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Can anyone help advise me. The indicator light on my BeoLab 1 will not come on. I have rechecked the power connection a hundred times but the power indicator will not come on and the speaker is dead. I cannot take it to a service centre as I live in Malta and there is not one. I just spent a fortune to courier my Beosound 9000 to B&O's vintage repair associates at Detron in the Netherlandsd and it came back fixed but when I reconnected the speakers the Beosound 9000 works fine one one speaker but not the other. I run the speakers via a Beolab 2 woofer but it is not the connections, it is a power issue. I can't get envisage having to courier this unit to a service centre for repair. It is huge and heavy. Any thoughts would be hugely appreciated.
I am surprised to hear of a problem with BL1s. Guessing you have swopped leads and proved your power point is working ?
Hopefully someone else on the forum has been inside one of these.
I have checked the power and changed the cables....one thing I did not see before is that the standby light is actually on but very very dim so it is very difficult to see.It is not bright like the other speaker and does not go to green when the music flows.The speaker remains dead. I also changed the powerlink cable from the woofer but still dead.
What happens if you connect the Beolab directly to the Beocenter? Just to rule out a fault with your Beolab 2.
"You think we can slap some oak on this thing?"
Thanks. I'll try that. In the meantime I had a response from Detron in the Netherlands who handle vintage repairs and fixed my Beosound 9000 at a huge cost but have said that they cannot fix a Beolab 1 speaker cus no spares. That is unacceptable . I'll talk to B&o directly on that because the initial cost of these speakers means they should never fail/ or be repairable in a seamless manner. Quad speakers have a seamless/cheap repair process and that is how service should be. I have everything B&o from phones to surround to TVs and my view is that if you make an expensive commitment to a design brand that is a lifetime reciprocal commitment. Let's see.
B&O doesn´t work like that, unfortunately. Some spare parts you can get, some parts you can´t. The CD-mechanism for the BS9000 Mk1 for example, you can´t get anymore.
Your Lab 1 has a power issue and perhaps it time to open it up for a look. The problem may not be a failed component, It could be something obvious.
Hi John.
Is simply. The red light works?
If not, is the electrical componnent inside. It is not normal in this type of speakers. We never have this problems.
Also, if you need to send to any service, get out he plate base support. This is half or weight from the speaker. Send to Italy or Spain B&O Service.
I will send one email with the details contact.
I have downloaded a brochure on how to dismantle the BL1. However, when you get the front panels off it is clear that the problem is in the electronics and around the LED which only becomes clear when the base is off. So the unit is raised and on its back with the base and the panels off. The area around the LED seemed dirty so I cleaned it gently, connected the power and the solid red standby light came on! So iI connected a power link cable and connected to a B&O source turned it on and the light went green....but only for a millisecond and there was an audible clicking around the area of the LED when it went on and when it went off. So it seems a loose connection of some sort but can a unit like a BL1 fail with a loose connection....or could it be a deeper issue. Any suggestions.
Could be a blown tweeter, swap them around and you will know
Thanks for the suggestion. The tweeters looked fine but I switched them round as suggested but it made no difference. Same problem....one speaker fine but the other is red with the standby LED but when sound flows it goes green for a millisecond then cuts back to red. It looks like a safety switch cutting out. My next step unless anybody has a different thought is to release the 10 screws holding the cooling profile and lift it aside to release whatever is underneath which I think will be the main board but unless i find black bits or a blows fuse (some hope) i'm in trouble. It is very hard to give up on this speaker because it is possibly just a small issue.
Nothing to loose by trying to look for a physical fault such as a a disconnected part. If you can find nothing it might be a pan B to open the working one along side and check the voltage through the speakers.
Looks familiar?
Dear Beobuddy, it doesn't look familiar because I cannot get the aluminium cooling profile off...I removed all the screws and the two screws at the bottom but it won't lift off and i'm reticent to use a screwdriver to help it. All along the dismantling i'm nervous to take a step too far which makes the problem worse. Were you suggesting that when the profile comes off the problem becomes clear? In the meantime i'm trying to have a dialogue with B&O who seem to staff their helpline web with less than helpful people who so far have told me ....the speaker seems not to be working (I know), we can't help you over e mail (I think that at least B&O engineers could give a view on a fault which I have fully explained and they must have seen before) and go to your nearest service centre (having explained 3 times I live in Malta and there are no service centres). I don't quite know where to go with this and I cannot get my mind round junking two BeoLab 1 (in their day) flagship speakers because I can't get any sense from B&O. Anybody seen this problem before with BeoLab 1's or does everybody just junk B&O equipment when it fails.
John, do not despair someone on Beoworld has the know how to get past your problem. No more junking talk !
Hi,
You can check this, maybe it some speaker or more that are fail check info below:
Symptom: Power Link connection. No sound. The loudspeaker does not switch on, and the stand-by diode is always red. When the mains voltage to the BL 1 has been removed (µP has been reset), and the loudspeaker is turned on again, the stand-by diode turns green and then red after 1-2 seconds.
