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Beolover SyncDrive: DC Platter Motor Replacement for Beogram 4002 and 4004 (Type 551x and 552x)

Late Beogram 4002 and the 4004 (Types 551x and 552x), which have DC platter motors instead of the earlier synchronous AC motors usually suff...

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Beogram 4002 (5513): A New Arrival from Seattle en Route to Australia

A while ago I received a Beogram 4002 that was bought on US ebay by an Australian customer. He asked me to restore the unit before sending it on to him. This post gives a first impression of what I found in the box:

It was in pretty rough and dirty condition. It probably sat in a basement or attic for some time. Unfortunately, the hood was not protected during that period and some scratches accumulated on the aluminum trim with the B&O logo:

The hood itself was very dirty and also has many scratches:
The good news is that the damages on the inside seem limited and the hinges appear not to be cracked. This means it can probably be restored to a decent appearance. The aluminum trim could be exchanged with a replica strip.

Under the hood I fond this:
Sadly, the cartridge had been left on the arm and it lost its cantilever and Plexiglas protector. 
There is not much one can do except getting it rebuilt or buy a new one. On the positive side, the aluminum surfaces are in decent condition, 
but the keypad has a lot of damages from use:
The plinth is pretty good, with one corner perfect,
and the other with a minor chip:
Under the aluminum panels I found a decent situation. No obvious previous 'human interaction' which is usually a good starting point for a restoration:
One of the floating chassis springs is rusty, another indicator that this unit spent some time in a non-climatized environment:
After this visual inspection, I plugged it in and pressed start. The platter motor came on with a shriek, indicating a thirst for fresh oil for its dry Oilite bearings. The carriage started moving and stopped at the LP setdown point. All good signs, promising a possibly uneventful restoration of the functional components of this deck.


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