More mic fixes.
The Zoom F1 has a good reputation for sound, versatility and features.
A good bit of kit, when it works. Notice the cable-tie, which is not standard :).
It has a poor reputation for ruggedness though thanks to the dodgy battery door cover. The battery spring is strong, the little plastic clip holding the batteries in is shamefully flimsy. Mine broke after a minor drop of a few inches to a wooden desk top.
Turns out, many go like this.
Zoom is not well supported in Australia and mine is out of warranty, so it was annoying and considering I was using the F1 and SSH-6 as my main system for the new sports podcast at the paper, a possible project killer.
I came up with a decent fix, using a 2c cable-tie. This worked, but it did not make life much easier. The door was a sh%t design before it broke, it is almost unworkable with a cable-tie safety clip. The shock mount is also very hard to remove, only making things clumsier.
The relative ugliness of the original fix, made even more annoying by the need to pull it back over the record button to release the door. If you go the other way, you need to cut the tie and start over. The next solution is also partly visibly here filling the 5V charger port.
The F1 is a pain because its battery level readouts (common with Zooms) usually drop to two out of three bars with fresh Eneloop pro batts almost immediately, then down to one bar soon after leaving you with little idea how long you have. I was in the habit of changing them every shoot.
Not fun.
The new fix is more elegant in every way.
A mini power bank attached magnetically to the micro USB adapter pictured above. The reason for buying the magnetic option was to be able to re-purpose the unit if needed. Happily, the magnetic adapter seems to offer the spacing I need to clear the shock mount and cable-tie.
I took a chance and bought a 3000 mha mini phone charger, which manages to fit thanks to the magnetic adapter sticking out a little and the added bonus is, it has a reliable battery meter and greater capacity. The magnetic hold is decent, but not impervious to a knock, so I will have to be aware of this, or maybe come up with something to help.
No more door, no more iffy battery meters, no more messing with cable ties.
It even looks a little cool.