Martin is being entirely too modest.
The Beogram 4000 proved to be unreliable, problematic, and repeatedly blew fuses for the previous owner. In short, the 4000 exhausted the owner’s patience and he put it up for sale on eBay. Once it “appeared” that the fuse issue was sorted out, only then did he agree to sell the 4000 to me. (An honorable seller)
The 4000 arrived in pieces, but once it was put back together and with help from Martin and Frede…. it performed extremely well for 9 months.
Then the fuse blew and the rest of the story is well known. Martin was BEYOND patient with me, offering step by step advice, but in the end, I could not manage to locate the problem and shipped the 4000 to Martin, who is undoubtedly trying to save me embarrassment, by not revealing the details.
However, my motto is we can all learn from other people’s mistakes and although this error would be highly unlikely to be repeated, this is what happened.
The former owner purchased the Beogram 4000 in Berlin and brought it with him to the United States. He had the 4000 adapted to 115v and changed the electrical plug to US standard. Had I known that this trivial detail was important I could have saved myself a world of grief and money.
If exact details are required, I can quote from Martin’s report, or he can elaborate for himself if need be. However the long and the short of it is the 250mA fuse that worked perfectly well when the 4000 was powered in Germany with 220v was inadequate once the 4000 was switched to 115v. Internal voltage is nearly double with 115v as opposed to 220v, so as long as the Beogram did not lower the tonearm, the 4000 was a happy camper. But the minute the tonearm lowered, the voltage shot past the 250mA fuse’s capacity and it blew. Repeatedly!
The only unresolved mystery is how did the 4000 operate for 9 months without blowing the 250mA fuse? I don’t think there is an answer to that. However once an appropriate higher value fuse was installed, the Beogram 4000 tested out with no electrical faults. So it went all the way back to Denmark for a fuse.
I will be SO happy to have my much appreciated Beogram 4000 back…. there are simply no words to properly express.
The Beogram 4000 problem now fixed as well as a speed issue with my Beocord 8004 resolved…. I was attempting an adjustment sans the proper tool, but once Martin provided me with a source in the UK, that issue is behind me as well.
Currently I am “attempting” to locate the problem with my Beocord 9000. With help/advice coming in from Martin, Derek, and Bill Rapp I am getting fairly close to pinpointing the problem. First I need to rule out a few issues that Derek pointed out as possible problems all mentioned in a few threads back.
Assuming that the motor issues can be put to rest as not the problem, then I will attempt to test the power supply transistors as per Martin’s direction. Unfortunately, I very much doubt I possess the technical expertise to carry out this task properly. My limited skills are better suited in dealing with mechanical problems and adjustment of these Beograms/Beocords as compared to testing for voltage values with my handy new Fluke multimeter.
Jeff