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
This weekend I found this beauty and thought it would be fun to share some pictures. Cosmetically it is almost perfect (which I think is amazing for a 50 year old piece of furniture). Unfortunately the beomaster and beogram aren't fully working, I probably need some assistance to get it fully operational again but I look forward to every minute of work on this beauty! But first: Pictures!
Btw. It is my first vintage product, I think I have a new addiction! (:
Wouter
The things you can find and get in Holland is amazing right? What's in the left compartment?
Brengen & Ophalen
Leslie: The things you can find and get in Holland is amazing right? What's in the left compartment?
It is! There is space for records or a beocord 2000.
Wouter:Btw. It is my first vintage product, I think I have a new addiction! (:
You are starting big ! Enjoy ;-)
valve1: You are starting big ! Enjoy ;-)
I did!
I've been cleaning the cabinet today, and took away 50 years/2kg of dust. The next step is teak oil. While cleaning the cabinet I took out the beomaster (which gives no sign of life at all) and the beogram (which turns VERY slow at 78rpm only).
The beomaster:
No signs of life... Checked the fuses, both okay. When plugged into the mains, the transformer gives a hum. When selecting any source, the Radikator moves from 5 to +/- 1 and moves back when pressing off. Where should I start? I couldn't find any lights inside the cabinet, see picture below. I'll need two of those, I have the service manual so finding them will be the biggest problem I think...
The Beogram:
Needs a new needle since the current one is broken. Turning VERY slow when 78 rpm is selected, but speeding up after a while. I checked the belt which definitely needs to be replaced as it broke of 2 places when I touched it. Furthermore I think the motor needs cleaning so I took it out. Is it possible to open up the motor from the bottom and clean it or should the whole mechanism at the top be disassembled to gain acces to the motor? At last, does the beogram need a recap? I wasn't able to measure anything yet but it seems to me like a good idea to me due to the age.
The cabinet:
I took out the glass wool used as dampening material for the speaker cabinets and will replace this by some more modern, healthier material. The pneumatic spring of the left door isn't always working, it probably needs some adjustment and cleaning.
Hi
No signs of life... Checked the fuses, both okay. When plugged into the mains, the transformer gives a hum.
Caps shorted???
Where should I start?
Recap
I couldn't find any lights inside the cabinet, see picture below. I'll need two of those, I have the service manual so finding them will be the biggest problem I think...
Here in Italy that kind of lights are common into ringbell check on some electrical furniture shop.
At last, does the beogram need a recap? I wasn't able to measure anything yet but it seems to me like a good idea to me due to the age.
Good idea
Have a nice day
MArco
I have been inside 12 of these guys and none of the transformers hum, BUT transofmers CAN hum by nature.Lights are easy to find its 2 pieces 6.3 volt 0.3 ampere for the scale and 18 volt 0.1 ampere for the stereo indicator. socket E10, they are sold abit everywhere. Conrad in Germany for inastance.The lights dont last long. Martin have adviced 7 volt and 19 volt lamps for longer life, but I havent found lamps with that voltage, As radikator shows life, that means it lives in someway. As transformer hums, it could show somekind of shortage inside of of the beomaster so do the error tracking with short monent of haveing the beomaster on power Dont let it stand on the workbench on all the time.Some error trackingHave you tried with other speakers ?, then the internals, and tired the internal speakers with a other amp ?Have you checked the 3 fuses ?For error tracking the preamp and the output amp. The 5 pin Tape output should give somekind of line level output from either radio or turntable. check eventual signal form that output.My suggestion is to start with thisChristian
My re-capped M75 are my precious diamonds.
ohh forgot, some models have only two fuses.
one or two next to power supply.
one on the main pcb
What a nice piece !
The fuse on the main board is only for the dial lamps. The fuse and its holder will almost certainly have oxidized heavily, all green-ish.
