Camcorder Mic Jack Wiring

[chris319]

I have a Sony AX53 camcorder and I'm wondering how the mic jack is wired.

I'm thinking the sleeve is ground, the tip is channel 1 audio and the connector ring carries plug-in power and channel 2 audio. Does this sound about right?

[Cornucopia]

Most simple, on-cam mics are dynamic, thus not needing power.

And rarely would power be sent that way.
Maybe you are thinking of phantom power, but phantom power usually is on a single mono channel that is balanced (and usu. XLR).
For phone plug it might be tip hot with positive voltage, ring cold with negative voltage, sleeve ground. There are competing pinouts, so YMMV and you should ALWAYS check the manufacturer's manual first.

Scott

[chris319]

The manual doesn't go into detail on the mic jack wiring.

I'm not thinking of 48V phantom power on a balanced mic line. I doubt there is negative voltage, just some small positive voltage and ground, unbalanced.

There is a whole galaxy of small electret condenser mics which have unbalanced mini-plug outputs and require so-called "plug-in power". They are definitely not dynamics.

[october262]

I have a Sony AX53 camcorder and I'm wondering how the mic jack is wired.

I'm thinking the sleeve is ground, the tip is channel 1 audio and the connector ring carries plug-in power and channel 2 audio. Does this sound about right?

the service Manuel should say - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Sony+FDR+AX40+AX53+A...nual+&_sacat=0

[dellsam34]

I assume those plugs are for stereo microphones where the tip and ring are the two channels and the sleeve is the common, I could be wrong. However you can try a headphone as a microphone and see for yourself.

[chris319]

I need to plug in a mini-plug with the shell removed and use a volt meter to determine which pin has the voltage.

[dellsam34]

Unless they are XLR connectors there won't be any voltage there.

[mike20021969]

Unless they are XLR connectors there won't be any voltage there.

If the camcorder supports it, 3.5mm microphone inputs are capable of providing power to a plug-in power microphone.
Sony FDR-AX53 supports plug-in power.

[chris319]

I got out the volt meter and a mini plug and measured +2.4 volts on BOTH the tip and the ring. I wasn't expecting both to carry voltage.

I'm still assuming the tip is channel 1 and the ring is channel 2.

[Cornucopia]

tip=ch1,ring=ch2 sounds about right if the mic is assumed to be stereo.
If it's plug-n-power, sounds like both hot leads also have the DC bias voltage compared to ground (as both channels utilize their own power?). It's a consumer fudging, but it is what it is.

This isn't that different from your original assumption, but was pretty sure then that power would not be differential between channels - that would be a BAD idea.

Scott

[chris319]

I have a vintage dynamic mic that I want to hook up to the camcorder. I can't make up my mind whether to drive both channels with it or channel 1 only. That the same voltage appears on tip and ring means I can connect them together without harm.

[Cornucopia]

Note the warning (from Wikipedia: Phantom Power)

Plug-in-power (PiP), is the low-current 3–5 V supply provided at the microphone jack of some consumer equipment, such as portable recorders and computer sound cards. It is also defined in IEC 61938.[15] It is unlike phantom power since it is an unbalanced interface with a low voltage (around +5 volts) connected to the signal conductor with return through the sleeve; the DC power is in common with the audio signal from the microphone. A capacitor is used to block the DC from subsequent audio frequency circuits. It is often used for powering electret microphones, which will not function without power. It is suitable only for powering microphones specifically designed for use with this type of power supply. Damage may result if these microphones are connected to true (48 V) phantom power through a 3.5 mm to XLR adapter that connects the XLR shield to the 3.5 mm sleeve.[16] Plug-in-power is covered by Japanese standard CP-1203A:2007[17]

A similar line-powering scheme is found in computer sound cards. Both plug-in-power and soundcard power are defined in the second edition of IEC 61938.[18]

Scott

[dellsam34]

If the camcorder supports it, 3.5mm microphone inputs are capable of providing power to a plug-in power microphone.
Sony FDR-AX53 supports plug-in power.

That's the preamp voltage, the microphone wouldn't work without it, I was referring to a supply voltage like 9V, 12V ...etc. That's why I suggested to use a headphone as a microphone to test both channels.

[chris319]

Note the warning (from Wikipedia: Phantom Power)

Scott

So what is your concern?

[chris319]

If the camcorder supports it, 3.5mm microphone inputs are capable of providing power to a plug-in power microphone.
Sony FDR-AX53 supports plug-in power.

That's the preamp voltage, the microphone wouldn't work without it, I was referring to a supply voltage like 9V, 12V ...etc. That's why I suggested to use a headphone as a microphone to test both channels.

That's what the mic sees. It comes directly off the input jack.

[Cornucopia]

If you apply a voltage to a microphone that wasn't designed to handle it, it might distort it, or possibly in worst case, fry it. Not likely, but IIWY, I'd only connect appropriate models into that, not do DIY wiring.

Scott