Beogram 8002 euro to us power

This might be an obvious question. I'm looking at a Beogram 8002 for sale that came from the Netherlands. What will it require to run on 120v 60hz US power?

My Beomaster 8000 is from England and I run it through a step up/step down converter. Could I run the Beogram through one of those too? I'm still having such issues with my Beogram 3000 that is for 50hz and would rather not run into that again.

AFAIK all you need is to replace your transformer which is a plug and play deal. I probably have one. I am in NW NJ. Where are you?

 

AFAIK all you need is to replace your transformer which is a plug and play deal. I probably have one. I am in NW NJ. Where are you? (I might even have 2 good transformers for both decks)

 

 

 

Yes! Great news. I'm located in St Paul MN. The person I'm looking at buying from is out of the country but I'll go ahead and buy the Beogram 8002 when they get back. I'm assuming since you said you have one you might be willing to sell, or trade? I'll PM you when I know more from the seller.

You will need a correct transformer for your mains frequency (50Hz or 60Hz).
The mains frequency is important for correct functionality of the Beogram and step up/down transformers will
only change voltage - not frequency.

Ideally you should also change a few parts related to the carriage rails.

Martin

Thanks Martin,

Which parts on the rails and cartridge would I need to convert? The threaded rod too? How much of this could I borrow from a Beogram 8000?

I would want to do this ideally and not incorrectly.

I am interested as to what exactly the adverse effects would be using a 50Hz PSU in a 60Hz country or vice versa. Both my 8000/8002 at 60Hz US run seemingly fine here in Japan (Tokyo) @ 50Hz (Osaka is 60Hz btw). I understand that there's a difference in rod thickness and extra dampening for vibration. I've checked a lot of old posts here and none seem to state exactly why it is necessary for the frequency to match given that the unit is quartz controlled. 

Dunno about Beograms in particular, but a 60 Hz transformer requires less iron and fewer turns for the same inductive reactance than a transformer designed for 50 Hz operation. Thus a 60 Hz transformer may overheat when driven at 50 Hz, even if the winding taps for proper voltage conversion are available. The other way round (50 Hz transformer used at 60 Hz) is safer, and of course also if the transformer has been dimensioned for both frequencies from the beginning.

What Mika said is right - as usual.

The mains frequency is important for the motor drive and the braking.
As you can see in the service manual, the transformer module also contains a large bipolar capacitor, which forms
part of the motor circuit. This capacitor is essential for correct phasing and is different from 50Hz to 60Hz units.
Using a step-up/down transformer is not something I would recommend. The transformers were made as
modules, that plugs in easily for the same reason and they are usually not that difficult to find.

The carriage rail was changed on 60Hz models because it appeared that the rail could pick up resonance from the
mains frequency (transformer vibrations) and cause the rail to make an annoying noise with the Beogram in standby.
Your deck may not suffer from this problem at all or it may be intermittent, it all depends on the carriage parking position on
the rail, the lubricants used etc. but it was changed from factory for a reason.
You can use the 60Hz rail on 50Hz without problems. It's the other way around that can cause a problem.

Martin

I also have a USA transformer module available for this.

Let me know if you need it, and if you need any other parts, I can help you.

Menahem