ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi all,
i just got back from a 300 miles trip to pick up my new night time project , a beogram 4000 in exceptional cosmetic condition complete with a perfect looking sp15, didn't want to risk a stranger to post it and cause any damage, obviously when I got there it wasn't working atall , even after been promised it was tested and fully working, it turned out this was 15 years ago, but that's another story😁😁😁.
anyway I very gently attempted to remove the stylus for safe transport and the cartridge mount snapped out of the arm ( still inside the sp15) yes just like the horror seen on the great 400x project thread
i was in the same position a couple months back with a bg8000 that I successful repaired with a donor tonearm from Martin which was a complete success, that machine came to me with it broken so figured it had been badly handled before I got it, but this time it proved it was simply a brittle old age thing, didn't stop me beating myself up all the way home though.😞
i read that there were talks of a possible 3d printing part been possible which I think may be the best route on this issue as it's only going to get more and more common and donor units are the same age afterall.
ive never had any 3d printing done myself so still a black art to me, has there been any development in the part been printed or should I start from the beginning ?
Hi,
Congratulations on getting the Beogram 4000. As you well know, it will definitely be worth the effort of getting the pieces to have it working again.
I have contacted Beolover about the possibility of producing a 3D printed part for these broken tonearms. He is pretty skilled at producing 3D parts. The problem he has reported so far on this particular part is the phono signal contacts. The plastic shell reproduction appears to be doable but finding contact pins that can be mounted in order to complete the part is a problem. Custom made pins would require a large order to be cost effective.
I am still hoping he can figure out a solution. In the meantime, the only real solution is a donor turntable like a 4002, 4004, 6000 or 8000 series. I recently found a B&O, NOS replacement tonearm part for a Beogram 8000 so B&O did produce tonearm replacement kits back in the eighties. There are likely more of those kits floating around in storage somewhere. That is better than sacrificing one turntable to save another...The Beogram 4000 turntables are quite worth sacrificing for though.
-sonavor
Thanks for such a quick reply, yes it will be worth it in the end no matter what I end up going through to get it working right again.
what sort of costs were involved to get the contacts made?
i just may throw some cash at this as it will not just benefit me right now but to many owners of this amazing deck, not looking to get my money back or make it a business venture I just feel it's really worthwhile and without it these incredible machines are unusable and for such a stupid little piece of plastic is unacceptable .
obviously I'm not made of money but am willing to try
jason
Sonavor recently sent me a tonearm with a removed mount and I set out to make a replacement part.
I just posted about the first iteration of the design process on my blog: http://beolover.blogspot.com/2015/08/mmc20-cartridge-mount-replacement-V1.html
My tests of this version indicate that it can be done, but there will need to be a few more iterations to get this perfect.
Rudy
Here is a pic:
http://beolover.blogspot.com
http://beolover.com
A big hurray!
Amazing work Rudy.Thanks,John
This looks promising Rudy, a truly dedicated work!
I hope the contact issues will be solved. You really need some flexibility because the contacts of the MMC are rigid. The contacts should also be independent from one another. Laser-cut brass?
Jacques
Rudy this is fantastic news, very impressive work👍👍
Hi. Did this replacement part work? If so, could I buy one? I have the same problem with my 4000😥
Walsh: Hi. Did this replacement part work? If so, could I buy one? I have the same problem with my 4000😥
Please refer to Beolover's blog for that!
Yes, the replacement part worked. I have it installed in one of my Beogram 4000 units and it is still performing great after a year. Contact Beolover next week for availability and price.-sonavor
this is great news for all the 4000/02/04 owners out there, how much is your kit Rudy, could not see any reference to it on your website or blog
it's a great shame that many 4000 owners around the world will not have a chance to get the MMC 20 mount fixed with Rudy's kit :-(
ouverture: could not see any reference to it on your website or blog
could not see any reference to it on your website or blog
On the right side of the Beolover Blog page there is a small form called "Questions/Restoration Inquiries". If you fill out the form and click the Send button it will go to Rudy.