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In ear headset - a cheap project

One or two transformers?

Gil,

Do you need one or two transformers if you want to have stereo audio to your headset?

Thanks
 
Thanks Gil, Carl and CJ

Ok, waiting for the ear buds to arrive and have R/S transformer in hand. I'll give Mouser another look. They had a transformer listed with a 16 ohm secondary but was out of stock with a May delivery. I'll order one of those too as well as the one described by CJ and experiment. Need to find a small box to mount the transformer and transition the wires to the plugs.

Thanks for all the input. This little project looks like a great way to kill an evening or two and maybe save myself a few hundred $$$ on an L/S Zulu.

More to follow.

Carl Raichle
Lutz, FL
RV-9A N194CR
First flight in a few more days
 
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Just as a quick update on some testing I've recently been doing...

You see, I made my own in-ear headset as described on this and other threads, but also decided that I would purchase a Halo at OSH'08. The Halo has been getting more use than the home-made ones because some dummy built the homebrew ones with the mic on the right side, and then discovered it's really preferable to have the mic on the left side (DOH!!!!).

Since the earplugs on the Halo are easy to remove/re-install, I got a brainwave. Why not take the Comply(tm) earplugs from the homebrew headset and install them on the Halo? I figured the noise reduction from the Comply plugs would be better than that of the yellow foamies that come with the Halo.

Well, let's just say I ran this experiment until the Comply earplugs fell apart, and that wasn't very long. Unfortunately one of them came apart during a particularly tricky approach on a blustery day - I wasn't impressed.

Conclusion 1: The Comply earplugs are meant to thread directly onto the audio transducer and provide much better longevity in that configuration.

Conclusion 2: My original hypothesis was wrong. For my ears (your mileage will vary - we all have different ears!), the yellow Halo foamies provide better noise protection than the Comply earplugs. This conclusion was really reached some time ago, and is perhaps one of the reasons why I haven't been wearing the homebrew headset as much as the Halos.

Conclusion 3: My next iteration of homebrew headset will look a lot more like a Halo. I'll mount the audio transducers on the headset frame itself and then use plastic tubes (a la Halo) to connect between the transducer and the earplug. I'm also going to consider using a hollow tube for the headband in order to allow adjustability (again, a la Halo).

My thanks go to the fine folks here at VAF for having kick-started this discussion and ultimately convincing a bunch of us to experiment and come up with a money-saving and very useful project.
 
Transformer wiring

I am trying to wire the two Radio Shack transformers and I don't know how that should be done. On Nick Ugolini's website, he indicates that the green and blue wires are attached to the planes headphone plug and then the red and white wires are soldered to the headphone jack. I also understand that two transformers are needed if you want to have stereo. What I don't understand is where the wires should be soldered because there would be four wires going to a stereo headphone jack, but only three places to solder the wires. I guess I just need a little help on the wiring schematic. Thanks for any replies.
 
No problem...

I am trying to wire the two Radio Shack transformers and I don't know how that should be done. On Nick Ugolini's website, he indicates that the green and blue wires are attached to the planes headphone plug and then the red and white wires are soldered to the headphone jack. I also understand that two transformers are needed if you want to have stereo. What I don't understand is where the wires should be soldered because there would be four wires going to a stereo headphone jack, but only three places to solder the wires. I guess I just need a little help on the wiring schematic. Thanks for any replies.

At the airplane side (sound input) of the transformers, just connect two wires to the ground on the stereo aircraft plug. Make them the same color, but it doesn't matter which color.

faq3.gif
 
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Thanks for the infromation

Thanks Gil. That helps a lot. I enjoy these types of projects, but sometimes I feel like I am swinging in the dark.
 
Better earplugs

Since the earplugs on the Halo are easy to remove/re-install, I got a brainwave. Why not take the Comply(tm) earplugs from the homebrew headset and install them on the Halo? I figured the noise reduction from the Comply plugs would be better than that of the yellow foamies that come with the Halo.
I agree that the yellow ones from Halo don't provide as much noise reduction as I'dl like. I use these: Http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/holemaxuffop.html
I use a hot wire to poke a hole in them and re-use the tubes from the Halo plugs (just strip off their foam). You'll notice a big difference, I'll bet they're even better than the Comply plugs.
 