Cause: The amplifier is in Protection-mode. The cause can be too high a load due to for instance a disconnected/broken loudspeaker unit or NTC-PCB. The cause can also be an internal fault in the amplifier section.
Solution: Check the load from the unit (b.m.o. an Ohm-meter) and replace the loudspeaker unit, NTC-PCB or complete amplifier
Measurements at amplifier-plug from the loudspeakers b.m.o. a digital multimeter:Woofers: red/black 5,3 ohmMidrange: blue/green 7,2 ohmTweeter: white/magenta 6,8 ohmNTC-PCB: 470 kohm
//Tompa
Thanks tompa, that is very helpful and i'll check the connections as suggested.
The amplifier I have here has the symptoms of starting with a green led and after 1-2 seconds back to the red one.
Swapping the amplifier module to another lab 1 doesn't solve the problem.
The problem lies in the amplifer itself.
I have hardly spare time to investigate. I have 2 amplifiers of which one is defective. So I can measuring differences. But then again. What causes the fault/difference if you don't have a diagram on component level? Experiences with measuring faulty components and changing them isn't always the solution. Like for instance replacing blown transistors without proper adjusting idle-currents or offset-voltages.
But the story will continue...(I think and hope (diagram)help is on it's way)
I have checked the individual loudspeakers visually and they all seem ok. I managed to flip over the cooling profile and set it on its back to have a look at the boards/amp to see if anything obvious. Several posts ago I made a tongue in cheek comment that it would be great to find a blown fuse. What I found is that the smaller board (I don't know what this is called but it is the board closest to the bottom of the speaker) there IS a fuse and the glass is black/smoky suggesting that it is blown. The fuse is small 2cm long and thin and although it is difficult to read, even with a magnifying glass, on one end the contact seems to be stamped VAL250V....cant read the other end. Anybody have an idea what the value of this fuse is or what it protects and where I can get one....is it a special fuse from B&O or a common item. Any advice on this appreciated.
Well now you have localised something visual. It would help if you could photograph the board and damaged part.
Beobuddy a few days ago sent a picture of the circuitry and my BL1 is exactly the same inside. On that pic is a big circuit panel at the top, then a copper wired whatever in the middle then a smaller panel at the bottom. On Beobuddy's pic where the fuse sits is slightly hidden by the copper but it is at the top left hand corner of this smaller panel. The fuse sits in a fuse holder with two silver coloured retainers each end to hold the fuse in place.The fuse is a glass fuse but blackened inside suggesting it is blown. Any answers to what this fuse protects and its value appreciated.
hi there,
I do not want to be negative but I think you should consider buying the entire electronic module!
I bought few years back a pair of Lab1 in new condition from a B&O dealer( without warranty) . After 2 months one of the speaker was dead. Cost of the repairing : 1000$ and I was lucky as the module was available.
6 moths ago my friend , which has also a pair of Lab 1, called me and told me that one of the speaker is dead. B&O repair center does not have any spare part for it, so he send it to a repair center ( not B&O as they do not repaair the speaker if module is not available). After 3 months in the shop, the guy told him that he cannot repair it.! Our chance was E-bay! We found a module for 500$ and now the speaker is working!!!
In your case I will check user: broomstick on ebay. I remember I saw that he has another module for sale few weeks ago!
Good luck!
It's a 4A slow blow fuse. It's located on the "primary side".
If this one is blown, then there must be a big short on the secondary side or in the transformator itself. But I don't think that it will be the latter.
But that shortcircuit must be more easy to measure.
Thanks for all the advice. I have spent so much over the last year repairing B&O equipment (Beosound 9000, 2 Beolab 4000's which failed within 6 months of each other) that I have to conclude that my B&O units are failing one by one. Repairing one BL1 is only likely to see a failure in the other BL1 in a short time i'm thinking. I will change the 4A slow burn fuse (tx for that) and if it blows again which I expect i will give up. Advice from B&O itself and their engineers has been laughable, but the workbench inputs have been great. My next thought is to strip out the amp/circuitry entirely and use the cabinet as a speaker unit but non active and just driven by an external amp. I can't junk the design and loveliness of these speakers so why not keep the outside and strip out the electronics. Has anyone done this and kept the existing speakers in place (as they seem fine), or alternatively replace the whole insides with new speakers inside. If new speakers any advice on what might work best with the B&O tower design to get the best sound. This at least can see their use as speakers extended for use with non B&O equipment, albeit not the quality of repooduction, which has got to be better than hanging them on the wall instead of pictures which my wife strangely has a problem with. Any suggestions.
I have replaced the 4A slow blow fuse, connected everything up and the speaker works! Goes from standby to green and stays there. Have run it all afternoon. Perhaps the problem will come back because that fuse protects something but for now all is good.
One last point....B&O came back yesterday and said that they would be able to repair the BeoLab on a chassis level. If I get it to a workshop in Malta , B&O Italy would advise them how to strip it down, then that workshop would send it to Denmark to the main repair centre and they would be prepared to repair it. So there must be spares available which is very welcome but complete about turn from B&O on the availability of sparers/repair issue. Not needed now unless the problem returns but good news!
