Hey all!

I just got myself a beautiful beogram 3000! Needs some work though: fuse was blown and grease on the sliding rail for the pickup arm got really sticky.

After fixing these problems, a new problem arose: the beogram won't start playing records! When I press play, the table starts spinning, the '33' light comes on, but the arm won't start moving. The table spins for a few seconds and then turns off again.

Probably something that got stuck in its own, now dried up grease... I have a service manual bit don't know where to start looking. Who can help me?

Thank you very much in advance

CJ

Okay, I think I just found the culprit: The part marked 1RL1 and 1RL2 on page 1-1 of the manual: two spools of copper wire that seem to form some sort of relay like device to switch/push two little arms/handles at the side of them. Is that correct? If so, the parts that should do the switching/pushing are stuck like they have been glued.

What should I do?

Any help is immensely appreciated!

EDIT: Pretty sure this plunger thingy is the problem now, but how can I loosen it in a safe way? Hope I don't have to take everything apart...

The Beogram 3000 is essitentially the same machine as my BG 5500 and same mecanics as the 1800, I happened to have torn apart for extra spare parts.

Yes, 1RL1 and 1RL2 is pushing the handles. If you don't know, you can easily take the platter off for looking at the record detection system, and the whole assembly can be taken off so you can access the whole thing.

Unfortunatly, I don't have my decks here on the boarding school (for closer inspection), so I just can't help you further

Best regards, Søren Hammer, Denmark

The plunger is the moving part of a solenoid and should be a sliding fit, as I understand. There have been posts on here in the past concerning dried lubricant in this area.

I have to admit to never having had one apart despite re-building a number of this type of deck. Member medogsfat (Chris) may have direct experience here.

Same for me Graham - I've never had one of these solenoids apart as I've never come across one that was ceased up. It should move very freely.

Chris.

Not convinced that this is the problem. If it were, surely the arm would move to the start and then just not drop? I suggest the record weighing mechanism is a more likely culprit. If the Beogram detects no record, it will act as you describe.

Medogsfat:

Same for me Graham - I've never had one of these solenoids apart as I've never come across one that was ceased up. It should move very freely.

 

Chris.

Seized rather than ceased???

Hello all!

Thank you very much for your replies!

It's definitely the 'solenoid' thingy, when I push the handles by hand everything starts (arm moves and drops), I took the PCB with this solenoid out of the player and the solenoid was stuck as if someone glued it in, it wouldn't move in any direction.

I found a post about someone with the same problem (http://forum.beoworld.org/forums/p/21317/160129.aspx#160129) and used the solution given there: lube and move around until it starts moving again.

Unfortunately, my problems went from bad to worse: The plunger wouldn't move, and instead broke clean off at the part where the magnet is inserted! The other half is still stuck inside and will not move in any direction...

So, now I'm really in trouble: I'll need a replacement part... should I check with B&O if there's still one available (small chance?) Or maybe someone here who has a spare one? Please let me know!

Thanks again everyone

Definitely no spare parts - they threw them all away!! - but the good news is that all the tangential decks of this era are the same. You need a donor model.

If you can post a photo of the affected solenoid I'll have a dig around and see what I have - I can't make any promises though....

Chris.

Virtually all decks from 1987-94 has the same weight detection mecanicm, the only difference is that the radial decks had another platter than the tangential ones.

I'll try and get a camera somewhere and take a picture... might take a while since I haven't got one myself.

One stupid stuck component that has my beautiful beogram crippled... it's pretty frustrating!

Thanks guys!

Hi all,

Here's pictures of the solenoid in the 3000 PCB.

I already contacted Dillen, he says maybe he has something... I'll let you know if he doesn't have a replacement.

CJ

Well, problem solved: There's a new solenoid on its way to me from Denmark!

Thanks for the help, it's really nice to be on this forum!

CJ

Hi CJ

You'll probably have the same problem with the replacement piston, after a while.

The middle piece of plastic (in which the magnet lies) is very fragile, and age does nothing to improve its breakabilty factor.

I had exactly the same problem with my BG4500 about 2 years ago, and I epoxy-glued the front and rear plastic pushers to the magnet.

I discarded the fragile middle plastic bit.

Use slowset epoxy (24 hours) so that you can adjust the linearity of the magnet against the plastic bits.

Thereafter, spray silicon spray inside the solenoid, and after about 5 minutes, run a cotton-wool bud inside the piston to remove the wet spray and any other gunk, and leave only a dry silicon layer.

AND spray the outside of your new piston, leave about 5 minutes, and wipe off the wet spray residue (a dry silicon layer remains).

And that will reduce the wear and tear on that fragile piston drastically.

I also upgraded the capacitors on the main PCB, and RIAA amp, and upgraded the OpAmps to OPA2134.

Menahem

Hi Menahem!

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought about that yet... I'll put it to good use when I start working on the BG3000 again!

The turntable is now mechanically working perfectly, but unfortunately the cartridge (MMC4) appears to be shot, the sound is all distorted and its tip doesn't look too good. Soundsmith cartridges are way out of my price league (just a student!) so I'll have to look for a cheap way to get a new one...

I still have a good (unused) spare cartridge for my BG1100, maybe someone wants to trade one of these for a cartridge compatible with my BG3000.... not sure yet if I want to lose these cartridges since I won't have replacements for the BG1100 anymore...

Anyways, thanks a bunch!

CJ