QA

Quick Answer: How Does Electret Microphone Work

The working principle of an electret condenser microphone is that the diaphragm acts as one plate of a capacitor. Vibrations produce changes in the distance between the diaphragm and the back plate. This change in voltage is amplified by the FET and the audio signal appears at the output, after a dc-blocking capacitor.

How do I connect my electret microphone?

Since the microphone port of a computer provides about 2.3V of power, this will perfectly power the electret microphone. You can connect jumper wires from the 3.5mm audio plug cable and connect the positive side to the 2.2KΩ pull-up resistor and connect the negative side to the ground terminal of the microphone.

Does electret microphone need power supply?

While the electret condenser microphone doesn’t need a power supply to provide polarizing voltage, an FET impedance matching circuit inside the microphone does require some power. This may be supplied by a small low-voltage internal battery or by an external “phantom” supply.

Are electret microphones any good?

A good back-electret mic can perform every bit as well as a traditional capacitor design, and in some cases a little better, though the electrical charge sealed in the electret material can leak away very slowly over a period of several decades, resulting in a slight decrease in sensitivity.

How long do electret microphones last?

The electret element will still age the same. The 10 year old electret microphones that we have, have lost less than 1 dB of sensitivity during that time. Thus, a lifespan of 30-40 years or more can be expected.

How do I know if my electret microphone is working?

1 Answer get a power supply, say 5V. connect GND to the – of the mic. connect 5V to a 22k resistor, the other side of the resistor goes to the mic. connect your oscilloscope between GND and the + pin of the mic. start whistling, alter two frequencies.

What is the output of electret microphone?

An electret microphone produces an average of about 10mV when it is about 10cm from your mouth and you speak at normal conversation level. Usually an electret mic is fed 0.5mA through a resistor that powers the Jfet inside.

What is electret condenser?

Electret condenser microphones are used to convert sound into an electrical signal and are used in a wide variety of consumer electronic products, including mobile phones, GPS devices, and speech recognition equipment.

Do condenser mics need batteries?

They do not require external power such as a battery to operate. Electret condenser microphones have two little plates (capacitor), one of which vibrates in the presence of sound. So this type of microphone needs an electric current to operate.

What is the difference between electret and condenser microphone?

The electret is a type of condenser microphone. The electret has a charged backplate that is created when we manufacture the microphone. A true condenser, on the other hand, continuously requires an external charge.

Are electret microphones bad?

Those with long experience remember when electret microphones were very cheaply made and their high frequency performance and sensitivity was compromised. They got a bad reputation in the 70s and 80s. Many early electret models went dead after a few years, mainly because they lost their electric charge.

What is the difference between an electret and dynamic microphones?

In addition, dynamic microphones are relatively unaffected by extremes of temperature or humidity. An electret condenser microphone has a permanent charge, maintained by a special material deposited on the backplate or on the diaphragm. Non-electret types are charged (polarized) by means of an external power source.

Can you break a microphone by yelling into it?

Mics are very resistant to high sound pressure levels and would not break due to yelling. However, some mic diaphragms (like ribbons) are sensitive to blasts of air like vocal plosives. Although yelling is very unlikely to break a mic, plosives (which are common with yelling) may damage the mic.

Do condenser mics need to warm up?

Condenser Microphones do not need to warm up. It does make a difference if you let phantom power “excite” the capsule for at least a minute before you start using it. This is because you want the 48v to get the entire circuit going.

What is the impedance of an electret microphone?

Output impedance JIS C-5502 specifies 50,200,250,400 and 600 ohms as standard.

Is an electret microphone a condenser microphone?

An electret, or back-electret microphone, is one type of capacitor/condenser microphone. All capacitor microphones work by having an electrical charge applied. As the sound waves strike the diaphragm and make it move relative to the backplate, the electrical value of the capacitor changes.