[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Dec 2 2005, 11:55 AM\'][quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Dec 2 2005, 08:53 AM\']Memory's a bit hazy on this. I remember hearing this malfunction on a GSN rerun. During a money cards endgame, a bunch of "zaps" and "popping audio" came as Jim was talking. Then, there's an obvious edit and in the process Jim's given a new microphone.
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There's another malfunction I remember well. In a 1980 ep, Perry had major trouble with the cord (he walked over the Money Cards only to have the cord get stuck, making it a little difficult for him to maneuver).
When they came out of commercial, the wire was all unfurled, and draped all over Perry (nice set-up for him to make a joke about NBC's audio department).
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Come to think of it... I remember another ECM-51 malfunction on Match Game.
The mic had been popping and cracking throughout the game... and a contestant won the match and was standing center stage. As Gene was throwing it to commerical... the mic cut out... and it looked like the cable connector on the bottom of the mic just fell off. Gene just waved his hands... and the show faded to black.
Then they came back... Gene was holding a different mic.
I've heard that the electronics department at CBS learned to hate the ECM-51s... because the solder connections inside the mic kept breaking. Especially when Gene started using his like a pes shooter. That's why in the later MG7xs and Syndie MGs, he has one that's made out of a solid metal tube instead of the telescoping sections.
I have a Sony ECM-31M, a relative to the ECM-51. And, mine has developed a short that causes audio to cut in and out when you're using it. I guess it was a flaw in the design.