Plantronics 480 update

I finally got both adapters functional for my 480 headset. No transformers or preamps; I just put a 1/8" stereo jack on a cut-off mic plug from a defunct aviation headset for the mic adapter and used a mono 1/4" phone plug (mono intercom) wired to both channels of a 1/8" stereo jack for the earpieces.

On a short hop to a neighbor's strip, the sound isolation seemed a lot better than my old Lightspeed 15XL's with their newer earpads (last longer but don't seal to my head as well as the old ones).

The mic seemed to work fine after a bit of plug wiggling in the mic jack. Wingman said that it was breaking up at first but then seemed to clear up. The mic itself might be a bit more vulnerable to cockpit noise than a stock a/c mic, but serviceable. No problem at all with volume in the phones from the radio or intercom.

I'll get a few hours on it as-is, and if radio communications are consistently good & passengers don't have any complaints (should be ok since it sounds ok talking to myself with a Lightspeed plugged in the passenger jacks), I'll consider mounting 1/8" chassis mount jacks next to the standard intercom jacks so I can eliminate the adapters.

Charlie
 
Thanks Charlie...

I finally got both adapters functional for my 480 headset. No transformers or preamps; I just put a 1/8" stereo jack on a cut-off mic plug from a defunct aviation headset for the mic adapter and used a mono 1/4" phone plug (mono intercom) wired to both channels of a 1/8" stereo jack for the earpieces.

On a short hop to a neighbor's strip, the sound isolation seemed a lot better than my old Lightspeed 15XL's with their newer earpads (last longer but don't seal to my head as well as the old ones).

The mic seemed to work fine after a bit of plug wiggling in the mic jack. Wingman said that it was breaking up at first but then seemed to clear up. The mic itself might be a bit more vulnerable to cockpit noise than a stock a/c mic, but serviceable. No problem at all with volume in the phones from the radio or intercom.

I'll get a few hours on it as-is, and if radio communications are consistently good & passengers don't have any complaints (should be ok since it sounds ok talking to myself with a Lightspeed plugged in the passenger jacks), I'll consider mounting 1/8" chassis mount jacks next to the standard intercom jacks so I can eliminate the adapters.

Charlie


...for the testing and report.

I just ordered my 480 tonight - lots of places have them for around $30.

This adapter should do for the Headphones portion since I have a mono system in the plane -

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062462

- and a home made adapter cable like you mentioned for the 0.205 mic. plug.

Did you short the L & R channels of the mic together or just use one of the outputs?
 
The mic isn't stereo, so you do have to sort out which is audio & which is the bias voltage coming from the intercom. The aviation standard is bias on the tip, audio on the ring, ground on the sleeve. It's been weeks (maybe months...) since I built the mic adapter, so I'll have to check to see if it's straight through tip-tip, etc. IIRC, I found the diagram for the 480 somewhere on the web, but I'll have to dig it out again.

Check that; I googled the wiring diagram for a computer mic input, since that's what the 480 is made for.

I made the phones stereo/mono adapter by just shorting the 1/8" L & R together & tying to the tip of the 1/4" plug (that's what the adapter you list does, too). Thanks for the link; I'll grab a couple so I can set up my wife with one & clean up my install.

Charlie
 
Just got my Plantronics 480

...and I got a cheaper version from an E-Bay store that was not the USB version.

I has a single 4 conductor 1/8 plug that is apparently an i-Phone plug.

Googling found this -

iphone-plug-150x150.jpg


1 = Left audio
2 = Right audio
3 = Common ground
4 = Microphone

- so it's a good job I didn't buy the stereo-to-mono RS plug yet...:)

This might even be better for plane use, since it will be a single "Y" adapter cable needed to interface with the intercom.

The experiment is now under way...
 
