Microphone – Understanding Electret Microphone Functionality

capacitancemicrophonevoltage

I've been trying for a few days to understand how an electret microphone with two pins works.

What I think I understand is:
The microphone has inside its capsule a capacitor that changes its capacitance from the vibrations reaching it (i.e. sound).

The changes of the capacitance make the current flow. When the capacitance grows, the capacitor will start storing more power (electrons), and when it shrinks, it will release power.

This change will have the effect that the voltage across the capacitor will be positive/negative in respect to the ground zero during charging/discharging.

Then the JFET's base is connected to the positive side of the capacitor to use the voltage change.

My question is, is my understanding correct? And additionally, how much will be the peak-to-peak voltage change across the capacitor?

I read that it's +-VCC/resistance, imagine a VCC of 3.3 V, but from where to get the resistance?

Best Answer

The microphone element is a capacitor that is pre-charged. The charge is fixed and cannot flow. The acoustic vibration changes the capacitance. From $$q=Cv\tag{1}$$ the capacitor’s voltage changes in response. The voltage is then amplified by the FET.