Separate the transformer secondary and listen. If it still hums, the transformer is probably bad.If the hum stops, a heavy secondary load could be the reason. Check for shorted output stagetransistors and/or problems with the rectifier, filter/reservoir capacitor and voltage regulator circuits.A capacitor, 80uF or 125uF or something like that, at the center of the amplifier board could be shorted, that's also quite common.
Martin
Grazie Marco! I'll order new caps for the beogram.
Christian,
I feel a bit stupid now... I didn't tested the beomaster when it was connected to some speakers. Now I did and it seems like it has more life in it than I expected. The "internal" speakers are connected "inside" the beomaster, right? Here is a picture to clarify what I mean:
I'm very sorry that I have to bother you with these simple questions, this beginner really appreciates your help!
I'll start looking for the lamps suggested by martin :-)
Dillen: What a nice piece ! The fuse on the main board is only for the dial lamps. The fuse and its holder will almost certainly have oxidized heavily, all green-ish. Separate the transformer secondary and listen. If it still hums, the transformer is probably bad.If the hum stops, a heavy secondary load could be the reason. Check for shorted output stagetransistors and/or problems with the rectifier, filter/reservoir capacitor and voltage regulator circuits.A capacitor, 80uF or 125uF or something like that, at the center of the amplifier board could be shorted, that's also quite common. Martin
Thank you!
As mentioned above, I was stupid and the beomaster probably isn't that dead after all :-) Since the fuse isn't green, I think that it has been replace recently as it looks almost new. The hum isn't really a hum, it's only present at a 5 cm distance and difficult to hear, isn't this normal behaviour?
I've got a Beomaster 610 which came out of a radiogram in my spares 'stash'.. I think it worked when we took it out.
Yours for the price of the postage and packing if you want it.
Lee
All very fine then.A transformer will always hum a little. That's normal.
The turntable is similar to a Beogram 1000. The motor of these gets gummed up and causes the slow running. As you have noticed, if you leave it for several hours, it will gradually pick up speed and may even get to nearly full tilt! However it really needs stripping and relubricating - the process was described as boiling it in oil - beyond my skills certainly!
Peter
no problemos, I think we all forget the easist things once in a while. :)Its a such a very nice piece. You should at least soldier a new power supply cap on the beomaster.Even if it doesnt hum, it will soon.You can soldier it directly ontop of the existing one, if you are lazy, there is room for a new one. The new ones are tiny in sizeIts the big blue one that shows in the picture.But remember red cord on the cap is minus on the capacitor.To be sure follow the cable marked + from the rekifier, that IS plus.Christian
9 LEE: I've got a Beomaster 610 which came out of a radiogram in my spares 'stash'.. I think it worked when we took it out. Yours for the price of the postage and packing if you want it. Lee
Thank you Lee, but it seems that the Beomaster works perfecty, I was able to get some lights today, and everything works! :-) Thank you very much for the nice offer, but I do not thing I currently have any use for it.
Peter: The turntable is similar to a Beogram 1000. The motor of these gets gummed up and causes the slow running. As you have noticed, if you leave it for several hours, it will gradually pick up speed and may even get to nearly full tilt! However it really needs stripping and relubricating - the process was described as boiling it in oil - beyond my skills certainly!
Beyond mine as well! Is there any chance that I can find a replacement motor, or do I need to find a donor beogram?
Christian Christensen: no problemos, I think we all forget the easist things once in a while. :)Its a such a very nice piece. You should at least soldier a new power supply cap on the beomaster.Even if it doesnt hum, it will soon.You can soldier it directly ontop of the existing one, if you are lazy, there is room for a new one. The new ones are tiny in sizeIts the big blue one that shows in the picture.But remember red cord on the cap is minus on the capacitor.To be sure follow the cable marked + from the rekifier, that IS plus.Christian
Thank you again Christian!
I bought some lights today, but one already broke when I put it in... the others work fine, but the one I bought for the stereo indicator was too large, so the black piece of plastic did not fit... But it works!
