Hi all,

We are back from our travels and found the new 4500 system waiting for us.  The units are superb cosmetically.   The receiver sounds great and seems to function in all ways save one.  It does not seem to respond to any of the remote control units.  I have tried the Beolink 1000, the audio terminal and a Beomaster 5500.  The 4500 does not respond to any of them.  Is there a switch or setting somewhere on the 4500 that enables remote operation or some combination of buttons required to make it respond to remote commands?  If not, what is the most likely cause of a failure to respond to the remote?  The second issue is the common issue of apparently needing to replace the belts on the Beocord 4500.  Martin, if you are following this post, can you PM the cost and availability of the belts for this unit.  Thanks.  It does rewind and fast forward but is really slow on play resulting in a wobble to the sound.  I appreciate any suggestions on the remote issue.  Thanks.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

There is a possibility that the Beomaster 4500 was part of a B&O setup

where the speakers were connected to f.e. a Beovision.

In those types of setup, the infrared sensor is de-activated (Option 0)

and all commands from the remote are relayed through the Beovision.

To (re)activate the infrared sensor on Beomaster 4500 :

press SOUND, 1, STORE (with Beolink 1000). 

The Beomaster 4500 should display "OP 1" briefly

and it should then be possible to control it via remote (Beolink 1000).

Thanks, that did it, but the display appeared to showed OP 1.5 rather than just OP 1 briefly.  Without a manual these things are hard to intuit.  In the files section the only manual listed for this unit is one written in French which doesn't help me much.  

If anyone has an English version I would gladly pay for a copy.  Thanks.

Jerry

That appears to be a 1-way version of BM4500. (2-way versions don't display the ".5" if i'm correct)

Doesn't really matter since you will control it with a 1 way remote (Beolink 1000)

Regarding the manual, i have an English version, which i will upload to the manuals-section.

You could send me an email and i'll send you a copy.

Several versions are available for download.

Check the Beosystem directory (instead of the Beomaster directory)

The User manual is of the full Beosystem (BM4500 and other 4500 components)

Thanks, I did find the correct manual there and it has been most helpful!  I now understand how the unit works (I think) and how to make the necessary settings to get everything to work properly.  I appreciate your help.  BTW, in an earlier response you indicated there were both one way and two way remote versions of the 4500.  Any idea what the model numbers were for both or when the changeover was made?

Jerry

Not 100% sure about which model numbers apply to 1/2 way versions

but from my experience i would say that the majority are 2-way versions.

Pretty much all had the 2-way hardware, but some of these had 1-way software

(which de-activates the infrared transmitters)

So even if you have a 1-way version, it would be possible to "upgrade" it to a 2-way version

by changing the software to a version higher than 2.0

Some time ago, i re-built a Beomaster 3500 (which is almost identical to Beomaster 4500,

but has grey finish of panel and is 1-way)

and the 3500 did not have the 2-way hardware (no infrared transmitters)

I took the infrared transmitters of a broken 4500 and placed it underneath the glass panel.

After i replaced the 3500 software with a 4500 version, it became a 2-way version

The image (the small one, bottom of page) shows the infrared transmitters underneath the glass panel, 

you could check whether your 4500 has the 2-way hardware, if the small square has

the infrared transmitters right above the "SOUND" button, it has the hardware.

You could then place new software to make it 2-way, which gives the 4500 additional functionality

like timer programming for recording / play / stand.by and lights (!)

Note that you would need a 2-way remote (Beolink 5000 / 7000) to be able to use the additional features.

The large image shows the 2-way feedback that the Beolink 5000 (transparent !) display shows when recording.

Hi,

Most helpful, thank you.  Mine appears to be a one way unit as I see no transmitters under the glass, only behind the IR cover at the lower left to the left of the head phone jack.  I did get the tape unit working properly by removing just the bottom cover and, using a small paint brush, applied a bit of lube to the shafts using SilKroil, a penetrating oil with a silicone additive that seems to unstick most any mechanical component.  The belt appeared to be good.  I did not attempt to remove the top cover and plate as I am not sure just how to release the hinges to get the top lid off.  The diagram on the bottom appears to show levering the hinge forward away from the lid and then sliding the lid up and off the hinge.  There are no probe marks so this lid does not look to have been removed in the past and I decided not to do so until I learn how to do it correctly.  Anyway, letting the SilKroil do its work for a few hours seems to have "cured" the dragging sound from the tape unit.  Now it sounds and plays as it should.  Even decades old cassette tapes sound fantastic.  In some cases I have the same album in both commercial cassette and CD and the tape version sounds better to my old ears.  I will be interested to hear if there is any difference playing those old tapes through the 8002 tape player when the new to me 8000 system arrives later this month.

With the 4500 now in place and performing wonderfully I will be offering my pristine 3300 system for sale within a few weeks.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond and for posting those helpful pics.  BTW, how does one load new versions of the software into the 4500?

Regards, Jerry

dtjoint:

With the 4500 now in place and performing wonderfully I will be offering my pristine 3300 system for sale within a few weeks.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond and for posting those helpful pics.  BTW, how does one load new versions of the software into the 4500?

Regards, Jerry

The software sits in a box onderneath the mirror panel.

It can be changed by replacing the entire box, which contains the EEPROM.

If you want to open up your BM4500, have a look at this page on my website,

scroll down the page, there are a few pics which show the removal of the glass panel.

After the glass panel is removed, you can then loosen the screws to remove the mirror panel.

Regarding your 3300 system; i have the exact same system, including the matching wall-brackets.

Are you sure you want to sell it ?

Over the years, i have gathered several systems (2000, 3300, 3500, 4500) and at first i wanted to sell them,

but i think i will regret it if i do !