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
Hello,
While I am running a thread on restoring my Beogram 2000, which is wok in progress, I thought it wise to start a new thread regarding my Beogram 1700 amp prior to disassembling it.
The Beogram 1700 has been is storage for 30 odd years. It has been very well wrapped and protected from dust and light. Cosmetically it is in wonderful condition.
I fired it up a few weeks ago and it worked just as I remembered from the late 80's, but unlike that earlier time it now has significant crackling when I move all the slider controls, particularly the volume slider.
Additionally I noticed that the left speaker channel would go dead for both speaker 1 and speaker 2 switches. The left speaker channel would work again once i moved the volume slider slightly. NB: by switching around the cables of my 4 speakers I was able to rule out any problems with the actual speakers.
So... Does anyone know of this 'crackling' problem with the slider controls and what causes it? Can this problem be fixed by cleaning and if so how and with what? If cleaning won't do it are there replacement parts available to fix this issue?
I know the amp is not worth much so I have to be careful that I don't be silly and invest too much money on repair, but I really would love to get it back to its former glory.
Warning - I'm not an electrical person by a long way. I've never used a multimeter so If circuitry needs assessing and components re-soldering then I will need to find a local service engineer - that is if they would touch something of this age? I can change a light bulb though lol!
Many thanks
Metals oxidize from airs moisture, causing contacts to develop bad continuity if not used regularly.Give it a shot of contact cleaner and move the slider back and forth 10-20 times.
It may not hold a lot of selling value, but it's a nice little amplifier in its own right, and restoring classic Bang & Olufsen units is never silly.
Martin
Hi Martin,
Thank you for commenting, I don't know how you find the time what with my emails outside of this site and all the others you must deal with.
Are you able clarify 'contact cleaner' by a brand name? I already have some isopropanol by virtue of resurrecting my Beogram 2000 turntable - will that do?
Also do you know if its as simple as getting access to the contact strips through the front of the amp, i.e. using cotton buds through the horizontal gaps? Or is it better to remove the case to give clearer access, and consequently do a better cleaning job?
I take it new parts are no longer available - that it is as expected.
Thank you.
Contact cleaner is used for losening oxidation. I use Kontakt 60.IPA won't do the same.
You cannot treat the potentiometers and pushbuttons from the frontpanel. You must go inside, ideally take things apart.
New parts were unavailable since the 1980s but I have lots of good used parts in the dungeons.
Ok thank you Martin, I may need some of those parts. Lets see how I get on.
Rgds Carl