Replacing the cap wil be next!
Picture will follow!
Here are some pictures! I really like the indicator on the front which shows that the beomaster is turned on when the lid is closed.
Currently playing The carpenters from my MacBook
Now I want beovox cubes!
You know what ?, this is how I use my cubes..in my kitchen...andThey are perfect combination with the 900 series.In your case , most likely even more perfect, as the love angle of that furniture forces the listener to sit right infront of it consider the paper cones narrow off axis spread. The cubes do the trick and spreads the treble around in such nice way. Buy a pair and connect to the parallel direction of the speaker output, you will love it.I had a kitchen party the other week running music from my laptop , like you, and even with packed of people in my kitchen, the cubes provided treble no matter where you stood.Christian
That looks great Christian! Now I want the beovox cubes even more! I might even build a pair myself, finding some for a reasonable price will probably be hard :-(
When I compare your beomaster with mine, your whole beomaster lights up while mine is still dark... Is this because of the right light or should I change something else?
You stole my soldering station!
Hello WouterFirst check the fuse that sits on on the big main PCB board close to the transformer. That one supplies current to the two lights that light up the scale. one on each side.Those 2 lights are socket E10 6.3 volt 0.3 ampere.The green stereo indicator is located close to the right lamp, you just pull of the black plastic cover of the with your fingers , and there is the 18volt 0.1 ampere lamp.These guyes you just buy new. you can get them at www. Conrad.deUnfortnually the dont last particulary long. the modern manufactored have less lifespan then those that were manufatored in before.Martin recommended to go for 7 volt and 19 volt instead för longer life. I know , remember,they were to buy before, but I havent found them anywhere anymore. Anyone for tips regarding where to by the 7 volt and 19 volt alternative ?You can try modern LED alternatives, but they have a colder colour temperature which change the the warm shine form the scale to a cold shine..so I have chosen standard.Buy 3-4 set, beacuase those lamp wont last more then 3-4 month if you use it daily.Why, most likely becuase a new lamp cartell agreement between lamp factories, The first agreement to lower lifespam was in the 20th I think.Factories in the ex soviet union didnt limit lamp lifetime. They never signed any cartell agreements from the west. You can find tons of lamps in russia that light 80 years later in daily use.The swedish lamp factory LUMA was created as a reaction to the cartell, a month ago a LUMA light died in my apartment.. in the 50th lamp I bought in the 80th.It was in daily use in my hallaway ever since. The age of that lamp have no clue. but it was in the lampamature when I bought it and shined anohter 30 years.Unfortnually LUMA factory dont exist anymoreWhen it died calculated its lifelenght. during the time I owned it.....some 50000 hours.....it was just a difference of politics. being part of a cartell or notAaaanyway..you will find new lights. :)Christian
I found some lights at the local electronics store, I'll order some more from conrad. This is what I found:
http://www.conrad.nl/ce/nl/product/727865/Schaallamp-E-10-18-W-FittingE10-100-mA-18-V-Helder?ref=list
http://www.conrad.com/ce/en/product/727970/Barthelme-00260703-Dial-Lamp-7-V-2-W-03-A-BaseE10-Clear?ref=searchDetail
I couldn't find a 19 volt lamp..
Unfortunately you are right about the lower quality of the lamps, maybe we should find an old lada and get some lamps out of it!
I prefer the beomaster!
This weekend I have been thinking about how I want to use the beomaster. Ideally the beomaster would be placed in front of your listening position, unfortunately that is where my mx7000, rl's and bc9500 are. To be able to use the beomaster 900 on a daily basis I want to connect an extra pair of beovox speakers (placed next to the rl's) and make a simple switch to turn of the two build in speakers. The main question is: What speakers are best suited for the beomaster 900? I probably want some beovox cubes in the future so I was thinking about 1500's or 2400's(these have connections for external tweeters). Which one is best, or are the better options?
http://archivedarchivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/21617.aspx (I'm on an ipad now)
This weekend I finally had some time to work on the beogram. After removing all the dry oil and dirt the motor is up and running like a sunshine! Now I only need a new belt and a new sp 6-7. Any ideas where to get a new belt? Concerning the sp element, I’ve read somewhere that a special element is needed for 78 rpm. It would be a shame if the normal sp 6-7 element isn’t working well at 78 rpm as I got some 1960’s voice-o-graph(link) recordings at 78 rpm. Could anyone tell me a little more about this?