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....any results to report from the Plantronics 480?

gil A

I used the 480s for this project. I put it together about a year ago. 500 hours and they work great with the Comply foam. The only problem is that the mic takes a little too much noise if there is some wind, and sometimes after a long flight, it will slip down a bit.

On version 2.0, I am going to hack a Bluetooth headset into it so it will sync with my iphone.
 
Thanks...

I used the 480s for this project. I put it together about a year ago. 500 hours and they work great with the Comply foam. The only problem is that the mic takes a little too much noise if there is some wind, and sometimes after a long flight, it will slip down a bit.

On version 2.0, I am going to hack a Bluetooth headset into it so it will sync with my iphone.

...that's good to know.

I just ordered the Comply foam earpieces - now to make a Y-cable connector...:)
 
Thread bump

So I came across a telephone headset that was headed to the trash..Anyone know if I can use the mic with the audio panel?

Thanks

Frank
 
So I just got 2 pair of Plantronics 480 with the single 4 contact plug. Can I get a socket for this plug at Radio Shack? Part Number? Also, where do I find a standard .205 microphone plug? Best I've found is a remote mic switch from ACS for about $7.

I also see comments about Comply ear pieces. Where can I learn more about these? The black foam ear pieces that came with the Platronics seem to work best for me.

Thanks

Jim Butcher
 
Ok i need some help! Here is what i need help on. I have the PLantronics 480 headset.
as pictured in post number 76. I also have the following items:

Parts list:

Project Box
2 Stereo 1/8" jacks
Audio Transformer
Headset Wire with the jacks that plug into the mic and headphone plugs of the airplane.
Small gauge wire. I stripped an ethernet cable.
Comply Foam tips.

I have no idea on how to wire this and make it work. I need a step by step guide to how to make this work. I need to know what wire to hook up from the aircraft plug to the audio transformer and then what wires go from the audio transformer to the 1/8 stereo jack. Then what wires go from the mic side of the aircraft plug to the 1/8 stereo jack. Then what wires go on what prong on the 1/8 stereo plug. And also what prong to put a jumper inbetween to make the setup stereo or mono. PLEASE help if you can. My email address is [email protected]
Thanks,
Jeremy
 
I have no idea on how to wire this and make it work. ...
Jeremy

Jeremy, can you take some notes on what you are doing and post it back on the forum somewhere. So once you are finished there is a set of step by step instructions on what needs to be done. Kinda hard to go through all these posts and find out what to do. :)

Christopher.
 
wiring the plantronics 480; usage pirep

Someone asked me off list about wiring the 2-plug version of the 480.

[/QUOTE]
So on the line for the mic is there a way to wire in a aiviation plug without having to cut the end off the plantronics headset??[/QUOTE]


Radio shack 274-274 in-line stereo jack (2-pack)
To wire it, look at a couple of sites.
A/C mic jack wiring:
http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/micjack/micjack.html

computer mic plug wiring (the 480's mic plug):
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/us_pro_ea_connectingmics
(this site also shows the pinout for the Apple single plug version of the 480)
Note that the 480's audio is on the tip; the A/C audio is on the ring.


This is what I did for the mic (working from memory):
Wire shield to shield
wire 480's tip to A/C mic plug ring.
Ignore the A/C tip & 480's ring

(headset plug wiring is shown in message 106; it should be straight pin to pin)

After a few more flights, the only issues I've noticed are minor differences in level between the 480 & the Lightspeeds used in the other seat (compensated for with headphone volume adjustments) and low volume from the 480 mic, seemingly caused by the boom being about 1/2" to 1" too short. If I push the boom slightly to get the mic next to the corner of my lip, it seems to work ok for both intercom & transmit.

It is a *lot* quieter in the cockpit than using my 15XL's. I can't compare it to later, higher quality active noise cancelling headsets.

Charlie
 
Wiring Plantonics 480

I recently purchased a couple of these. The version I got have just one connector, a 1/8" 4 contact plug made for iPhone.

