Using real pilot's headphones for PC games

[gofaster]

Is it possible to use the headphone/mic units for aircraft on a PC for AH?  I'm getting tired of the home-made Walkman earphone/Dell microphone-taped-to-a-McDonald's-milkshake-straw combo I built.

[Animal]

You cant unless you can find the right adapters, and even then, you will not get good sound out of them.

They are not designed to produce good sound (other than voices), but to isolate it.

[Kanth]

That's true, they sound like old walkie talkie.

[Sikboy]

I have a surplus headset from the Navy, at first I tried re-wiring it, but as mentioned, the hardware wasn't meant to reproduce anything except voice. Everyting was very "tinny" sounding. So I ripped out the hardware, and dropped in the speakers from an old headset (from my walkman no less lol) took apart my PC mic, and rigged it in place (had to cut a hole in the plastic casing to get good sound though).

you might ask: "Why the hell did you go through all that trouble Sikboy?" Well, I couldn't get the mic-arm on my PC headset to stay in place. Now I don't have that problem.

I'm pleased with the result, but it was mostly worth it because I had all the parts laying around the house.

-Sik

[Golfer]

I asked myself the same question so off to radio shack I went with my Dave Clarks.  Finding a mono adapter to go from the regular earphone jack was a cinch, a Stereo mic jack in a size that isnt easy to find....failed.  I still havent found a stereo mic jack that is the proper width.  I don't own a stereo Aviation headset and the only use i think they would provide is if you had an MP3 or CD player you'd hear the music in stereo, so there really isnt any need for a stereo headset.  Why the mic is stereo?  beats me...perhaps redundancy?

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by Sikboy

you might ask: "Why the hell did you go through all that trouble Sikboy?" Well, I couldn't get the mic-arm on my PC headset to stay in place. Now I don't have that problem.

I'm pleased with the result, but it was mostly worth it because I had all the parts laying around the house.

-Sik

BS! I've seen the thing! He just wanted to look like a real pile it. He runs around the house making airplane sounds while wearing it!

[Hawklore]

Platronics about $30-$40 bucks for a good headset/mic combo.. They comfy too..

[Scootter]

Golfer

Mic has three connectors so  you can us a handheld mic with a push to talk switch built in. The third connection keys the radio.

If you use head sets you have a remote switch but the AC mounted plug is still compatable with the PTT mic.

I keep my PTT mic in the pilots seat back pouch as a back up and the over head speaker still sort of works if I turn up the radio real loud.

The head sets in an AC use a wierd impeidenc (spelling is bad)
as the ohms are way diff then PC stuff, be carefull, I heard you will ruin a home stereo hedset if you plug them into an aircraft radio.

[Thorns]

Labtec.......works for me.

Thorns

[Golfer]

I have no intention of plugging a standard headset into an aircraft radio, i own 3 aviation headsets, some Dave Clark H10-60, and 2 Soft Comm Pro-Am for whoever might need em at the time.  I keep an extra headset in my flightbag all the time and the other one stays in the trunk of my car.  Also have a PTT switch i picked up at bargain basement prices (free) so im well setup as far as comm redundancy goes.  I was saying how i never found an adapter for the Mic jack to make it compatible with a computer is all.

Happy landings

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Sikboy
you might ask: "Why the hell did you go through all that trouble Sikboy?" Well, I couldn't get the mic-arm on my PC headset to stay in place. Now I don't have that problem.

That's my motivation, too.  My first headset/mic combo was $10 from CompUSA but I blew the mic after a couple of months.  I cobbled together the unit I'm using now from spare bits and pieces (and McDonald's) by using a Dremel saw to slice open one side of the earphones to hold the straw, then taped the Dell computer microphone to the end of the straw with black electrical tape and taped the headphone cable and mic cable together with black electrical tape all the way as far as the monitor so they wouldn't interfere with the keyboard and joystick.  It looks ok but now my mic sticks straight out towards my new 21" monitor and sometimes my voice doesn't get picked up properly.  

I know aviation headsets have a really nice swing arm for the mic, which is what prompted me to think about using one.

Thorns mentioned Labtec.  I may have to do some poking around.

[Golfer]

I wish we could post pictures the old way still, but there was a joke going around about a squaddie who wore his naval aviator helmet while he flew.  visor down and everything.

edit-whether or not he WAS an aviator is still up for grabs and debated.