Beogram 4002 (5514): First Impressions

Another Beogram 4002 arrived. This is the first 5514 model that reached my bench. This Beogram came in its original box and still had the appropriate styrofoam pieces! Very nice:

The platter was packed extra in a vinyl shipping box. I think that is a good idea to protect the hood inside in the event of rough treatment by the carrier.

I put it on the bench and had a look:

Very nice cosmetic condition! Needs some cleaning, but otherwise pretty good! Even the keypad is not to bad:

A great idea to outfit this Beogram with a 4002 Commander remote control to protect this keypad from further damage.

The veneer corners are also pristine:

I took off the aluminum panels and found a pristine unadulterated situation:

Then it was time to turn it on. The deck started, but the arm would not drop. I manually tried to move the arm lowering mechanism and it turned out that it has completely hardened lubricants. This means the solenoid is just not strong enough to move the linkages and so nothing happens. This will most likely be fixed after I restore the mechanism. Otherwise everything seems to work on first glance...both RPM lights are still working and the motor spins. I will do an RPM test with my BeoloverRPM device to get a baseline on its performance before I rebuild the platter drive system. Other items I found are completely degraded transport lock bushings:

An easy fix with my custom designed replacement bushings that are available via my Shapeways store.

An interesting detail about the 5514 version is the power-on LED on the lower left corner of the deck:

It is plugged into P2 on the main circuit board, right next to the motor connections:

The hood is in pretty decent conditions but has the usual scratches. Nothing what a good polishing could not fix. So, all in all a pretty good starting point for a restoration to like-new condition.

The Beogram came with a MMC20EN cartridge in the original box. I really like when Beogram owners keep all the packaging materials...it just makes shipping so much easier!

Unfortunately the cantilever is a bit at an off angle like its found in so many EN cartridges. It seems they often have suspension issues:

I tried it out and it sounds o.k....so it can be used as a spare, or the suspension could be repaired...

Oh well...for now, let's focus on getting the Beogram restored!