Try Axel for the belt, I know he has belts for BG 1200 series, and I saw something on his website about 78 record cantilevers. If your RG has the BG 1000 Axel must have the belt.
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Søren Mexico: Try Axel for the belt, I know he has belts for BG 1200 series, and I saw something on his website about 78 record cantilevers. If your RG has the BG 1000 Axel must have the belt.
Thank you! The RG has a beogram 1000 indeed. I'll contact Axel.
WouterTry any of the Beovox from the time period.Beovox 1000, 1200, 1500 ,aso.
They all fit nice.
The only thing, keep in mind that the smaller ones, like Beovox 600 , are small boxes, wont give the same bass responce as the cabinet do.
If I would choose, I would choose beovox 1200. It has a fantastic dome tweeter from that time period , and the prenouced middle fits niecly together with the build in lodness function, if you prefer listning low level, utsing the BG900 as background music. My two cents
C
Christian Christensen: WouterTry any of the Beovox from the time period.Beovox 1000, 1200, 1500 ,aso. They all fit nice. The only thing, keep in mind that the smaller ones, like Beovox 600 , are small boxes, wont give the same bass responce as the cabinet do. If I would choose, I would choose beovox 1200. It has a fantastic dome tweeter from that time period , and the prenouced middle fits niecly together with the build in lodness function, if you prefer listning low level, utsing the BG900 as background music. My two cents C
I missed this post! :-(
Thank you for the suggestions. I'm currently checking some dutch ebay like websites hoping that something nice will pop up :-)
I'll connect some RL 35's this weekend as a short term solution.
The only thing needed is a good record cleaning machine as most of my records are as old as the radiogram Is this a good choice?
I use that record cleaner and it does make a massive difference. Make sure you use new anti-static record sleeves once you've cleaned them and allow the vinyl to dry completely before putting them away.
Dave.
Dave Farr: I use that record cleaner and it does make a massive difference. Make sure you use new anti-static record sleeves once you've cleaned them and allow the vinyl to dry completely before putting them away. Dave.
I'll buy one next weekend and hopefully hear the difference!
And it might be a stupid question, but what on earth is the "radikator" for? Nowhere on the world wide web is anything about it...
Technically, it's a signal strength indicator. No, I have no idea where the name comes from.
--mika
tournedos: Technically, it's a signal strength indicator. No, I have no idea where the name comes from.
Aah, I see. Thank you Mika!
Concerning the name, B&O is often just a little different than other brands.
My latest addition: a pair of beovox 1500's! Now I only need that pair of cubes to finish, but they will pop up for a nice price some day :-) Unfortunately I have not been able to test them yet, as I am working towards the deadline for my paper on the cyclicality of the slow-down in emerging economies...
The 1500s are in cosmetically great shape (that is why I bought them:-) and after some sanding and oiling, they will be almost perfect again! Furthermore they will need new caps and cables, they will keep me busy this summer!
Last, but not least, I received some good news from Axel today: My SP 6-7 is finished and is on its way to Holland again!
I received the my SP 6-7 back from Axel today, along with two new belts.
I've cleaned the "bearings" of the beogram, what would be the best oil to lubricate them?
I saw this one today. Could anyone tell me something about the record player?
Edit:
It is a garrard:
From the product page: "Radiogram Beomaster 900 RG Compact included a record player - either a B&O or Garrard auto-changer - within the combined unit."
Any idea which one?
Edit once more: I think it is a Garrard At6.