VAMISOUND V-414 Instruction Manual

V-414
BUILDING
INSTRUCTIONS

Dear DIY friend,
first of all thank you for your support and choice of the VAMISOUND product.
We wish you a happy DIY and the joy of a new microphone in your arsenal!!
Jan and Milan
V-414 BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS

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Document info
Document name
V-414 building instructions
Document revision
1.0
PCB revision
1.1
Date
August 2023
Project difficulty
Complexity of soldering
Risk of electrick shock
Changes and notes
Before you start building your new microphone please carefully read this
building instructions.
Attention: V-414 is not DIY beginners project. This is due to the fact that the
circuit is very complex and boards designed with very limited space in the
microphone body in mind. Good soldering experience and soldering stations
with very fine soldering tip is required for successful completion of the
construction. If you do not have this, please delegate the construction to a
more experienced technician with proper equipment. We are not responsible
for malfunctioning construction or injuries associated with improper
assembly of our kits.
V-414 BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS

VAMISOUND V-414 set includes main parts board, transformer board, switch board, three switches and four
teflon pins.
Start fitting the transformer board with resistors and two inductors.

Continue with soldering two red film capacitors, two blue ceramic capacitors, three electrolytic capacitors and
two transistors.
Next up is the main parts board with point to point HiZ section. Soldering the HiZ section might seem a bit more
challenging but with a little patience you can do it.

As you can see in the picture, on the gate leg of the fet transistor there are three ceramic capacitors, one
resistor and also two film capacitors soldered „in the air“. There are also four teflon pins.

After completing the HiZ section clean the entire area with isopropyl alcohol. Use cotton cleaning sticks. Make
sure there is no flux residue or other contaminants on the joints.

After cleaning, fit the rest of the board with resistors, capacitors and last transistor.

Next in line is switch board. Solder the three switches into place. On the 4 position pattern switch use pliers to
snap one pin protruding from the metal body to fit the switch board. Try to insert this switch into the pads on
the board before soldering and it will be immediately clear.
Use the remaining legs of the resistors/capacitors and solder them on the switch pcb as follows:
Make sure you solder the resistor legs to the correct side of the board.

Carefully but thoroughly clean all plates with isopropyl alcohol. Pay particular attention to the switches to
prevent isopropyl alcohol from entering them.
Everything is now thoroughly cleaned so we can move on to more pleasant things.
Installing the famous Moby’s transformer is always a fantastic experience. Insert the transformer into the
cutout of the board and carefully pull its cables through to the other side of the board.
Do this carefully as the cables are very delicate and can easily break.

Again, use the remaining resistors/capacitors legs to attach the transformer to the board. Make sure you
tighten these well to keep the transformer from slipping.
Solder the transformer cables to their pads on the board. P+ = primary winding start (blue cable on Ü54
transformer), P- = primary winding end (black cable), S+ = secondary winding start (red cable), S- = secondary
winding end (white cable) and CT = secondary center tap (green wire). When the microphone is finished, check
the microphone phase and swap the two cables if necessary.

Do the following step very carefully because you will be installing the capsule respectively its stand on a metal
plate. Protect the capsule with an empty parts bag. Before doing so unscrew this plate from the 414 body
chassis of course.
Thread the cables leading from the capsule through the holes in the plate to facilitate later work.

Install two 10mm long M3 screws into the two holes in the switch board. Secure them with a nut.
Insert the entire switch board into the metal plate that holds the capsule. Be careful not to damage the capsule.

It is not necessary to screw the two M3 screws to the metal plate from above. The switch plate will hold firmly
enough when all three plates are assembled together.

In the next step mount the transformer board on the 7 resistor legs protruding from the switch board. It may be
a good idea to unscrew the bottom of the 414 body for easier installation. Don't solder the two boards together
yet.
Install the head basket. Attach it to the chassis of body with only two screws on the sides of the
4 position pattern switch. Do not use the remaining two screws on the opposite side as there is not enough
space under the PAD and HPF switch. This is one of the compromises we were forced to make during the design
process. Of course it's DIY so maybe another solution is possible.
From the opposite side of the board check the connection and make sure there is no unwanted connection to
ground or short between the resistor legs that were used to connect the boards.

Focus on the switches and their levers because already at this stage you can adjust the height
of the switch board from head basket. Also you can now put the metal microphone body on the chassis and
check that the switches fit perfectly in their holes. After setting the height of the switch board you can finally
solder the two boards (switch board and transformer board) together.

Solder the wires to the XLR insert pins. The length of the cables is approximately 5cm. Connect pin 1 to the
ground eyelet on the insert. The resistor leg will serve you for this again.
Solder the three cables to the board. In the picture you can also notice the connection of the transformer
cables.

In the next step solder three cables to the board that will later connect the transformer board to the main parts
board. Insert the cables from the inside into the pads marked I, II and III.
Solder another three cables to the switch board (P1, P2, P3 pads) which will later connect the switch board to
the main parts board.

It's time to connect the switch board to the main parts board. Connect the cables cables leading from the switch
board to pads P1, P2 and P3 which are on the main parts board too. Also solder the three remaining cables
leading from transformer board to pads I, II and III on the main parts board.
Press the main parts board carefully to the chassis and fasten the board with screws. Make sure no cables are
pinched under the board. Make sure the five resistor legs do not make unwanted connections or short circuits
inside.

After soldering the five connection points we have all three boards firmly connected to each other and the
circuit is almost complete.
All that's left is to connect the four cables from the capsule. Solder the cable from the front diaphragm of the
C12 capsule to the „FM“ pad on main parts board. Front backplate to the teflon pin which is marked „FB“.
Connect the cable from the rear diaphragm to the teflon pin marked „BM“. And finally the cable from the rear
back plate to the teflon pin „RB“.
It is always a good idea to carefully clean these HiZ connections with isopropyl alcohol to remove any soldering
debris.
Well, congratulations, because right now your new microphone is practically complete!!!! Connect the
microphone to the preamp, activate phantom power and check everything necessary.