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
Thanks for providing a much needed rubber wheel kit Martin. John
Update - I applied Martin's wheel kit to my Beocord 8004 and now it is running better than ever. If you have a Beocord 800x - 9000 you must install this kit if your Beocord is still running on the old tires.
I started working on another Beocord 9000 unit today. It is in nice physical shape and I had one of Martin's rubber wheel kits left so I decided to start in on this before beginning my Beogram 8002 work.The cassette mechanism of this deck was in good shape overall but did have the melted, gooey belts like so many of them do. I cleaned the mechanical parts up really good and installed the rubber wheel kit. I noticed a problem with the cassette door latch mechanism. The latch hangs up and returns very slowly. I took it apart (two screws and two springs) to see if it just needed new grease. The problem turns out to be with the molded plastic guides that the screws mount to. When the screws go into the mounts, there are small cracks in the mounts that expand and make the plastic guides press too hard against the metal lever plate. With the screws removed (as in the picture here), the plate moves back and forth easily like it is supposed to. There isn't any room to really repair the plastic guides. I am thinking about possibly filling them with JB Weld epoxy, then re-drilling some screw holes for a smaller diameter screw. Has anyone else solved this type of problem?
I guess if I am to use a smaller diameter screw to hold the plate down as it operates I might as well just glue the screw into place from the start.
I found a couple small diameter screws of the right length and a couple of fiber washers. For the glue I used some clear E6000 glue I have used before. It takes about twenty-four hours to properly cure but will hold the screws in place. The latch plate moves smoothly now. I tested it using my finger to hold the plate down so not to cause any force on the screws yet. Tomorrow night I will find out how well this fix works.
While the glue is drying on the new latch plate mounting screws, I re-installed the metal leaf springs (the ones with the ball bearing) after cleaning them and applying fresh grease. I also re-installed the rubber thrust wheel after taking apart and lubricating the mounting hardware. The tape deck record and playback heads are easiest to clean while the mechanicals are all apart. I took the opportunity to do that at this time.
While the glue was drying I changed my mind on the repair and pulled the screws back out. I considered getting small diameter bolts and mounting them with nuts on the underside. Unfortunately only one of the two screws can be reached on the underside. The inner most screw comes in underneath one of the solenoid assemblies.I also noticed that the eject switch is missing the plastic bumper pad. I could make a replacement pad out of JB Weld but I happen to have some spare Beocords I can borrow a switch from so I went that route. After cleaning the switch with Deoxit, I re-installed the switch, then re-glued the eject plate screws (going with JB Weld this time because it dries faster). Here is what the finished rework looks like for the cassette eject mechanism.
Earlier I reworked the clutch assembly with the usual repairs - New rubber wheel from Martin, brass sleeves for the plastic that mounts to the pivot post.
Here is the flywheel and clutch assembly reinstalled with new belts from Martin.
While the mechanical parts were apart I cleaned the switches with some Deoxit and Kimwipes.
Here is the last switch reinstalled.
The final step in the mechanical reassembly is to reattach the door damper.
I don't know the electrical condition of this Beocord 9000. I am thinking I will probably recap it but before that I might as well try out the restored mechanical assembly in the Beocord. Here is the Beocord ready for the cassette assembly.
The quick play test was a big success. The Beocord 9000 operates beautifully in Play, Fast Forward and Reverse. I can't recommend enough reworking the cassette mechanics on these decks (and Beocord 800x decks). If it hasn't been done before, the owners should replace the two main belts, replace the rubber wheels, clean everything and lubricate the moving parts. If necessary, replace the thrust roller (pinch roller) as described on Beolover's Blog.I didn't need to replace the pinch roller on this particular deck. It looks like it has seen very light use and the rubber is sound (no cracks or hardening).Here is the first test play of the Beocord after the mechanical rework. I am also happy to report that the display elements all work.
I tested a few more cassette tapes I have recordings on. This new Beocord 9000 is playing them without any problem. This changes my plans somewhat. I am now going to hold off the recap of this Beocord for a bit longer. I want to try this unit recording some tapes in one of my working systems next. If I decide to part with this Beocord though, I will likely want to recap it so I can be sure the next owner won't have any problems in that area.
Another thing to consider in doing a full restore is the condition of the 3V Lithium battery. Especially if I end up selling this unit...I will want to make sure the battery is good. Like my recent Beomaster 5000 that had a soldered in Lithium battery, I will clip the battery leads instead of de-soldering the battery to avoid any explosive mishaps. That will be later though.There is one cosmetic issue with this Beocord. A nasty scratch on the top aluminum piece.
Nasty scratch John, and impossible to polish or sand out, it will just make it worse, I have tried everything on these but until now found nothing that does it.
An interesting thread as always from you, when I finish my BL/BM 5000, we will have to talk a little about a BG 4002/4.
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Søren Mexico: Nasty scratch John, and impossible to polish or sand out, it will just make it worse, I have tried everything on these but until now found nothing that does it. An interesting thread as always from you, when I finish my BL/BM 5000, we will have to talk a little about a BG 4002/4.
Sure thing Søren. You know I always like talking about Beogram 4000 - 4004 turntables.Regarding this Beocord, yes, I think it is best to just leave the scratch alone. These Beocord 9000 and 8004 series might be my favorite B&O cassette decks to work on now.John
Looking forward to the battery solution John! Re-calibrating every time won't be necessary when that's done!
Jacques
No need to wait for me to fix mine Jacques, Beolover posted some nice pictures of the repair on his blog.John
Oh, I missed that one!
Thanks!
Beolover is living in his own Beoworld, and we just love it , the 3D printing pioneer work he is doing is also very interesting and important for all of us vintage lovers.
I connected this latest Beocord 9000 to a spare Beosystem for a recording test. The source was a Beogram 8002 with an MMC2 cartridge connected to a Beomaster 6000. I used a TDK SA-X100 cassette to record a couple of records (Ten Years After "Stonedhenge" and "Ten Years After"). I always liked Alvin Lee (sorry when he passed away a couple of years back). Fortunately I saw Ten Years After live a couple of times in the seventies.
I first ran a record calibration on the tape and the Beocord made an excellent recording. The more I use these decks the more I like them. As my Nakamichi Dragon ages these newly serviced Beocord 9000 decks may take over top spot in my collection. The SC80 cabinet in the picture is the first one I acquired. I replaced it with a better one that didn't have sun fading to the rosewood. Some day I need to take this cabinet apart and try to bring back some color.
I was so pleased with the performance of this new Beocord 9000 that I moved in with one of my main systems. It is now paired with my original Beogram 4002 (I purchased it in July 1978) and my original Beogram 8002 (purchased in December 1983). The rest of the components are Yamaha (C2a preamp, MX1000 power amp, T-2 tuner, S2300 SACD/DVD/CD and NS1000M speakers). This system really sounds good and I will likely keep this group of components together for a while.
Hello John,
while waiting for my BM8000 donor unit there was t8me to work on my BC8004 .....thank you for your great pictures and inspiration.
now the FF ist working again 😁
one question in particular bugs me: looking at this picture of the drive there is a spring fitted on the outside which seems to have no purpose at all
as it does not connect to any swaying, turning or otherwise moving parts ??
I’d love to know what its purpose is - do you have any understanding/idea of that one ?
thanks
ALF
Hi Alf,
I believe that is just a spare spring.
John
Thanks John,
my thought precisely - probably only reserved for loyal B&O customers, spending more than $5K 🙄😁 at any one time
Hi, I had the same level problem and distortion after the first startup in the "new to me" 9000, it turned out to be the line/din switch on the bottom. Once corrected, it worked great.