Using XL-H1A mic with other cameras

[Chris Soucy]

Hi guys............

Apologies for parachuting into this thread so late, the reference to XL - H1A threw me.

Reading from scratch it seems pretty obvious the H1A on board mic is a stereo version of the XL1s mic, with an identical two pin connector.

Having upgraded from the XL1s to an XH- A1, I wanted to use the 1s mic to give me a boom pole mounted mono mic to use in conjunction with the on board fixed mic of the A1.

Q DIY project "boom mic".

If you check out the attached pics you pretty well get the gist. The box measures 7cm X 5cm X 2cm inc. lid.

It contains one toggle on/ off switch, the two input sockets, a 9 volt battery and one 78L05 100ma 5 volt power supply chip (it's minute and invisible under the input sockets).

The pole is a slightly modified decorating roller extension pole, the cable to the XH-A1 fitted with a 5 way XLR connector.

Believe it or not that is the original battery from it's build somewhere around 12 years ago!

The biggest pain of the entire project was finding input sockets with the smallest possible front mounting flanges, as you can see even the smallest "off the shelf" I could find ain't that small, the result is that the mic plug has to do "the splits" (GENTLY!) to fully insert.

The front flanges of these sockets on the camera itself are MINUTE!

It worked great and lasted till I bought a trio of Sennheisers and wireless packs which rendered it all obsolete.

I can see no reason why it would not work with a stereo mic with the appropriate wire link.

A 78L05 is one of these things:


https://components101.com/78l05-pino...lent-datasheet

Regards,


CS

[Chris Soucy]

Update......................

Since writing the above I have been "dumpster diving" in my rather dusty mental archives and elicited the rather unsettling fact that some of the above is not totally correct.

I distinctly remember using this rig in Kew Gardens, London,myself as DP and my partner (Yvonne) as "boom boy". Thus it MUST originally have been used with my XL1s, NOT my XH - A1 which I only acquired a year or so AFTER we moved to NZ, which was 14 years ago.

Thus the cable must originally have been fitted with a straight mono 3.5 mm plug. I must have upgraded to a 5 pin XLR when I moved to HD with the A1.

Ergo, this must have been built about 16 years ago. It does make one wonder why that 9 volt battery hasn't dissolved into a puddle of sticky goop along with every other component in the box.

[Aside: The battery is utterly stuffed. A quick check with my DMM says it is now putting out 82 volts DC, at which point I carefully replaced the lid and buried it back in my "the good 'ol days" cupboard where all my AV stuff goes to die.]


CS

[Chris Hurd]

Update appreciated, thanks, but I feel compelled to point out that my own "the good 'ol days" cupboard is chock full of dying AV stuff, and I desperately need to get rid of it all... but it's just so damn difficult to let... go...

[Don Palomaki]

FWIW: The XH-A1 did not use a powered mic similar to the XL1 or L2., and did not provide 5 vdc for an external mic. It offered XLR connectors, a built-in mic on the handle, and an external mic mount. The mic connector spacing on the XL1's mic was a bit different than the L2's.

[Chris Soucy]

Dom.................

FWIW: The XH-A1 did not use a powered mic similar to the XL1 or L2., and did not provide 5 vdc for an external mic. It offered XLR connectors, a built-in mic on the handle, and an external mic mount.

I know, which is why I built the box to drive the XL1s mike with +5 volts, which allowed it to work "off camera" with either (or any) camera, albeit with a change of connector. Using it "on camera" left me with all the inherent limitations of "on camera" sound, which is why it was designed around a boom pole, seeing as I had a willing "gofer" to do the necessary with same.

What interest me is whether Helge has seen, read and inwardly digested my post(s), seeing as how he hasn't posted in over a week.

No matter how you slice this problem, there HAS to be a box somewhere, made of SOMETHING appropriate to its placement and expected punishment, without which one of these mics simply will not work. Is it worth it? It was when I built my box.

As soon as I invested in better (?) mics and wireless packs, the entire question became moot, as cables were OUT!

So, Helge, are you still with us or have you thrown in the towel?

Regards,


CS

[Helge Malmgren]

Hi!

I'm still with you, sorry for this extreme delay, but there were so many other things that I HAD to do, not only wanted to do. Another reason for the delay is that when I tried the solution given by Don Palomaki, it did not seem to work properly. But believe it or not, I simply had not plugged in the 2.5 mm plug forcefully enough –*there is a narrow space where a 3.5 and a 2.5 plug must coexist. When I did it last week, it WORKED! The signal is somewhat weak, rather like the Videomic Pro set at minus 10 dB. But that setting is perfect for concert recordings, which is the intended use.

I used a prewired 3.5mm to USB connector to save work for my friend the electronics expert. The other stuff had to be done anew. If you want to replicate the work, I can send a picture of the arrangement and give more details.

Best wishes!

Helge

[Helge Malmgren]

Sorry, I meant a prewired 2.5mm to USB connector. /Helge

[Helge Malmgren]

Hi!

Here is what it looks like. The small bent wire connecting the 2.5 and 3.5 mm connectors is what does the trick (cf Don's posts).

Best, Helge

[Helge Malmgren]

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

The ground of the power source must connect to the ground of the mic audio connector. It is not a difficult thing to do, and can be done at the connections at the mic since the jacks and plugs will be within an inch or so of each other.

See the attached sketch. If that is confusing, find an electronics person to help you.

Hi Don!
I recently reported here that the experiment was a success, but forgot to quote you. So you may not have noticed my three last posts. Again, thanks!
Helge

[Don Palomaki]

Good to hear you had success.