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Author Topic: Fixing a sweated out mic pack  (Read 2207 times)

EricAgsten

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Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« on: June 11, 2019, 09:14:37 AM »

I saw something from years ago discussing how to prevent mic sweatouts- I fear i'm too late, and may have had one succumb to sweat (The reason being, used cheaper non-lubed condoms while waiting for higher quality ones to arrive. Gonna use gloves now...)

Symptoms are a crackling/static sound, that seems to be coming from the connector pins the mic element plugs into. Also seems to be some dried blue-ish gunk around it. It was soaked that the labels taped over with scotch tape were falling off.

Any tips for bringing it back from the dead? Throw it in a mesh laundry back and soak in a bowl of rice? Is there another forum I should post this too?
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David Simpson

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Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2019, 10:37:14 AM »

I have had luck using a high percentage isopropyl alcohol to clean all of the components. Letting it dry / evaporate completely. Any areas such as connectors or switches can be tamed with a bit of contact cleaner. Just make sure everything is well dryed before reassembly and powering it back up.

In addition to protective sheaths, you can put some gauze squares at the top of the opening near the connectors. This helps to catch sweat before it gets into the connectors.

Good luck!

~Dave
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Eric Snodgrass

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Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2019, 11:04:01 AM »

David is correct as to the cleaning of the packs.  You can get some cotton tipped sticks like these to help clean the tight spots.

If you aren't sealing the top of the condom opening with tape then there's no point to even using the condom as the sweat will just collect in the condom and then the condom helps the moisture stay on the mic pack.  As David also mentioned, put a gauze square or a couple of cotton balls on top of the pack at the connectors, then fold the condom opening over these and tape the opening with some Nexcare Transpore medical tape. 
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Russell Ault

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Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2019, 02:58:36 PM »

If you aren't sealing the top of the condom opening with tape then there's no point to even using the condom as the sweat will just collect in the condom and then the condom helps the moisture stay on the mic pack.

In my experience, a condom with a cotton ball on the top are useful only for fairly dry actors. It helps to keep residual skin moisture off of a pack when an actor isn't really sweating, but that's about it.

If the cotton ball (and whatever powder is lining your condoms) isn't able to absorb all the moisture, then trying to seal the condom (or the top of the pack inside the condom) can be helpful, but for real sweaters (think choreo-heavy shows in un-air-conditioned venues) I'll often resort to sealing the packs in a layer or two of Glad Press-n-Seal. I've also heard good things about sealable neoprene pouches.

In the end, it's a matter of finding the right solution for the problem. I'll always start with a condom and cotton ball on everyone, but any sign of moisture on the pack means escalating to some higher, more sealed, solution, until the pack comes back to me as dry as it left.

-Russ
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Ike Zimbel

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Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2019, 04:44:35 PM »

I saw something from years ago discussing how to prevent mic sweatouts- I fear i'm too late, and may have had one succumb to sweat (The reason being, used cheaper non-lubed condoms while waiting for higher quality ones to arrive. Gonna use gloves now...)

Symptoms are a crackling/static sound, that seems to be coming from the connector pins the mic element plugs into. Also seems to be some dried blue-ish gunk around it. It was soaked that the labels taped over with scotch tape were falling off.

Any tips for bringing it back from the dead? Throw it in a mesh laundry back and soak in a bowl of rice? Is there another forum I should post this too?
The connection that the retaining nut on the connector makes to the chassis of the pack is an IMPORTANT CONNECTION. If the pack has been exposed to a lot of sweat it is an almost 100% certainty that this connection will be compromised by the dried gunk that you see. I would back off the nut and clean the threads on the connector and the surrounding chassis thoroughly, using some of the suggestions already supplied here and see what happens. And, if you have a pack that is making crackling noises without looking like it's been sweated on a lot, try tightening that connection. Note that this also applies to the antenna connections (not necessarily the crackling, but weak or unreliable RF performance).
Another thing: Sweat is produced by humans and is therefore water soluble. A mixture of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol is useful for removing it...the water dissolves it, the alcohol speeds the drying process. So before you try drying it with the bag of rice or other desiccants, you need to clean the sweat off first.
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Erik Jerde

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Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2019, 06:14:56 PM »

Slight topic swerve.  Has anyone tried using non-latex medical gloves?  I ask because I made one into a balloon at my sons 2 year visit and 6 months later after knocking around the back of my car it was still fully inflated.  I’m pretty amazed by how airtight the glove is.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Fixing a sweated out mic pack
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2019, 06:14:56 PM »


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