Help with an old Sennheiser 421

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hi Eli.

I don't have the pinouts, but I do remember that on the early versions of
the MD421, the low-cut filter wheel did not have the 5 detents, but rather
turned freely through the whole range. Also, the connector is not a
mini-XLR, but a DIN connector.

David Patterson

Eli Crews wrote:

> Hi there folks,
>
> I'm looking for help with a vintage MD-421 N, serial number 139696. The
> three-pin (mini-XLR?) connector has come loose, and the 5-posititon
> selector switch has been stripped (spins freely, but still operates).
> The three wires have come undone from their pins. I can solder them
> myself if I know the pinout. One wire is red, one is blue, and one is
> black. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Eli Crews
> New, Improved Recording
> Oakland, CA
> www.newimprovedrecording.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Eli Crews <vitamine@pacbell.net> wrote:
>
>I'm looking for help with a vintage MD-421 N, serial number 139696. The
>three-pin (mini-XLR?) connector has come loose, and the 5-posititon
>selector switch has been stripped (spins freely, but still operates).
>The three wires have come undone from their pins. I can solder them
>myself if I know the pinout. One wire is red, one is blue, and one is
>black. Any help would be appreciated.

It's not a mini XLR, it's a Tuchel connector.

A call to Sennheiser parts will get a free faxed copy of the teardown diagram
and a cable or mating connector for the mike. Or, it will get you, for
a little bit more, a replacement connector assembly so the mike will have
an XLR connector on the back.

This stuff isn't "vintage" per se... parts are still available and most of
them are in current production.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I have a modern one here.

If you are looking at the small pcb there are 3 connections in a crescent
shape. Rotate the crescent so its at the bottom like a smile. The leftmost
is red and connected to pin 3. The centre is blue, pin 2. The screen of
the capsule cable connects to the right one, which on mine is a black wire
going to the filter but is NOT connected to pin 1. Not sure if it should
be, as this mic has a dead capsule.

Hope this helps.

Gareth.


"Eli Crews" <vitamine@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:vitamine-338079.23512707012005@newssvr14-ext.news.prodigy.com...
> Hi there folks,
>
> I'm looking for help with a vintage MD-421 N, serial number 139696. The
> three-pin (mini-XLR?) connector has come loose, and the 5-posititon
> selector switch has been stripped (spins freely, but still operates).
> The three wires have come undone from their pins. I can solder them
> myself if I know the pinout. One wire is red, one is blue, and one is
> black. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Eli Crews
> New, Improved Recording
> Oakland, CA
> www.newimprovedrecording.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Internal cable screen goes to mic chassis.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Thanks everybody!

I didn't think it was a Tuchel, because I have an old Neumann with one
that is different, but now I see Tuchel (aka DIN) comes in various
flavors...

Anyhow thanks for the tips, y'all!!!!

Eli


In article <41DFD556.C0DFE69@mindspring.com>,
David Patterson <davidp@mindspring.com> wrote:

> Hi Eli.
>
> I don't have the pinouts, but I do remember that on the early versions of
> the MD421, the low-cut filter wheel did not have the 5 detents, but rather
> turned freely through the whole range. Also, the connector is not a
> mini-XLR, but a DIN connector.
>
> David Patterson
>
> Eli Crews wrote:
>
> > Hi there folks,
> >
> > I'm looking for help with a vintage MD-421 N, serial number 139696. The
> > three-pin (mini-XLR?) connector has come loose, and the 5-posititon
> > selector switch has been stripped (spins freely, but still operates).
> > The three wires have come undone from their pins. I can solder them
> > myself if I know the pinout. One wire is red, one is blue, and one is
> > black. Any help would be appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Eli Crews
> > New, Improved Recording
> > Oakland, CA
> > www.newimprovedrecording.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Now I'm confused....

The Tuchel connectors I am looking at online all have flat spade-like
pins, my 421 has small round pins, just like an XLR only smaller.
Anybody have experience with these? I plan on contacting Sennheiser, but
it being a weekend and all...

(Patience is not my forte, especially in the days of the Internet...)

Eli



In article <41DFD556.C0DFE69@mindspring.com>,
David Patterson <davidp@mindspring.com> wrote:

> Hi Eli.
>
> I don't have the pinouts, but I do remember that on the early versions of
> the MD421, the low-cut filter wheel did not have the 5 detents, but rather
> turned freely through the whole range. Also, the connector is not a
> mini-XLR, but a DIN connector.
>
> David Patterson
>
> Eli Crews wrote:
>
> > Hi there folks,
> >
> > I'm looking for help with a vintage MD-421 N, serial number 139696. The
> > three-pin (mini-XLR?) connector has come loose, and the 5-posititon
> > selector switch has been stripped (spins freely, but still operates).
> > The three wires have come undone from their pins. I can solder them
> > myself if I know the pinout. One wire is red, one is blue, and one is
> > black. Any help would be appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Eli Crews
> > New, Improved Recording
> > Oakland, CA
> > www.newimprovedrecording.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <vitamine-DFF93A.17384408012005@newssvr14-ext.news.prodigy.com> vitamine@pacbell.net writes:

> I didn't think it was a Tuchel, because I have an old Neumann with one
> that is different, but now I see Tuchel (aka DIN) comes in various
> flavors...

Tuchel is a manufacturer (like Switchcraft) and DIN is a standards
organization (like AES). It's just a connector that you need to find a
mate for.

Sennheiser used that connector extensively. The USA parts department
has an adapter to convert it to an XLR for about $25. I have a mic that has
one of those connectors that I didn't feel like spending that much money on,
so I used a MIDI connector (which is a 5-pin DIN standard type) with a short
hunk of cable between it and an XLR. It doesn't screw on, but it's fine for
occasional use.

Oh, as to what pin is which, I just hooked it up, one way, checked the polarity,
found that it was wrong, and swapped the signal pins. Nothing like a little trial
and error.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Eli Crews <vitamine@pacbell.net> wrote:
>
>The Tuchel connectors I am looking at online all have flat spade-like
>pins, my 421 has small round pins, just like an XLR only smaller.
>Anybody have experience with these? I plan on contacting Sennheiser, but
>it being a weekend and all...

Yes, it's a three-pin Tuchel connector. A female DIN plug will fit in a
pinch, but it does not have the locking screw around the outside.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."