Clearcom Headset Adapter

[bri4827]

I was wondering if anyone knew about impedance differences between Clearcom headsets and aviation headsets like the Plantronics MS50.

A friend has one he was looking to unload and I thought it may be a fun project to make it work with a clearcom beltpack if its possible, but I don't know to many of the intricacies of either system so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Footer]

Awhile back... a LONG while back I built an adapter to use my fathers David Clark headset and it worked great. I would build the adapter and give it a try before you commit. However, if he is selling it for under a hundred pick it up. Good aviation headsets are worth a lot.

P.S. David Clark makes some of the best headsets to use in loud rooms. Great stuff.

 

[mnfreelancer]

I too have always wanted to use a Plantronics MS50 aviation headset for intercom use and looked into doing so a little while ago. Upon looking at the specs for both Telex audiocom and clear-com intercom systems I found the following:
Clear-com wants a 200 ohm mic and Telex recommends a range from 50-200 ohm DYNAMIC type mic.

The MS50 by default comes with a 600 ohm receiver (earpiece driver) and an amplified dynamic mic at 150 ohms - probably close enough, especially for Telex use.

If you look at the user guide on Plantronic's website (http://www.plantronics.com/media/media_resources/literature/user_guides/aviation.pdf) they have a listing of some other model numbers, SMS1459-01 being the most interesting to me anyway. It is in the same form factor as the MS50 except that it has an un-amplified dynamic mic (just like the clear-com CC95) AND a 4 pin female XLR connector. It is designed for the Airbus A300 commercial aircraft. I haven't been able to nail down the specific pinout for that XLR connector but that model may be an excellent out-of-the-box solution for intercom use.

 

[g15]

I sent off an email to Plantroics asking about the pinout. Got back a link to here. Looks like the top left might hold the answer but I don't know. Can someone interpret it for me? (or is it totally useless)

thx.

-DAnny

 

[Chris15]

Grr. That'd be right. Go ahead and reverse speaker and mic from the convention that 4 pin XLRs on headsets have used for years...

Get it and rewire the connector to get it normal...