I found parts at www.minute-man.com/acatalog

I purchased 2 each of 524WT .206 diameter aircraft microphone plug
70-086B Jack, 1/8" inline 4 conductor
524W Plug stereo

The wiring is as shown previously in this thread, the tip of the plug is right audio, the ring next to the tip is left audio, the second ring is common and the sleeve is mic out. The 70-086B jack has numbers marked on it. #1 is the tip, #2 is the first ring, #3 is the second ring and the strain relief is the sleeve.

I used a piece of Mil C 27500 2 conductor for the headphone portion connecting the two conductors to the tip and ring of the 524W plug and the shield to the sleeve. On the 70-086B the conductors are connected to pins 1 & 2 and the shield to pin 3. I used a piece of Mil C 27500 1 conductor for the mic 524WT plug connecting the conductor the the ring and the shield to the sleeve (no connection to the tip, that's used to key the transmitter). On the 70-086B the conductor is connected to the strain relief and the shield to pin 3

The soldering is a bit tricky but doable. Twist the two shields together and solder on a piece of hookup wire - the shields are too big to solder directly to the 70- 086B. You will end up with about 3/8" long wire ends to connect and still get in the plastic cover.

I haven't flown with the 480 yet, but in the hangar it works fine. I found the 480 works connected directly to my avionics without needing any transformers. I have a Garmin GMA 340 audio panel and GNS430 GPS Com. The black foam ear plugs seem to work best for me.

Jim Butcher
Europa XS N241BW
 
I have a plantronics 480 headset that is allready built, i want to sell. I hate to get rid of it, but i need the money. It comes with the original plantronics box all the adapter for the headset and the aviation cable. It is already wired to work in the airplane. The plantronics headset plugs into a project box. I will let is go for $100.00 with free priority shipping. Please let me know.
 
thread revival

I was finally getting ready to build the "behind the neck" headset with the Comply foam earbuds lastnight, when I opened this thread to get some details. I hadn't followed up on it lately, but saw that some of you were going with the Plantronics 480 headset. After a little looking around, I've decided that not having a head-band or neck-band really appeals to me. So I'm shifting focus and going with the Plantronics setup.

I think the 480 has been discontinued so you can probably buy them pretty cheap...I just bought one on Buy.com for less than $14 shipped. I figure that if they don't work out, then I won't be out much money.

I wasn't sure if the earlier post by Charlie, describing the wiring, was for a mono or stereo setup. Can someone clarify the Y-cable setup for a stereo installation? I'd greatly appreciate it. I also don't know if my Plantronics headset will have 1 or 2 cables...the picture shows 2, but some of you have said that you got a headset with one. :confused:
 
Was trying the Plantronics route myself.

Question though...which Comply eartips did ya'll use? The only Plantronics model listed on the Comply website uses the T-400.

Thanks!
 
Was trying the Plantronics route myself.

Question though...which Comply eartips did ya'll use? The only Plantronics model listed on the Comply website uses the T-400.

Thanks!

Hi Rick,
I just got mine in the mail yesterday and put it on...I don't think the silicone tips will block enough sound, and the foam tips it came with are not very soft at all. I have a Comply headset and its tips are much, much softer. So, I ordered some T400's off of eBay. It was $20 for a set of 5...I hope they work as good as the Comply headset...that thing blocks everything. ;)
 
Hi Rick,
I just got mine in the mail yesterday and put it on...I don't think the silicone tips will block enough sound, and the foam tips it came with are not very soft at all. I have a Comply headset and its tips are much, much softer. So, I ordered some T400's off of eBay. It was $20 for a set of 5...I hope they work as good as the Comply headset...that thing blocks everything. ;)

We shall see...all my parts should be here this week. What I hope is the two-plug model was about $20 shipped from Amazon.

Mouser (and Avery) are (mostly) in Texas, so ground shipping is nice at next-day guaranteed speed (to a business address)...I've been a faithful Mouser customer for 10+ years now. Got one of the airplane side jacks in red, as I've always wanted, to make them more obviously different. :)
 
I lost my adapter and am redoing mine and can't figure out how I did it with the plantronics 480. I have 1 audio transformer from radio shack listed earlier in the thread.

