So I'm looking to get a bit more value out of this little 'ol microphone I have. It has a Vcc, GND, and an analog data port on the breakout board. Could I splice a 3.5 mm jack wire and connect the microphone to my computer's microphone port to record the sound in Audacity? What voltage does the 3.5 mm jack use? Has anyone tried doing this with an electret microphone?
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That "microphone" is actually a complete assembly that includes a amplifier. As the spec says, it puts out about ±200 mV when you talk normally into it from arms length.
You want to connect this to the "line in" jack of your computer, not the microphone jack. The line in jack is meant for signals like this that are already at a roughly standard ±1 V amplitude. The microphone input assumes signals from a bare microphone, and therefore applies lots of amplification. The result would clip and distort with the signals from your microphone assembly.
answered Nov 17, 2014 at 17:18
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\$\begingroup\$ Wow! TIL! How do I know the difference between a line-in and mic? And is cutting up a regular 3.5mm jack cable okay for this? \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 18, 2014 at 10:08
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\$\begingroup\$ @short: The line-in and mic inputs should be labeled. Yes, you can cut up a cable that already has the right jack on it. Make sure to connect the wires the right way. The output of your little amplifier ultimately needs to be connected to the tip of the plug, and its ground the outer ring. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 18, 2014 at 13:39