Mystery Gizmo Item - Mic holder? what is it for?

[John Nantz]

I recently bought a second-hand (used) Rycote Windshield (aka blimp, zeppelin, etc.) and in the package of the various parts that came with it were these two gizmos.

The Windshield had it's original Parts and Assembly Instructions sheet but these two items weren't indicated anywhere.

They are very nicely made and obviously are intended for some nice piece of equipment. There are no identification marks on them, like manufacturer, country of manufacture, part number, or the like. The clamp opens up and when closed the thumbscrew screws into a brass insert in the plastic. This is nice construction because it helps to prevent stripping of the threads if one tightens the thumbscrew too much.

The neoprene on the inside of the closed clamp is quite soft. The diameter of the hole is 20mm, the size of many mics. If a mic was one or two mm larger in diameter the soft neoprene would accomodate the larger diameter.

There are two mounting holes for the gizmo with a hole spacing of 12mm which is close to 1/2 inch but the 12mm is more like it. Since the inside diameter is 20mm and the hole spacing 12mm my guess is it is not made in the USA. It could be, but it is unlikely. The mounting holes are very hard to see in the photo but in the top part the holes are on the far right of the item. Note there is an angled piece of plastic to the right and at the far end of it are the two holes.

I really suspect this is some kind of mic holder because of the way it was acquired, but it could be for something else. Does anyone have an idea of what this Mystery Gizmo is? (manufacturer, purpose?)

[Greg Boston]

Yes, it's a mic holder. Probably removed from a particular brand of camera to make way for an upgraded isolation mount.

I know my Sony F350 had provisions for a secondary mic mount on top of the camera that had 2 holes for mounting. You can see the Sony part I am referring to in this post...

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ml#post1750191

Perhaps you could contact the seller and ask which camera that mount is supposed to fit on.

-gb-

[Brian P. Reynolds]

Looks like a Panasonic P2 camera mic mount.

https://www.spec-comm.com/store/inde..._detail&p=2313
https://www.spec-comm.com/store/inde..._detail&p=2312
https://www.spec-comm.com/store/inde..._detail&p=2317

Many small Dia. mics like a Senni 416 will need to be enlarged a bit to fit these sort of mic holders, many people just wrap electrical tape round and round it but a better way is get hold of some 'O' rings from a local auto shop for a few cents, they work VERY well to pack up the gap between the mic and holder.

[John Nantz]

A little more info:

Thumb screws: The thumb screws have a similar shape but do not have a screwdriver slot like shown in Greg's Sony picture link. Also, the knurling on them is very fine and are just lines parallel to the screw axis. The knurling is not "cross-diagonal" like the Sony one.

Neoprene "cushion": The neoprene cushion on these is very interesting in that it is quite soft. I'm sure it is factory installed and not an aftermarket add-on because all four of the cushions are installed pretty much exactly the same. If they were put on there by a customer or in an after-market application I'm sure there would be some signs that they would be somewhat skewed or slightly different on centering. These are really exactly alike as though they were machine installed. They could be add-ons but, if they were, someone did a really good job.

[Edward Carlson]

I am 90% sure that they are Panasonic mic clamps for the DVX through HPX cameras. My DVC30 has the same clamp. If you don't need them, sell them. They're like $70-80. Parts VYC0936 and VYC0890.

[John Nantz]

Originally Posted by Edward Carlson

I am 90% sure that they are Panasonic mic clamps for the DVX through HPX cameras. My DVC30 has the same clamp. If you don't need them, sell them. They're like $70-80. Parts VYC0936 and VYC0890.

Thanks, Edward, I think you hit the nail on the head. I looked up the first part number and got a link to Panasonic VYC0936 Holder and the picture there looks very much like these. Granted, it's not the world's best picture and from the angle it doesn't show the other side that has a cable support, but if it isn't it, it is really, really close.

The ones I got have a little off-set bracket on them but it is screwed on so it is removable.

The web page says it "fits or replaces" a number of other models from model year 2011 back to 2005.
There is another web page with what looks like the same part but the line diagram is very plain. It says: Panasonic Mic Holder Assembly for Panasonic AG-DVX100B, AG-HVX200, AG-HPX170 & AG-AF100 Cameras.

Thanks again, I'm pretty sure that's it.

[Nate Haustein]

Lucky find! I sold an extra one on eBay for $90 a couple months ago. As far as replacement parts go, they're worth their weight in gold!

[John Nantz]

Originally Posted by Brian P. Reynolds

Looks like a Panasonic P2 camera mic mount.
https://www.spec-comm.com/store/inde..._detail&p=2313

Brian - guess I didn't catch the first link when I read you post but the picture in the link is exactly what it looks like, right down to how the thumb screw looks.

Apparently the "angle bracket" is a separate part. Can't believe what they're trying to sell that part for, but then I can't believe what camera manufacturers as= for their batteries, either. But in "sole source" contract purchasing that's what happens to pricing.

Nate: Now what should I do? Try selling them or maybe buy a Panasonic camera???

[Nate Haustein]

Originally Posted by John Nantz

maybe buy a Panasonic camera???

Could be worth it!

If you use eBay, set up a fixed price auction that runs for 30 days. When people break these mic holders, they look for replacements. I priced mine at $89.95 plus shipping. It's not a fast sale, but for a piece of plastic, it's not that bad.

For the auction, I called the item: "Panasonic Microphone Holder MountFor HVX200, HVX170, HMC150, AC130/AC160, AF100"