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In ear headset - a cheap project

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.

Welll... I actually haven't been flying in months. Chasing getting back up for the last month, but the weather and I have been having a spat.

In theory, I'll be able to try again this Saturday... (Or more likely, the flight after that...as this is an FBO checkout/currency trip.)

I'll update if/when I turn up anything though. Despite the limitations, I've just dealt with them a number of times, as I really like the form factor. I wouldn't advise doing that -- but I think it's worth pursuing, so I haven't forgotten about it or given up. :)
 
Hoping someone can help me with a wiring question. I don't fly but am helping my uncle with this headset project for his plane, so bear with me...

We're designing this for a passenger headset and the microphone isn't working for pilot/passenger communications. When I soldered the .206 connector, I soldered wires to the tip, ring and sleeve. As I've learned on this forum, the tip is for the push to transmit feature. There is a push to transmit feature on the plane, but for communications between the pilot and passenger, the mics are voice activated.

Should I de-solder that tip wire and only use the ring and sleeve connections? I'm guessing that by soldering the tip connection, the circuit was opened and can only be closed by the push to transmit button? Because inner-plane communications don't use push to transmit, the circuit does not close and the mic does not work?

Thanks.
 
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I have been researching on making an in ear headset for my wife. I come across this thread. A lot of great info. I have the plaintronics headset mentioned and a Sony ANR in ear. I also purchased the Comply tips that fit both. My plan was to get the small project box and put in the 1/8 in panel mount jacks and hardwire the .206 and 1/4 in plugs in the box terminated to plug into the plane. I found the parts even cheaper at allelectronics.com as far as the .206 plugs.
2 SWC-S267 (3/16� (0.206�) PHONE PLUG, 3-CONDUCTOR - (SWC-S267)) $4.00 $8.00
I was wondering about the bias voltage specifically, how does that part of the system work?

Thanks
Rick
 
ddchzt.jpg


This is a little different homemade one. A real rough setup so far. Peltor hearplug frame with a comply NR-10 ear phone. The Peltor frame is more rigid than most, that helps the microphone stay in place. Still to go is a small project box to hide
the microphone electronics, maybe an audio transformer for impedence matching, and a volume control pot. And heat shrinked for cable appearance.
Worked good in a Citation 550, and a King Air.
 
Well, I finally splurged on the $15 at Radio Shack and did mine (well, plus a birthday present worth of Klipsch earbuds and an old Telex headset).

I decided to keep the end-to-end mic circuit from the old headset, and focus on the earbuds part for now. I had to do a little edumacation about potentiometers and audio transformers, but all the smoke stayed in the wires, and I didn't injure myself.

I also made them Mono. Version 2.0 will be stereo, and maybe have a switch selection for mono/stereo, and maybe another input for music.

Anyway, the whole build post is here (http://n999za.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/roll-your-own-in-ear-headset/), but here's a couple teaser pictures.

I don't have the mic mounting yet, but I plugged them into the stereo last night, and they sounded just like my David Clarks...

Went from this...
20110204-001-large.jpg

...to this...
20110204-032-large.jpg
 
Can't hear myself transmit on DIY headset

This is a great project and I'm pleased with how my DIY came out... except I can't hear myself transmit. Apparently I'm loud and clear to everyone else but would like to remedy this issue. I used the parts from an AvComm headset but supplemented the mic with a radioshack version.

Any thoughts on how to fix?

Thanks in advance,
Stan
 
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

this is great. Can you give a picture inside of the box?
 
this is great. Can you give a picture inside of the box?

If I can find it, sure. In it's last working form though, it's a straight pass-through though. ie. just:

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)
(wires from a broken headset)

....just to adapt the plugs, based on wiring examples here and around the web.

As I think there was discussion here since, the mic needs help to work well in a plane. If I stuck it "in my mouth" it would be okay.... And I've still used it since for some not-much-comms trips. But otherwise mic performance is not ideal out of the box.

I had started some experimentation using a portable intercom, that setup, and a normal headset so I could work on the handling the PC mic interface properly in the shop, and listen to the results...but haven't done much with it. I think some other folks here may have though...ie. an example above of using the mic guys from an existing aviation headset.

