This project isn't for the feint of heart, but if you have an old 'baby rattle' (as some engineers call these messy old RE20s), it might be worth the DIY effort. ), and it seems most radio engineers have a box full of crusty old RE20s that have been dropped, popped, or shaken one too many times. Push in the connector until you can see the flat-head screw through the hole in the side, then 'tighten' the screw (this will back out the reverse-threaded screw so the connector is fixed in place). Now that the wires are free, carefully (and slowly) slide the large mic capsule out the other end of the body of the mic. I am about 75% done with the job and I couldnt have achieved ANY of it without this tutorial. In the future, it is probably a good idea to re-foam the mic every 5 or 10 years at the most. In reply to That thin cloth was glued by Jeff Geerling. Thank you. In reply to Hi Jeff - I have an Re20 - by Larry Freedman, Sorry, I can't do the repairs for other people's mics at this time :(, Yep, got the baby rattle ….. so I'm thinking while I have it out, strip the paint and if I could find a gold plate kit...….. LOL !! Which is badass because the RE20 is one of the best mics out there. Luckily, we'll put in some brand new foam to make sure the last remnants of goop don't fall out when you shake the mic in the future! Before shipping, mandatory detailed functional and safety tests, specified by engineers, are administered to ensure that the repaired product has the same quality, functionality, and performance as a new one. This is the step where it's apparent just how badly the foam has decayed. We ensure high quality repairs by continuously training all of our repair technicians and using only original spare parts. Can you suggest anything else I can do to fix this mic without spending big $$$? I'm not sure whether I should glue it down around the edges.. That thin cloth was glued lightly around the edges on mine. Thank you for this guide! Appropriate and genuine Electro-Voice spare parts for every device - high quality, with precise processing, and a perfect fit every time. You have done us all a great service! For plating, you'd probably need to strip off the grey finish coat on the mic's exterior... but it might be possible! After the metal retaining clip is out of the way, you need to slide off the (hopefully) loose heat shrink wrapping the purple and black wires, and make sure the copper ground wire is also free. Other than these supplies, you should probably prepare a work surface and make sure you have something laid on top of it to collect all the icky foam bits that will drop out of the microphone (some dried out, some gooey) during the course of the teardown. The top of the voice capsule has a small piece of cloth material covering it. I have the same problem, but it doesn't seem to create any issues. The stranded signal wires (red and green) are something like 24 or 26 gauge, and if they're old and brittle, they'll be very hard (if not impossible) to re-strip and reuse. This enables predictable product repairs and ensures the value of the investment for the future. Mind the cables while you reposition the tri-wing aluminum screw plate over the plastic housing. RE20 repair RE20 foam RE20 parts coils diaphragms electronics transformers. Let me add my thanks for detailing the refurbishing of the EV RE20 Mic. You can not only rely on the high quality of all spare parts, we can also guarantee precise processing and the perfect fit for your individual needs. Use a flashlight to find it—it's pretty dark inside the end of the mic! Finally, after all this teardown, you can start rebuilding and reassembling everything. Spare parts are usually still available for at least an additional five years after we stop the production of a product. Over 80% of all exchanges are done within 2 days or less. I have one question if you don't mind. Unscrew the head of the microphone by hand; you'll find the foam pop filter inside (unless it's completely disintegrated!, and once the head is off, you should also see the front of the mic capsule. At one session it didn't work at all. The mic works, but the sound is flat and tinny, not rich like my other RE-20 mic. All microphone families; Applications. suggestions and steps to the letter, you can bring new life back to your RE or PL 20. EV RE-20 repair is now $200 flat fee. In reply to Glad I could help! and installed, AS WELL AS specifying the exact hex wrenches. I used a 1/8" flat precision screwdriver, along with needle-nose pliers around the barrel of the screwdriver to give a little extra torque. You might be forgiven for throwing up a little after cleaning the grill—this picture was taken after cleaning all the parts with just a dry toothbrush. We have a few of these at our community radio station and your writeup will be very helpful when it's time to fix them. I also use the foam pop filter made by EV for this mic and a dbx 286s processor. Nice work and thanks! In terms of delicate operations... this one isn't. I could not have done it without this guide. Vielen Dank im Voraus, Jasmin. you'll get the idea fast. In this picture, the RE20 is plugged into my computer via a Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD USB audio interface, and I tested it by recording samples into Sound Studio on my Mac: I tweaked the levels for this mic (plugged into the right channel of the U-Phoria) and another known-good RE20 (plugged into the left channel of the U-Phoria), and then did some test recordings in Sound Studio, and found that the levels and fullness of the sound were just as before, if slightly improved by having a continuous ring of foam holding the capsule in place! This repair is not for the feint of heart. ), Jeff, Don't worry—you'll have to do some soldering later anyways! Does any of you know why Electro-Voice use this particular kind of foam that degrades? You have to slowly but slightly-forcefully squish the foam-jacketed mic capsule into the body of the mic until it's all the way in. I made it through without a hitch, and my classic RE20 sounds better than ever. That's how the old foam looked when the mic was new! You're welcome, and yeah, I really wish EV would charge a more reasonable rate. Therefore, before the device is prepared for shipping, it undergoes an obligatory quality and safety check. The advanced exchange service ensures fast reaction times. At this point, you need to unsolder the purple and black wires from the plastic circuit housing, so the mic capsule can be completely removed from the body of the mic. Our standardized processes ensure reliable and fast repairs. Luckily, however, I know a few people in radio (RE20s are about as common in radio studios as Toyota Camrys are on the road! to unscrew the screw retaining the bottom end of the mic. I really appreciate the positive things, like this webpage, people in the audio field take on themselves to give to the rest of us. After you wiggle the wires out through the tiny hole in the circuit housing, you can pull it out, and see the full extent of the decayed foam. You can see what a massive difference you can make just scrubbing the mic mesh grill with a few dozen cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol does. Be careful to not get the posts too hot with the soldering iron—it seems they're only held to the rest of the plastic circuit holder via solder as well, and they can pop right off! The settings on the bottom of the mics are set the same. I was impressed with just how many steps have to be done to do the repair. Tbanks again for answering my question and for assembling this excellent how-to guide! Note: Be careful not to touch the front of the mic capsule; even when cleaning, be gentle in that area—the voice coil is exposed under a fine mesh filter, and you can even see (if you look closely) the finely-wound copper wire that picks up your voice. After making sure the retaining screw is sunk in all the way, you need to slide out the female XLR connector. Overview. It sounds great, no longer rattles, and looks much nicer now! This makes repair costs transparent and predictable before you send the product to us. Call David Brown on the Hot Line! This metal adapter is basically a bridge that allows the bottom retaining hex bolt to hold firmly against the rest of the mic. Rush jobs for functional studio repairs for vintage mics (i.e. I use mine for speech only. ), and prepared to make the final solder joint, to the female XLR connector. Use an 9/64" hex key (I ended up using a T20 torx bit because I'm missing my 9/64" hex key!) The other sounds like the “baby rattle” you described. I've never attempted something like this before, but with your instructions, I was able to fully recondition a nasty, old cast-off mic from a radio station. Hi! Blazingly fast turn-around times. We can get your microphone back in your hands in as little as a week. Any old soldering iron will do, as long as you have a small tip. Patience is key here—if you want to ever touch the thing without fear of getting sick, you gotta get into every little nook and cranny. I did some research, and found the most common issue with older mics was that the foam deteriorated to the point where the mic capsule would be freely rattling around inside the body of the mic, and as long as the circuits were good and the voice coil intact, you could restore it to like-new condition with about $30 worth of foam! Thanks for taking the time to walk through this process and provide the links.