyou to you Skylar. You are a brave man,
and now you are going to do it all again! Legend!

 

[azander]

I just got mine from the first batch and the connector (end cap) threading seems a little sketchy. Might it be possible to do a run of 'spare' caps designed for using the Binder 'Male Receptacle' like the Flea 'Modern Kits' (without caring about matching finish)?

 

[nhaudio]

Hi Skylar,

Just got my body today. After unscrewing the chines screws and screwing the quality ones, all thread have gone loose. On the 3 holes at the headbasket level.
Is there a solution to the pb?

nhaudio

 

[JW]

I found that a 440 standard screw fits very well in place of the M3 in the front spot that doesn't thread into the rails. I fully intended to use 440 screws in the rails too, but Skylar's new screws worked fine here for me. If the rails are stripped out, try a 440 screw in the rails as well.

 

[fuzzbox]

Finally got my body on tuesday! No problems with the screws, the head had a little tilt on one side but I fixed it with some brute force....guitar player thumb action! I must say you've done some great work for us on this Skylar! I had bought a couple of ef14's some years ago, and had an original transformer and one of Dale's m7's
It took me 2 days to put this thing together, so far and by far this is the best sounding mic I've ever owned!
So Thank you Skylar, you've made one guy a pretty happy camper!

 

[KrIVIUM2323]

Got the mic body -from Zebra offer through 'Japan fund raiser'- yesterday.

If you let some (minor) defaults appart ( some small solder blobs on grill, those very bad screw, the little gap between headbasket and body (less than a mm for my mic) and the thread for the binder in the end bell which is not perfect aesthetically in mine but work perfectly) i think craftmanship is not this bad for a chinese item and its price. I've seen chinese mass product microphone much more awfull (Behringer, Rode some years ago).

Not close in quality of a Flea body but at 800 euros price difference this is normal...

Skylar you did a pretty damn GOOD JOB with this!
You just ROCK!  8)

 

[Kingston]

Some pages a go I was complaining about the two bodies I ordered that the surfaces did not match at all. Turns out neither surface was exactly like they were meant to be, and that the other one was just plain bothed. Skylar arranged it so that I could get a matching set after all. Now I have two strangely sparkly finished bodies and I'm very happy with how this situation turned out.

Thanks Skylar.

Now if I could find a safe way to bend one of the head baskets completely straight, but that's already a very minor detail.

 

[desol]

Hi Skylar,

Any news/details you can share yet about the second order? Are you sticking with the same factory or no...

Darrick

 

[tonymite]

I'm up for 2 if I'm not too late )

 

[Math5461]

I would really like 1 of these if there are any left?

???

 

[New Soul Rebel]

Hi

Can I have TWO please!!!
8) 8) 8) ;D

How do I pay?

New Soul Rebel

 

[desol]

There is a notice posted here(1st page) and at the equinox website that any one that wants a mic body, can sign up and they will
notify everyone when the bodies arrive. There's no pre ordering this time. You may be able to pay or maybe not. Probably not. I believe he said it would be simpler that way.

 

[Skylar]

Hey guys.

I have just returned from Asia and I'm incredibly jet-lagged!

Anyway...
The next round of mic bodies is scheduled for completion this month.
Indeed, there is no pre-order this time around. We will announce when stock is available in this thread and through our mailing list.
[if you want to get on our mailing list, go to the equinox home page http://equinoxsystems.net]

There will be about 150 units available. First come, first served. After you place an order, your unit(s) will ship within a few business days (no waiting this time!).

We are doing things a little differently this time around...some of the parts will be made and finished in China—some in the U.S.A.

 

[mbdonna]

Good to know it will be available very soon ;D
Thank you, I definitely need one of your mic bodies!

I need a shock mount as well.. any suggestions on one for the EQU47?
Irie

 

[Kid Squid]

Hi Skylar,

Will there be an email sent out when the stock is in ?
Can't bloody wait

Any news on the matching shockmounts ?

Best,
Steve

 

[Skylar]

My plan is to send an email to our mailing list one or two weeks before we open the store.
Then, I will send out another email the minute we open for orders.

Production was originally scheduled to complete this week, but completion has now been pushed back until mid-June.
I'm finding that this is typical behavior for really any factory when your order quantity is so dismally low (200 units).
Expect further delays as we coordinate with our US supplier(s) as well.
Rest assured, however, that we will get these done and ready for purchase...it just may be a few months.


Shockmounts:
I have not been able to find a source for these.
I had planned to do an order from the supplier of the EQU47 shockmount group-buy from a while ago, but I do not know which factory they came from.
The three factories I have spoken to do not make a mount like that in the appropriate size.
I tried asking RIMSHOT (the original organizer), but he appears unwilling to share which factory it was.

So, I'm not going to do shockmounts this time around, unfortunately.
I don't have the resources (read: man-power) to source, negotiate cost, and organize procurement of shockmounts at the time being.

 

[crackerzot]

Question, Skylar - You mentioned some finishing or whatnot to be completed in the U.S. vs. China.  Can you be more specific?  I'm curious as to how the next batch is going to differ from the first body I received from you.

 

[Skylar]

Here's the plan for batch#2:
Body tube...made in USA
All other parts...made in China

All finishing done in the USA.


The China parts are all underway and should be shipping to me mid-June.
From there, I will coordinate with my vendor in Oklahoma City.