Once I fly more, I'll be getting it working or buying Halo's or CA's. It was enough I can't stand the clamps anymore. :)
 
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Rick,

this is very simple and easy setup. I wish, I looked at your post before I strip open my old PNR headset to salvage mic and plugs.

I put a 1/8 jack into the project box and connected it to the transformer for the earphones.
the jack to transformer connection was easy. I connected white and red wire from the 1/8 jack to the white and red wires of the transformer.

I am left with a blue, green and black wire. I am assuming these wires are somehow going to be connected to the plugs going from project box and the mic connecting to the project box.

mic > project box (green, blue and black wire) > plugs connecting into airplane. I am not able to figure this circuit out.

maybe I will post the picture here and someone can help me with the ciruit.

thanks for your reply.
 
HI, I started this process last year and things didn't work out quite right, so I just moved on. I now have some more time and have started to troubleshoot the headset.

I used an older pair of FlightCom 4dx, bought a radio shack project box, sure in line volumen controller, the comply tips, and put it all together. The set didn't work in the plane, no mic, no ptt clicks, no sound from the headphones either. Ive done a continuity test for the headphones hookup and it looks good, I can even get sound out when I connect the headphones to the home stereo, but I'm not able to get the mic to work. I'm wondering if I've accidentaly damaged the mic chip while installing. I was looking for a wiring diagram for the 4do so I can understand the mic chip better. Anyone have a wiring diagram that can help me better understand? Thanks,
 
Old thread, Still a Great Idea. Keep it moving Forward?

I just picked up 2 pairs of KOSS 'The Plug' stereo earplugs and a 3.5mm - 1/4" adapter jack. I tried this with the headset adapter for my Icom handheld transceiver, and only get sound in the left ear plug.
So far I have about $20 for two sets of KOSS plugs, and a few bucks for the 3.5mm - 1/4" adapter. The sound is fine without an audio transformer.
I have a few Flightcom 4DX headsets that have failed over the years, probably due to breaks in the wires. I could purloin the stereo/mono switch and the mic...
I would like to use un-modified Ear Plugs with a straight adapter, total cost < $15. I see there's a Mono 1/4" plug to 3.5mm stereo adapter for us mono radio guys. $ 2.47 on Amazon.
I've used a leather punch with the turret hole selector and modified a few sets of EAR and MAX ear plugs to try in flight if the KOSS 'large' foam plugs let too much noise thru...The KOSS sound tubes look and behave about like heat shrink.
 
Cheap simple ear bud headset adapter

One 1/4" male headset plug
20" thin wire
One female 1/8" plug
One EL-19 Mini Audio Output Transformer from Tinkersphere.com
Shrink tubing

Very simple and easy to put together. I found no need for a box with volume, I have a volume control on my radio.
To cover the audio transformer I just used a piece of shrink tubing.

Tested this morning with a cheap CD player ear buds, works great, plenty of volume, very clear sound..

Here is a video how to make cheap noise reduction ear buds. https://youtu.be/P0m_RseMrok

Thank you everyone for the great ideas...:)

35atyr9.jpg
 
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Help requested with Mic feedback

I recently finished up this project (thanks for posting), but I cannot hear my voice thru the headset, unless I have the mic jack plugged in halfway to the PTT adapter I can hear audio on both sides (LH & RH) on the headset. I should also mention that the mic is plugged into an adapter PTT switch. Thinking that maybe the PTT adapter was at fault, I plugged into a different PTT adapter and got no audio reguardless of if it was plugged in all the way or partially. I was thinking that maybe my mic plug was defective, but now I'm not so sure. It is an old David Clark system (radio comm and intercom)on a C-140 that I am trying to plug in to. Any help or direction you guys might be able to give would be appreciated. The system works just fine with my headset, and the mic plugs look identical, other than color.

Thanks
 
We need to know how you wired the mic plug.

But based on what you're describing, it sounds like you wired the mic audio line to the 'tip' on the plug. Proper mic wiring is to wire the PPT line to the tip (some headsets actually have a PTT on an earcup), the mic audio to the 'ring' (middle point on the plug) and the ground return to the 'barrel' (longest exposed metal on the plug).

Charlie
 
I'll check

Thank you for the feedback Charlie. I'll take the connector part and take a look and see how I wired it. It's a good place to start that may explain why it worked when it was plugged in halfway.
 
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