My cables I stole from an old headset have the following wires:

Red: Mic
White: Mic Ground
Green: Headset speakers plug
Black: Headset speaker ground

I have two stereo phone jacks with the 5 pins on the bottom from radio shack. One for the mic and one for the headphones.

The mic is pretty easy to figure out so I will skip that. From what I have gathered, I should do the following:

Green (Headset speakers plug) -> Green (Transformer)
Black (Headset speaker ground) -> Blue (Transformer)
Headphone Pin -> Red (Transformer)
Headphone Ground Pin -> White (Transformer)

I don't feel like this is right at all. Any help? I am confused with the transformer wiring to the headset wires and the headphone stereo jack.
 
Not sure if it helps, but I got to test mine on the ground yesterday...Plantronics 480 w/ TX400 Comply tips. (Battery died after 10 spins of the prop -- just did a radio check, and got a top off from unicom, while sitting there making airplane noises. I wish the DA20 I fly had an impulse coupling...)

Anyway, it worked great! Mine was wired straight through with no transformer. Audio with tip/tip, ring/ring, sleeve/sleeve. Mic was sleeve/sleeve, (headset)tip/(plane)ring. Clearest audio I've ever heard in a plane, and ground/unicom reported "quite loud and clear" without prompting on my radio check.

I am going to try a 5v bias on the mic ring, as you have to talk fairly loud of the mic to "start working". Once I've experimented with that a bit, and tested actually flying, I'll post what worked for me. Oh, and it's light and comfy.
 
Not sure if it helps, but I got to test mine on the ground yesterday...Plantronics 480 w/ TX400 Comply tips. (Battery died after 10 spins of the prop -- just did a radio check, and got a top off from unicom, while sitting there making airplane noises. I wish the DA20 I fly had an impulse coupling...)

Anyway, it worked great! Mine was wired straight through with no transformer. Audio with tip/tip, ring/ring, sleeve/sleeve. Mic was sleeve/sleeve, (headset)tip/(plane)ring. Clearest audio I've ever heard in a plane, and ground/unicom reported "quite loud and clear" without prompting on my radio check.

I am going to try a 5v bias on the mic ring, as you have to talk fairly loud of the mic to "start working". Once I've experimented with that a bit, and tested actually flying, I'll post what worked for me. Oh, and it's light and comfy.

Hey Rick,
That's interesting...I wired mine up as per RV7Charlie's post (#119) and it didn't work. I could hear just fine, but couldn't get the mic to work. I figured I had 2 other variables for rewiring it. I'll try the "straight through" way next.

What are you using for a radio and intercom?
 
Hey Rick,
That's interesting...I wired mine up as per RV7Charlie's post (#119) and it didn't work. I could hear just fine, but couldn't get the mic to work. I figured I had 2 other variables for rewiring it. I'll try the "straight through" way next.

What are you using for a radio and intercom?

This was a Garmin GMA 340 audio panel and 530 radio (in a DA20). For the mic connections, I left the headset-side mic "ring" wire [bias, I think] and airplane-side "tip" wire [PTT] unconnected.

I had to talk loud to get the mic to work, I'm guessing because of lack of bias voltage -- wasn't a squelch issue. Was going to tinker with battery power to the mic and try again next weekend, and I'll let you know how it goes. It was usable as-is though. Keep in mind, I haven't tried it with the noise of the engine turning yet...I had my normal headset ready on the passenger jacks in case I needed to swap quickly in-flight. ;)
 
I
Green (Headset speakers plug) -> Green (Transformer)
Black (Headset speaker ground) -> Blue (Transformer)
Headphone Pin -> Red (Transformer)
Headphone Ground Pin -> White (Transformer)

The above was wrong. This is correct, but has low volume in a GMA 1347 intercom:

Green (Headset speakers plug) -> Blue (Transformer)
Insulation (Headset plug sleeve) -> Green (Transformer)
Headphone Pin -> Red (Transformer)
Headphone Ground Pin -> White (Transformer)

Any way to increase the volume? I have it to 100% in the airplane and have the volume selector all the way up on the 480.
 
