1/21/2021 - Senior Project Update 1

A full week has passed since I chose my senior project and determined all of the details I planned to follow through with. Below, you will find a detailed description of the milestones I have set out for myself, the dates I've set for each milestone, and what I plan to have done by each of those dates. My package containing the microphone kit finally came in the mail yesterday! Here's what I saw as soon as I opened the box:

As you can see, the box it came in is unlabeled and not fancy at all. You can see some of the components at the top of the package, the PCBs and instructions beneath, and even a small faux-leather case with the microphone casing inside.

In order to get this microphone kit put together, the instruction booklet that's included with the kit provides a list of materials and tools needed in order to put the microphone together. This list includes:

- Containers to store parts during assembly

- Soldering iron

- Solder

- Desoldering pump and/or solder wick

- Needle-nose pliers for shaping pins

- Fine-tip phillips screwdriver

- Ample lighting

- Alligator clips and/or "third hand" tool

- Multimeter

- Jeweler's loupe or magnifying glass

- Razor blade for stripping wire

- PCB cleaning solvent

Specific recommendations for solder, flux cleaner, conformal coating and other materials can be found here. Some of these things I feel as though I can complete this project effectively without them, so I will emit some of these from my arsenal of tools. Another important aspect of this project that I need to keep in mind is the physical location where I'm going to put the microphone together. I plan to set up a sort-of workspace in a well-lit location, and in a spot where I can film a time-lapse of the assembly. Here's all the tools and parts that will be involved in the assembly of my microphone:

Before starting the assembly, I'm considering getting a better soldering iron, as the one I have at the moment is battery-operated and thus is less powerful than a standard iron that would plug into a wall outlet. Also, I hope to get some alligator-clip component holders to make it easier for me to solder parts onto the PCB. Lastly, this is also the location I plan to film the time-lapse of the assembly, but I'd like the lighting to be a tad better, so I'll have to find a fix for that as well.

Coming up soon, I'll be posting about my process putting the entire kit together with some respective photos and maybe a video. Stay tuned in on this page to follow along as I assemble and test this U87 clone in the next several weeks!

February 1st, 2021 - Milestone 1 - Have microphone assembled and functioning

February 15th, 2021 - Milestone 2 - Have reference recordings and A/B recordings to compare microphone (and possibly test microphone using precision testing instruments if available)

February 22nd, 2021 - Milestone 3 - Have a presentation prepared to provide to my fellow music technology students for a recital hour