After watching the "Make your own gaming Headset" https://teksyndicate.com/videos/gaming-headsets-suck-make-your-own-50-or-less I decided to have a go at it and replace my Logitech G230 headset. The Logitech seemed OK (to me) for a headset but they were cumbersome to wear for long periods of time. I would also get complaints about my mic peaking despite attempts to fix things in software settings.
I began with the intent of sticking to the original $50.00 budget and selected the Samson SR850 Open Ear model headphones. However for a microphone I eventually opted for the Mod Mic 4.0 pushing the total cost closer to $70.00 . I couldn't believe how much better the Samson SR850s sounded over the Logitech G230s and much more comfortable to wear with the oversized over-the-ear velour style padding. The only minus was no physical volume slider, however I've since become accustomed to adjusting all the volumes in software. Speaking of volume, I had the master volume set to 100% for the Logitechs. I had to set the volume at 40% when switching to the Samsons. As for the Mod Mic , have not received any complaints of peaking or popping since switching.
The only problem I had now was dealing with two twisting cables running from the side of my head to the back of the computer. The Mod mic came with some several small "S" clips to hold the cable together but they slid all over the place and fell off under a small amount of force. I ditched those pretty quickly and tried some plastic cable zip ties next. These worked ok, but were rather unsightly and had sharp edges that snagged clothing and scratched on my skin. Next I tried some velcro cable ties but those slid and shifted around just like the s-clips allowing the cables to eventually start tangling. I also tried some split wire loom tubing, it worked but was somewhat bulky, very stiff and made noise when moving.
Staring into my PC window at the cables on the power supply I realized what would keep those headset cables from becoming a tangled mess but would also be light, silent and snag free, Expandable braided sleeving.
Here is a small walk through of the custom gaming headset I built. Starting with a picture of the finished product:
As previously stated I started with Samson SR850 Open hear headset ($30 on sale):
And Antlion Mod Mic 4.0 with mute ($40 on sale) :
Supplies needed include Heat Shrink Tubing (I used 3/8"), Small Zip Ties( the ones I used were a bit too large), and 1/4" PET Expandable braided sleeving.
The tools you will need include Scissors or razor knife, Diagonal or side cutters, A heat gun or blow dryer, Needlenose pliers and a lighter are also useful.
I started by attaching the Mod Mic to the head set on same side as the speaker cable. Put the headset on and Align the boom mic so it is at the side of your mouth, not directly in front of it. This was easy because the angle of mod mic is adjustable and so is the extension length of the boom. However the small lettered coverplate on Samson headset became dislodged when the Mod Mic was attached most likely as it was not designed for this purpose. A little superglue solved the problem, you can see it around the edges of the coverplate.
Next I had to start feeding the braided sleeving and shrink tubing over the headphone and microphone cables, I found taping the smaller jack of Mod Mic slightly behind the larger jack of the headphones made this much easier. Make sure your cables are pulled straight and not twisted together before you do this , it will save lots of trouble later on when feeding the cables into the braided sleeving.
Cut a section length of PET Braided sleeving a little longer than the length of the cables you want encased together, you can use scissors to trim any excess braided sleeving taking care not to damage the microphone or headset cords. Starting at the Jack ends work the braided sleeving all the way up the cables to the base of the headphone and microphone. Feeding cable through braided sleeving takes some practice but is easy when you figure it out. It works like a chinese finger trap, as you push the braiding of the cable together it expands allowing you push large amounts of cable through, as you stretch it apart the braids contract binding the cables together tightly.
Once your cables are fed through the braided sleeving and it near the base of the headset and microphone position the sleeving it where you want it terminate the stretch the length of the sleeving to contract it and pull the cables together. Cut out 2 pieces of shrink tubing roughly 1" long and feed them up the cables. Slide one piece of the shrink tubing over the end of the braided sleeving and gently apply heat till it shrinks and neatly cover the rough ends of the braided sleeving. Next apply a small zip tie over the point where the cables, sleeving and shrink tubing overlap and cinch it down tight to hold everything in place, trim excess off Zip Tie. I then apply a gentle flame to the sharp edges left on the zip tie so it tear through the final piece of Shrink tubing we be applying next. Alternatively you could use some sand paper or a file instead of a lighter to round any sharp edges.
Lastly Slide the second piece of shrink tubing over the zip tie and gently apply heat to shrink it down to provide a neat appearance. Notice I left a small amount of slack in the Microphone cable so any force exerted over the length of the cable will be on the headphone cable, not the microphone (which is attached by a magnet and can become dislodged)
Since my Mod Mic was the model with the inline mute button I could not do one continuous run of braided sleeving for the whole length of cable and had to have a break for the mute switch.
Keep in mind to be cautious not to overheat things when applying heat to the shrink tubing , as you can easily deform the PET braided sleeving. The cables ties I used were slightly too large however that was all I had lying around in the workshop at the time.
Overall I think it turned out fairly well, I could of made things more aesthetic however I was going for function over form and achieved all of my goals. Also, they are a damn nice sounding headset, at least coming from a Logitech G230.
Thanks for the inspiration Tek Syndicate community.