Beogram 4004 (5526): Restoration of Arm Lowering and Tracking Systems

As usual, my first step of the restoration of the Beogram 4004 (5526) that recently arrived was to rebuild the arm lowering and tracking systems. This shows the arm lowering mechanism of the unit:

I removed the linkages and the damper for cleaning and lubricating:

This shows the parts spread out:

After reassembly it was time to get to the linkage that connects the damper with the tonearm. This shows the back of the arms:

Removal of the two screws at the bottom of the sensor arm enabled its removal:

I removed the retaining washer and the small spring underneath (careful here - this tiny spring likes to vanish very spontaneously) and removed the linkage:

After lubricating the pivot shaft I put everything back together and adjusted the arms to a parallel alignment:

This concluded the restoration of the arm lowering system. I moved on to the tracking sensor and the pulley that drives the carriage spindle:

I like to replace both since the light bulbs in the tracking sensor often break and most of the pulleys seem to crack at some point, which makes them wobbly and this causes unbeolovely vibrations when the carriage is driven. I removed the tracking sensor light bulb assembly. This shows the Beolover LED replacement assembly in comparison with the original unit. The LED is in the same spot where the bulb filament is located.

Like all Beolover parts featured on this blog, this part is available to other enthusiasts. Just send an email or use the contact form on the right. This is how it looks after installation:

Next was replacing the plastic pulley with one of Nicks awesome precision machined aluminum units:

I'd be happy to put you in touch with Nick if you want to get such a pulley for your own Beogram! I also put in a new belt, and that concluded the restoration of the tracking system. On to the electronics!