Hi,

I recently acquired a BeoMaster8000/BeoGram8000/BeoCord8002/M150 setup which is in great cosmetic condition, but obviously needs some sorting.

The first issues that presented itself was the standard tachodisc spectacle on the BeoGram. Dillen sorted me with a replacement and I bought the cap. kit while I was at it.
After some weeks of procrastination I have swapped the tachodisk, which solved one problem, but made it painfully obvious that I had to take care of the one next in line. Mainly the arm refusing to lower onto the vinyl, a rather annoying flaw when it comes to a turntable.

The arm stops at the exact same position, regardless of the size of record on the platter.

I have attempted the <</play workaround that some have posted in similar threads, but to no avail. And yes, this unfortunate behaviour also occurs with a stylus present.

As Dillen has pointed out to me I probably should've replaced the caps at this point, but since my soldering skills leaves a lot to be desired, I thought I'd check if there are anything else I should do while I practice soldering on equipment of a more mundane nature.

To the best of my knowledge the BeoCord 8002 worked like a charm at first, it at least played tapes without any fuss, but yesterday it merely produced a loud clonking/clicking sound and that was about it. Does this mean that the belt has finally given up, or are there a vast number of possible explanations for such behaviour ?
Also, the display performs a minor voodoo ritual as I press play, sadly I didn't take a picture of this to include here. 

Finally, I apologize for the fact that my first post here is a bunch of questions that you've all probably grown tired of ages ago.

Robert

Robert, great to see you in the forum.

There are two adjustment screws at the back of the << and >> buttons on the panel.
It could be that one of them is far out. They are set by measuring a pair of related voltages on the main board.
I would still recommend replacing the caps, though. If you cannot do it yourself, I suggest you
take the Beogram to your local repairshop and bring the cap kit and instructions with you.
The instructions that came with the tachodisc will also tell the repairguy how to get in to replace the caps
so bring them too.
If you bring the Beogram in for repair, make sure also to have them check the above mentioned adjustments.
They are critical. Details can be found in the service manual, download'able from our main website for
silver and gold members (well worth the membership fee !).
Being a gold member, you can download it right away.

Martin

Thanks, Martin 

Having the Beogram serviced by a professional is an obvious, and quite possibly the only sane, option, but I can't help but feel that I would get even more satisfaction from this system if I'm able to service it myself, albeit with guidance from helpful members such as yourself. And I'm in the process of resoldering an old Rotel amplifier as a test of how bad I am at this. Should the answer be that I'll most likely cause more damage than good I won't hesitate to hand it over to a professional along with your instructions.

Since we are on the topic of capacitators, should I replace the ones in the BeoMaster 8000 as well ? Both casette and phono works, for the best of my knowledge, as they should, but I haven't played around with any knobs or buttons apart from volume and the input selector.

Either way I need to open the Beomaster since two buttons have made their way into its innards, and from what I've read it should be great fun.

I started out as a silver member, but with all the help I recieved from you I quickly realized that a gold membership was the way to go.

Robert

You should replace the capacitors in the Beomaster as these tend to leak after a while - you will notice a crust on many of the red capacitors inside. there are also quite a few variable resistors which also go out of spec and have a distressing habit of falling apart when touched. I was not brave enough to do mine so had it done by my local dealer some years ago.

Doctor:

there are also quite a few variable resistors which also go out of spec and have a distressing habit of falling apart when touched.

Ah, yes. That is like music in my ears. The music of a thousand alarm clocks mating in an echo chamber. Especially the falling apart bit, that is rather unpleasant news.

No matter, I bow down for logic and have come to terms with the fact that a cap. kit for the Beomaster should be ordered as well. 
And we'll just have to wait and see if I dare an attempt with the soldering gun myself.

Thanks for your input, Doctor !

I agree on the BM8000 caps.

Regarding the Beogram, replacing the caps is in itself not particularly difficult.
The worst part is the main board itself. Go gently on the heat from the soldering iron.
To much heat will cause the copper traces to losen from the board and, even worse,
develop cracks that are more or less invisible.
These boards are especially good at developing cracks to copper traces right where they meet up with
a solder pad. Such a fault can be very hard to spot, even with a microscope and if you have more than one
at the same time, it can be very hard to diagnose too.
Keep soldering at a low heat setting and use a tiny tip if possible, a spade of 2mm width will normally
be fine.

And work to the board(s) should really take place in an anti-static enviroment.
An anti-static mat of the type meant for field repairs would be very nice as an absolute minimum.
It can be used again and again, packed and stored when not in use so would be a great investment anyways.

Martin

Dillen:

And work to the board(s) should really take place in an anti-static enviroment.
An anti-static mat of the type meant for field repairs would be very nice as an absolute minimum.

It can be used again and again, packed and stored when not in use so would be a great investment anyways.

This hadn't even crossed my mind, so that was a helpful hint indeed, Dillen. And the same goes for the soldering settings and size of the spade.

I'll replace the caps, clean and lubricate any moveable parts that are involved in the lowering and raising of the arm, and make certain that the screws behind the <</>> buttons measure correctly.
Should this fail to solve my problem I'll pick myself up off the floor and report back here.

Last post in september, now we're in february. Proof to the point that I'm faster than lightning. 

Back in november I cracked the Beogram open again, armed myself with the cap. kit and a soldering gun, stared back and forth between Dillens excellent instructions, the soldering gun and the innards of the Beogram. Took a couple of quick breaths and wisened up. Hence I brought it to someone a lot more qualified than me. 

Seems they operate on the same times chedule as me, but I was finally able to pick it up last monday. Suffice to say I'm chuffed to bits. 

So, now I just need to sort out the Beocord, and figure out why the remote control seems to have lost its will to live. 

Should have all that done by late 2016 I suspect.