Notices by Breaking Taps (breakingtaps@universeodon.com)

Ever wonder about how they cram a microphone into an earbud?

Well, I have 😅

So I carved up a cheap pair of earbuds to take a look at the MEMs mic inside. They are pretty cool bits of technology!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQkrD2D-XFA

Probing station!

Needs a bit of refinement, and a vacuum chuck for samples, but overall seems promising! Seems stable and doesn't wobble around when moving the tips.

Might replace some of the 3D prints with metal components in the future, but should work for now.

So this is an interesting idea someone just showed me: https://ephemeron-labs.com/new-products-1/8sr4jlt168t5rifluoslpgdys8qwd0

Basically tweezers + XYZ stage and some silver epoxy. Would be super easy to DIY.

Definitely not as slick as a real wire bonder but would probably work fine for low volume and large'ish pads

Could pair it with Norland 130 for a more streamlined system (UV light to tack in place, heat to fully cure later). Not sure how conductive NCA130 is compared to traditional silver epoxy though

cc @North @jmorris

Anyone have tips/recommendations for manual wire bonders? Been thinking about getting an ebay unit for ages.

Wedge or ball? Gold or aluminum? Heat or ultrasonic? Any brands to specifically look for, or to avoid?