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Hi Rick,
I just got mine in the mail yesterday and put it on...I don't think the silicone tips will block enough sound, and the foam tips it came with are not very soft at all. I have a Comply headset and its tips are much, much softer. So, I ordered some T400's off of eBay. It was $20 for a set of 5...I hope they work as good as the Comply headset...that thing blocks everything. ;)

I bought a set of the 480's just to give this a try. I also fly with a pair of Halo headsets and I don't think these will work as well since its impossible to get the earpieces to fit as far into your ear canal as the Halo's do. The wires are also of poor quality and it seems they won't last long from tugging and getting the wires twisted.
 
Rick,

Do the Comply TX400 tips fit the Plantronics Audio 480?

Yes. They are a little snug to get on, but I think that is the way they are supposed to be. You have to mash them pretty good, but they spring back as designed.

With the Comply tips it seems to have good reduction...I wish there was an easy way to test the actual noise suppression though, as far a hearing protection goes. Might end up flying behind it this afternoon (without mic bias) so I'll see what it's like with an engine...
 
Just an update. I took out the audio transformer and the volume is fine. With the audio transformer the volume is very low.
 
Flew with the straight through Plantronics today. (Mic without bias, ring NC.)

Was pretty awesome actually. I don't think I can ever go back to a headset... much quieter than my old Peltor's. Audio quality was superb. Mic seemed to work well on radio transmit. Seems like the "head footprint" is less than the Halo or CA's with no "wire" or "headset" and with the Comply tips I think they might even stay in place during light acro -- just make sure you squish them real good before putting them in. I wanted to keep talking to ATC just because...

HOWEVER, the intercom didn't work so well...not a squelch issue, but I have to talk very loud and steady. I'm going to try to add a battery powered mic bias and test again this weekend. But, solo, it was perfect.

This is what I used, from Amazon:

Plantronics 480 ($20.44 shipped)
Comply T-400 Tips ($14.95 for 3 pairs)

And from Mouser:

1x Small Case ($2.96)
2x 3.5mm Jack ($1.29)
1x Red 1/4" Audio Plug ($6.90)
1x Black .206" Mic Plug ($9.02)

...I swapped the red/black cases so the mic was the red jack. Also picked up a stereo "extender" cable locally so I could find one in-person with a good feel...nice flexible but tough 1/4" cable. Cut the ends off and in half to use for the "to plane" wire. Other than that, just drilled the case and soldered the wires to the jacks and plugs. (I didn't have a spare headset to use, and since the Plantronics 480 is a little delicate, wanted to be able to use it without modification...and build an "adaptor box", which could also work with any other PC headset too. I'll probably order two spares in case they become hard to find.)

I actually got 3 mini jacks, so I'm going to use the 3rd as an input for a battery back with a variable bias resistance and voltage to the mic's ring contact so I can experiment with the best mix for radio and intercom use (if it helps at all...). Will post what happens...and document the wiring if it works well. ;))

All in, less than $65. =)

headset.jpg
 
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Platronics questions

I tried the Platronics last Fall and had a few problems.

Couldn't keep the microphone in place, the earpiece wanted to fall out.

Big problem is that it sounds fine in the intercomm both on the ground and in flight but controllers say my audio is garbled and unreadable. What I hear when I transmit in flight is fine. The cockpit is somewhat noisy and high pitch with the Rotax engine.

Everything works fine with conventional headsets. GMA340 audio panel and GNS430 Comm.

Any suggestions or ideas? I'm thinking a microphone windscreen or perhaps I need to adjust the mic audio in the GNS430.

Jim Butcher
Europa XS
N241BW
 
The problem I've had is that the mic boom is simply not long enough to get the mic in front of my lips. I found that if I pushed the mic against the corner of my mouth as I talked, it worked ok, but otherwise my voice was at a very low level. This is really the same type of problem you have with a conventional headset when your passenger fails to move the mic up close to their mouth.

It's basically a signal to noise ratio issue. Noise in the cockpit is pretty much the same level everywhere. The farther from your mouth the mic gets, the lower your voice level in relation to the background noise.

