I fell for the looks of the 5500 and bought one at an auction, only to find that it doesn't work at all. Maybe there is something obvious that I can check, maybe it was sold because it was doomed (everything else in the 5500 set works perfectly, and it all looks brand new). I hope this great forum can shine some light on this. Anyway, here goes. 

The arm is positioned mid-way across the platter and wont move. It seems locked in place, somehow. When I press the button for play or cancel, I hear a whirring noise inside the mechanics for about 6 seconds, but nothing happens. It is just as locked without power, as with power. 

There is definitely power - the 33/45 button changes the light by the pick up, and there is as mentioned a whirring sound. 

Have I forgotten a transport screw, has a belt jumped off, has is just locked over time? Any ideas? 

I am used to repairing all kinds of things, so am not afraid to jump in there, as long as someone can tell me how to get into the thing without damaging or scratching anything. It looks unused, and Id like to keep it looking that way (but use it of course). So, please, any tips about how to get into the thing - its so well designed that there are no visible screws on the top.

Kind regards 

SimonC

Welcome to Beoworld !

Most faults in these decks are fairly easily remedied but unfortunately it's not
very easy to say exactly what has gone wrong in your deck.
If you lift off the platter (if possible) and the black plastic sheet below it, you may be able
to see if the carriage string has fouled on something or the carriage steel tracks have come lose.
It's also possible that some foreign object has entered the mech.
The carriage should be able to move sideways if pushed gently using just a single finger.

Martin

Hi Martin and thanks for the welcome message. 

I have half solved the problem, after receiving a pm from Menahem in Israel. He suggested holding down the black ring in the middle of the platter and rotating the platter a few times. It didn't want to do this, but with a bit of force, this made the arm move back to its start position. Now, when I press play, the platter rotates, and the arm is mechanically moved to the start of a record. I HAVE SOUND - but not for long. The record plays for about a minute, then no more, it gets stuck in the same groove. The arm obviously does not track. So, now onto getting the arm to track.

If I listen very carefully, when the arm moves to a certain angle from 90deg, I hear a motor start. Now, after taking off the platter, I think it is a motor on the back left of the player. I can feel it vibrate, but nothing happens. It looks to me like there should be a belt on there, that goes diagonally to a pulley at about  one o'clock. But there is no belt on it. 

So:

1. Should there be a belt there?

2. Does this belt work the tracking (a very clever idea if it does)?

3. Where do I get a belt? I live in Denmark, so might be able to get one quickly, but don't know where to look. Where do you source things like this?

I have had a good look around everywhere inside the machine, and I cant see a broken belt, or one that has hopped off. 

This forum is just great. From utter desperation earlier today, I have a glimmer of hope.

Kind regards

SimonC

1. Yes, you need to have a belt on the motor, running to a nearby pulley.
2. Yes, it controls the position of the carriage.
3. I have a suitable replacement (also in Denmark). PM me for details.

Regarding the forcing around of the platter, it's not something I would generally recommend.
This type of Beogram uses a lot of plastic gears, wheels, arms and levers and they can
break or distort quite easily. I think it's better to have a look inside and see if you can spot
the blockage.

Martin