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Re: Mic/Earphone Headsets

From: "R. Paul McCarty" <pmccart1@rochester.rr.com>
Date: Sun Jun 28 08:40:19 1998
Newsgroups: comp.sys.wearables

Bruce Chadwick wrote:
> 
> However, I can't get any sound from the microphone into the computer.
> Strangely, if I send the earphone jack (this one is 1/8") through the
> pre-amp and into the computer, I can talk into the earphone and get the
> sort of sound from that I wanted from the microphone, but the mic itself
> doesn't give me anything.  I've checked connections, and I've checked
> the headset with the TalkAbouts in the store, there are no broken
> circuits as far as I can tell.  Could it be that the microphone needs
> juice put in from somewhere?

That would be my guess.  I know there are several kinds of microphones that uses
different technologies to generate electrical signals from sounds and they all
require different wiring.  The fact that the speakers works as a mic and the mic
doesn't should be a clue as to what kind of mic you have.  I don't know of any
sound resources of the top of my head, but I bet if you did a search you would
find a common type of microphone that requires some sort of input voltage to get
it to work, and this would tell you how you need to wire this.

> Has anyone else made these conversions or know how the Motorola model
> 50226 works? (I know that Radio Shack makes one of these things for
> computers, but God the thing is ugly... don't want to do
> videoconferencing with that if I can help it).

The best mic/headphone set I've seen are the kind that fit into your ear and can
hear your speaking through your jaw bone and ear.  They're very unobstusive. 
Forget where I've seen them recently.  Probably any big office supply store
would have them.

Okay, found where I saw it; Global Computer Supplies:

  http://www.globalcomputer.com/

not sure if they have anything online, but you can order a catalog.  Some of the
headsets claim to plug directly into soundcard of any pc.

> Now the other questions:  who out there has bought an
> earphone/microphone headset, what brand, did you like it, and did you
> think it expensive.

I've never tried this, so I can't say.

> Secondly, wouldn't it be nice to have a wireless headset, so you weren't
> tied to your computer by a wire.  I'm sure this product exists, I've
> just never seen or heard of one.  Tips?

I've seen 900MHz cordless phones with headset jacks at RadioShack. 

-Paul

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