Beogram 4002 (5513): A New Arrival from Texas

I recently received a Beogram 4002 (Type 5513) from a customer in Texas. It arrived safely in a Beolover shipping container. This post gives a first assessment of the unit. A follow up will discuss the work done once this Beogram is back to like-new performance.

I extracted the unit from the packaging and put it on the bench:

The hood has the usual scratches:

The hinges seem un-cracked, i.e. this hood could still be polished for some more useful life, or it could be replaced with a new reproduction hood from the Beoparts-store in Denmark.

The keypad shows moderate deterioration from use:

Further deterioration could be stopped by installing a Beolover Commander remote control system. It allows full control of the turntable via an Apple remote (or a Beo4 if the Beogram is to be used integrated with a more modern B&O system).

The plinth is in decent condition. The right corner needs re-glueing and it has a small chip at the bottom

but the left corner is still nice:

There are a few small dings and scratches

Nothing unusual for a 'middle aged guy'!...;-).

I removed the aluminum panels and the platter and had a look 'below deck':

It seems pretty original without having seen any obvious results of  'human creativity'. Original condition is usually the best starting point for any restoration. Previous repair attempts often lead to interesting evenings, trying to figure out unusual issues...;-).

This 4002 has the usual degraded transport lock bushings as is evident from the many orange plastic fragments strewn around the enclosure:

Luckily, this will be easily fixed by installing new Beolover transport lock bushings.

After this visual inspection I plugged the unit in. The platter motor immediately came on, indicative of a not working off-switch. I had a look at the small circuit board beneath the carriage and it was immediately clear that the off-switch indeed had a problem:

It was lacking its plastic extension that is needed for being actuated by the carriage assembly when approaching the home position. I tried to find this plastic part within the enclosure, but no luck so far. Often they are stuck somewhere under the floating chassis or the boards. I will see when I take the unit apart during the restoration work. If I cannot find it, I will fix this with a 3D printed Beolover replacement part.

In summary, this Beogram 4002 is a pretty good starting point for a complete functional restoration. Stay tuned!