@JohnMoore. I hope that you can read this post. I am trying to help (again) a friend who had a Beolab 1 also. His speakers seems to have the same problem green and red, then nothing. We live in Cambodia and the nearest dealer is in Thailand. I have transport 7 years ago one of his speaker for repair in Bangkok by plane. It was buzzing. They changed the main circuit board and it cost a lot, without taking into account the plane ticket. But now both speakers died as mentioned. We planned to bring again the speakers (plane tickets already bought) but they just inform us that they don't have the spare parts anymore (amplifier). Might be a tweeter problem... They could send a technician but we have to pay for everything ++... We might also have problem at the custom at the airport; 2 speakers will be difficult to hide. My questions:
- Did the repair that you have done with the fuse VAL250V 4A slow blow worked?
- You mentioned a dismantling brochure of the BeoLab1 where did you find it?
I have been googling and your answers seem to be the best solution.
Your help will be greatly greatly appreciated.
Best regards
Sihariddh, it has been a long time since I replaced the 4A slow burn fuse but so far so good and I hope this e mail does not jinx anything with the Beolab 1. I downloaded the dismantling brochure from the net but i,m not sure where as so long ago. I don't know much apart from the help I got on the forum but you need to get to the circuitry and it is not as difficult as I thought. After disconnecting power,I laid the speaker on its back on cushions, removed the base, then removed the front panel which is done by a push in catch on the top of the speaker in the recess ..... you put your hand in the gap in the recess on top and feel around towards the front of the panel for the button to release the panel which slides off to release the top insides The speakers/ttweeter etc is revealed but you need to get to the circuitry which is below the speakers. I started to locate/unscrew until the front solid panel came free....I don't recall the steps but was not a problem if you go slow. For me when I looked at the revealed circuitry there was a fuse which was clearly blackened. Bebuddy forum members told me what fuse it was. I bought 5 locally for less than a Euro and replaced the blown fuse. The speaker worked and still does!!! I was and remain astonished that a 20 cent fuse could immobilise a speaker with these specs, and that you have to dismantle the whole speaker to get to it....but there it is. I had in fact checked the tweeter by also dismantling the other speaker and switching the tweeters but this was not the problem.....just a fuse and you can do it too if you go slowly and carefully.This was the solution for me....but if the circuitry generally is a problem then I think you have a bigger issue. Hope this helps.
Not to be negative, but I already fixed around 20 units. The fuses are mostly not blown. There are a number of culpritts which causes this red-green-red behaviour.
If it's the 4A fuse, then you're another lucky guy..
Thank you John for the fast reply. We'll try to do this fast fix this week end. It will surely cost less, and less headache than to bring it over there ... and bring it back. It took them months to get the spare parts last time. Now it's seems that they don't do the amplifier board (8006578) anymore. I am not sure about the tweeter availability? Thanks again.
@Beobuddy: I really hope it's only the fuse. According to your experience what are the most common problems and solutions to this symptom (on/off lights). We'll go to Thailand next week, to bring the speakers at first, now on holidays! Maybe there is a specific spare parts that we should bring back (tweeters ...)? Thanks
I am replying to a post of your back to 2015. I have a Beolab1 model 6843 (US) in need of that modeule. Not sure of port number but attached my picture.
If you have one, know someone who has one or can repair one, pleas let me know.
Thanks
KM
Hi Beobuddy, 4 years later I found your post on this... I'm one of the unlucky Beolab 1 owners where in this situation the fuse did not blow from what I can tell. The one obvious fuse on the circuit board looks OK. I'm to blame; hooked it up to a new Sonos Port (with the new 12V power trigger) without being careful (=reading the manual) and one of the two Beolab 1 units didn't take that well. I hoped that a fuse would burn, but that doesn't seem to be the case... Anyway, now the green LED doesn't come on. Too attractive a speaker to junk... Any advice? Thank you!PS: I have another 4 Beolab 6000 hooked up to two different Sonos Ports and that works beautifully. / UC
You can dismount the amplifier (complete bottom part) and send it over for repair.
The amps seem very reliable considering they are first generation ice power.I've just noticed the coil on one of my woofers is scratching so I'm on the hunt for a replacement. B&O say they don't have any.
Yes, the amplifier/open circuit boards is lying around on my living room floor at the moment. ;-) When you say "send over" I assume that you mean to an(y) authorized B&O Service Center? Thanks again.
Should have responded directly to your entry and not have put it in the thread... so here we go again: When you say "send over" I assume that you mean to an(y) authorized B&O Service Center? Thanks again.
I meant: send it to me. I'm able to fix most of these amplifiers (at my shop). Occasionally not when the boards are heavily burned. But that's not the case right now.I need/want the complete bottom part, not just the boards.
Send you pm.
Interested as well. Please pm me too. I have a few things not sorted out from experts like you.