Try taking the mic-side earpiece out & holding the mic in front of your lips like a 'normal' headset mic & see if ATC can hear you that way.

(Be sure that you're talking into the correct side of the mic; talking to the back side of a directional mic will *really* hurt signal to noise.)

Charlie
 
Yeah, the mic is short...I basically sculpted it to my face, and you have to make sure it's twisted so the right hole is in the right place. And extra 1/2 to 1 inch would make a lot of difference.

This weekend the FBO owner was also going to listen on his handheld, so I can get a much better idea of what the radio side "really" sounds like.
 
stereo

The guardian looks pretty cool, but would take all the fun out this project :D. The only drawback I can see is that the plug has 3 contactors. This seems to imply that there would be an audio, microphone and ground connection, i.e. mono and not stereo. Any thoughts on this? If it can simply have the connectors swapped and get stereo play, I'm in for this one. I'll just use my comply earphones that I already have for mowing the lawn!
 
Good question. I think as wired it is mono. But there are two distinct speakers, I think it could be modified for stereo. I will be ordering a headset, plus the plugs from Aircraft Spruce. Will let you know how it works in mono.:)
 
The guardian looks pretty cool, but would take all the fun out this project :D. The only drawback I can see is that the plug has 3 contactors. This seems to imply that there would be an audio, microphone and ground connection, i.e. mono and not stereo. Any thoughts on this? If it can simply have the connectors swapped and get stereo play, I'm in for this one. I'll just use my comply earphones that I already have for mowing the lawn!

The manuafactures website appears to be here:

http://www.durosonic.com/g1

...while their site has some issues, and missing information...the second image suggests a multi-cord or flexible setup...including a PTT button. (Not sure if it might have a mic interrupter style PTT that you would want to bypass?) Some of the other info on "Connections" is...well...looks like they have different models and lots of different wiring/connection options.

Odd that the amazon listing is so sparse on technical details, given that Durosonic themselves seems to be running the listing. But, also appears they are still spooling things up?

Good question. I think as wired it is mono. But there are two distinct speakers, I think it could be modified for stereo. I will be ordering a headset, plus the plugs from Aircraft Spruce. Will let you know how it works in mono.:)

While their actual website has a blank contact page, the Amazon seller listing has this:

Durosonic Customer Service Contact
Contact this seller Phone: 612-246-4610

I'd just give them a call. You might be able to get the same thing with the right plugs already on it for around the same price... Heck, if they work *well* off the shelf, tell them how many pilots will be buying them for $150! Maybe you can get a "reviewers sample". ;)
 
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On the Durosonic web site, under the connections tab they show a 2.5mm stereo and 3.5mm stereo plug, so some models do support stereo sound. If I can talk to someone there I will suggest they may be able to sell alot of these to pilots with the right plug ends installed.;)
 
Well, the headset I made is fine solo (on the radio)...but after a longer XC with passenger, I went back to a normal headset. Still working out decent intercom use without putting the mic in my mouth and fiddling with it every few minutes. Might be awhile before I make any more progress...but just FYI.
 
Thanks for the newegg hint, Bob.

I can confirm Bob's $9.99 price is valid; the promo code works. I should get my headset in a few days.

I've been a newegg customer for years (built a few computers piecewise from compnents). Their customer service is unparalleled, as is their website for research, reviews, and recommendations.

Thanks again for the find.
 
So has anyone tried the Durosconic headsets? Looks like their single earpiece model is available for about $30. Can two of those be used to make a dual earpiece headset? $60 is a lot more reasonable than $150!!

Jim Butcher
Europa XS
 
I actually got 3 mini jacks, so I'm going to use the 3rd as an input for a battery back with a variable bias resistance and voltage to the mic's ring contact so I can experiment with the best mix for radio and intercom use (if it helps at all...). Will post what happens...and document the wiring if it works well. ;))

Hey Rick,

Any change you've done any experimentation with adding bias voltage to your planetronics setup?

I've got my headset in hand and I'm ready to start in on the project, but don't want to build a headset that doesn't work well with the intercom.
 
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