Working Out the Audio Path

Microphone Estimate Check

Here is my estimate for speaking into a microphone 25 mm away:

So is the mathematics right?

Jack Smith (www.cliftonlaboratories.com/microphone_output_level.htm) piblished:

"The image below is at a speaking level more typical of what I would use in a normal QSO. Although there are a few peaks of 40 mV or more, the majority of the speech is around 20 mV peak-to-peak."

So my estimate is reasonable.

iPhone Output Level

Next, what is the output level of the iPhone in normal handset mode?

Hard to find on the Internet but a "dial tone" was quoted at 80 dB. This sounds okay, 80 dB is the level where you raise your voice to be heard and beyond that you risk long term hearing damage.

On that basis I can expect 4 vpp from the microphone (assuming I use the standard 1k load resistance, the microphone sensitivity is proportional to the load resistance within limits):

Here I have had to assume an effective speaker to microphone distance of 10 mm.

Modem Speaker to iPhone Estimate

Here I have made two calculations: the first is normal speaking into an iPhone and the second the modem. The main difference is the power and distance from the "speaker" to the microphone:

There is a difference af 14 dB (x5) but this is well within the AGC range of the iPhone.

So the current design is workable.

iPhone to Modem Microphone Estimate

This question is more about the amount of gain required for the modem microphone:

As the target average uP signal is about 0.7 vpp in order to maximise the dynamic range (5 v down to 0.1 v), a microphone gain of x200 is required. An LM386 would work well here.

The AM4011 Microphone

Checking the bias current for the AM4011 microphone:

Based on the above measurements, a 5v supply and a 10k load resistor will work fine (approximately 2 volts across the microphone). This suggests a 20 dB gain improvement over the 1k load resistor test condition.

This suggest I will have to reduce the microphone amplifier back to maintain 1 vpp:

We will see if the microphone amplifier can be dropped back to a gain of only 28 dB!

Microphone Test In-Circuit

I assembled Modem V2 and checked the microphone circuit. The microphone worked well but only had 0.9v across it? Checked the circuit for wiring errors and incorrect component values, no faults found. Took the microphone out and checked it again (2.17v with a 10k resistor). Now I know the power supply for the test is 5.22v and the Nano gives out only 4.69 volts and I included a 1k resistor in series with the 10k resistor for the decoupling capacitor but 0.9v, really? Eventually I worked out that the decoupling capacitor was bad so I replaced it. I decided to bump up the microphone voltage by replacing the 10k resistor with a 6k8 resistor. The microphone voltage is now 2.15v in-circuit. I have another microphone which measured 1.8v in the same out of circuit test, so good to be above 2v in -circuit.

With speaking normal level voice at 0.5m I am getting about 0.5vpp. My dog barking at the rubbish truck 3m from the microphone pull 5vpp.

A 500uW signal from the modem speaker pulls 1vpp at 1cm.

AlanX