Looking at my collection, I came to wonder when the last B&O product with a conventional, rotating knob - for any function - was made. By conventional, I mean forget the fly-by-wire control plates and rings of MCPs and later products that don't actually rotate anything mechanical.

My entries so far would be

• knob: Beomaster 1600 ( -> 1973)
• control plate: Beomaster 2200 (type 1601, -> 1979).

Beomaster 8000 did have rotating control plates, but I think they were completely electronic? Somehow I don't like to include the tiny FM preset wheels of many products in this contest, either.

oh! good one!

i had the 2200 on my list too!

how about P5 on the bm3300 -1989? though it is a "preset" per se, but not that "tiny"... hmmm...

Hmm,

The Beomaster 2000 (c. 1986) in my "retro" office has a proper control dial under the lift up panel for radio preset 5 - this is nice and tactile, a good 3 inches in diameter.  Could this be the latest use of this type of control?

Steve.

Do I take it that the rotary "knob" of the MCP6500 doesn't count??

I believe Tournedos was referring more to a system involving a wire/mechanical arrangement attatched to the knob, as opposed to an electronic sensor, such as in the MCPs or say, the BeoSound 4.

Puncher:

Do I take it that the rotary "knob" of the MCP6500 doesn't count??

I specifically excluded them  Under the hood, it's nothing more than a glorified up-down rocker switch (a clever idea making one look like that, unfortunately the feel for volume control isn't too great).

Anyway, Jeff and Steve pointed out the product line starting from BM1900. I forgot about those, since I've never seen one in flesh. If the preset wheel in BM3300 actually turns something instead of just pulsing an IC or whatnot, I think it is the winner (-> 1989).

I actually came up with this after operating my Beogram 6000 and wondering what kind of a knob (it's missing) the power switch in the rear should have...

tournedos:

Puncher:

Do I take it that the rotary "knob" of the MCP6500 doesn't count??

Anyway, Jeff and Steve pointed out the product line starting from BM1900. I forgot about those, since I've never seen one in flesh. If the preset wheel in BM3300 actually turns something instead of just pulsing an IC or whatnot, I think it is the winner (-> 1989).

i have all of the flats made: 1900 thru 4500. after the 3300, the 3500 and 4500 had the "mechanical" presets removed and were now touch programmable. i believe the 3300 ended production in 1989 -i can't think of anything later that had anything similar...

that was fun!

On discussion with a friend, the record level control on a VX7000 - last produced 1997! OK, it is not the greatest knob in the world but it is mechanical and it is rotary!

oh peter! good job!

i wonder if anyone can pull anything newer than that!?!?

 

Beo5!

Dave:

Beo5!

Excluded in the original charter  Fly-by-wire, I suppose...

Well done, Peter! I managed to think VCRs, but not long enough... Even my VX5000 (-> 1990) has a couple of still picture adjustment knobs - in the rear panel!

Cannot take credit really - apart from asking the right person! Another reason to buy the book!