M-160 disassembly

[ScottAltiz]

I don't have one in front of me, but I'm pretty sure there is a tiny (TINY) little screw or push at the back end of the microphone that will release a round clip around the body of the mic. It's hard to describe without a photo or mic in front , but i hope that helps.

[rodabod]

There's a hex grub screw in the label by the connector socket which needs to be loosened without stripping to disassemble the socket.

Thiose wires coem straight from the transformer. I'd see if you can extend them and then insulate with very small heatshrink.

[capacitor]

ScottAltiz, that's very helpful. You mean at the connector end, right? I've found a small hole in the body, just forward of the mating end for the already-removed XLR connector.

Pics coming up.

[capacitor]

This small hole, near the top of pic 1, goes through the body. A straightened paper clip goes through with no resistance, and I can see the end within the body - nothing gets in the way of the clip. So that's not it - or it has already been loosened at the trafo end.

The ribbon element at the other end is not yet loose....maybe if I get out the propane torch

Note that the hole is lined up with the vertical placement axis of the ribbon element (pic 2).

It looks like the XLR mating assembly is a separate piece from the main body. It's kind of hard to see in these lousy pics, but the finish is slightly different between the main body vs the XLR endpiece, which has the serial number & labeling.

[capacitor]

More stuff. I can see the space where the two element-to-trafo wires are routed, in between the body and the transformer. I've also located one of the XLR wires (green), but it'll still have to come out for proper repair.

It looks like there might be a clip directly underneath the transformer. The element-to-trafo wiring gap is part of the clip. If that isn't a clip, it is a smaller tube fastened inside the main body, or machined into the main body.

Not possible yet to photo this part of the mic.

An assembly diagram of this mic would work wonders (Google hasn't been fruitful).

[capacitor]

Ok, I'm done messing around. The trafo will not come out of the body no matter what.

So, I'm going to carefully split the mic body in two, using a hand held pipe cutter. JB Weld & large-diameter rubber shrink wrap will get it back in one piece after (hopefully) repairing & extending the wiring.

It was dirt cheap to begin with. The wiring was already compromised before I got my mitts on it. If it works, I won't want/need to sell it, and if the element is hosed I can still salvage the transformer for another mic, such as the m260.

[ScottAltiz]

id try and call beyer first that sounds rough

[capacitor]

I have other reasons to open it up & I really don't care that much about the cosmetics of this mic (see above)...

Anyhow, already open & have identified the wiring, next step is to get it to the point where I can listen to the element to see if it is in good shape.

[rodabod]

Remember to heatshrink the primary wires as these are enamel coated and will short once soldered.

[evilgrill]

i believe that the housing on these mics have different sizes depending on year of make.

[capacitor]

Originally Posted by evilgrill

i believe that the housing on these mics have different sizes depending on year of make.

That makes sense - I'll betcha that's why the older ones can't be reconditioned (ribbon/transformer etc) by Beyer.

I'm heatshrinking it back together right now. It's my first take at this low budget heatshrink method, so it isn't pretty.

Pics in a short while.

[capacitor]

Here's a quick photo of the mic.

This tubing was THICK and had to put it in an oven to gradually heat the tubing to the point where it would shrink around the body of the microphone.

Now I'm off to check the sound.

Actually, I'm not really sure what these mics are supposed to sound like!