beolover: Beogram 8000 (5613): Complete Restoration

A while ago, I bought a Beogram 8000 (Type 5613) in nice cosmetic condition on local Craigslist. It had the usual issues like loose aluminum panels and a scratched hood, but the aluminum surfaces and veneer panels were in nice condition, so I thought it was a perfect candidate for 'rescue'. The Beolover just cannot let a nice Beogram go to waste!...;-). This Beogram also became the first one to receive the recently redesigned Beolover Internal RIAA Pre-Amplifier for Beogram 8000 and 8002, which is now switchable between RIAA amplification and signal pass-through. This allows using this Beogram on both modern 'devices' and classic amplifiers with a dedicated phono input.

This shows the final result of my efforts:

This unit is now for sale at the Beolover's DKaudiolover store.

Let's see what it took to get there!

This shows the unit as I received it:

And with the loose aluminum panels removed:

I removed the vital parts from the enclosure and set them up on my Lazy Susan, which is the perfect way to work on these fragile beauties from the 1980s:

The rotating platform allows working on the hardware without the need for messing with wire connections etc...

After a quick function test, which revealed sluggish carriage motion due to hardened lubricants and a very loose belt, and the usual issues with the <</>> control, I extracted the circuit board:

Rebuilding these old 1980s PCBs is crucial for achieving a reliably working Beogram of this vintage. They all have out-of-spec electrolytic capacitors, broken out board header pins, and cracked traces. The first step was removing the microcontroller can that is piggybacked onto the board:

This shows a close-up of the main reservoir capacitors that stabilize the power rails:

One of them, in the center, must have already failed and was replaced by the former owner. I replaced all the electrolytic capacitors on the board:

This shows the two added original 'afterthought' capacitors on the solder side (they subsequently became formal parts of the PCB design in the 8002):

And their new replacements:

I replaced the period-unique and no longer available 'four-legged' 2200uF capacitor with a Beolover 4-Pin 2200uF Reservoir Capacitor for Beogram 8000 and 8002. Here is a detail shot of the new reservoir capacitors:

This board is a textbook example of stress fractures of board header solder joints (check out the cracks around the three pins on the right):

I usually resolder all of the headers on these boards. This shows the above ones fixed:

I usually just add a bit of fresh solder and make sure that the entire solder point gets liquified during the process. On to the processor can:

It has one important electrolytic capacitor inside that definitely needs to be replaced! It is responsible for decoupling the processor power supply from the noise of the rest of the power rails, mostly caused by EMI and EMF coming from the motors.

I removed the lids from the can, as well as the processor. This shows the original decoupling 47uF capacitor next to the processor supply pin:

It is a bit difficult to extract since the negative lead is soldered on the component side. I usually unsolder the positive end and then lift it up like so:

Then the negative point can easily be accessed, and the capacitor can be removed. It is a good Idea to remove the shielded wire that is soldered to the bottom of the board:

Then the new capacitor can be installed. First I solder in the negative end on the component side

and then the positive end on the solder side:

Then I reinstalled the shielded wire:

This shows the processor and the capacitor in place:

The next step was plugging the processor can back into the main PCB:

This concluded my work on the main PCB. There are some more electrolytic capacitors that need to be replaced. They are located on the small board that hosts the 5 and 15V regulators next to the sub-platter:

Someone had already gone in and replaced one of the capacitors with the wrong type. The unusual green unit is a 0.22uF cap, where it should be a 1uF unit to properly stabilize the 5V rail.

I installed new capacitors with the proper values:

While the soldering iron was hot I also replaced the original National output relay

with a new Beolover Output Relay for Beogram 8000:

I also installed a (red) switch that allows connecting system and signal grounds in case there is a hum issue caused by a ground loop, etc...:

Next, I removed the subplatter to see if this Beogram already had its tacho disk replaced:

This unit already had a metal disc installed. At the beginning of the production run of the 8000, they used plastic disks with a printed interrupter pattern instead of the cut slots in the later metal disks. These original plastic discs all seem to delaminate, causing RPM stability issues. So it is a great idea to put in a metal disk if there is still the original plastic version installed. The metal disks are available at the DKsoundparts store in Denmark.

On to cleaning and re-lubricating the carriage translation mechanism. As usual, this unit had lubricant-encrusted parts:

I removed the parts for cleaning in my ultrasonic bath:

While the carriage is 'up', it is a great moment to replace the incandescent bulb in the tracking sensor with a Beolover Tracking Sensor LED Light Source for Beogram 8000 and 8002. The first step is 'liberating' the wires that connect to the tracking sensor PCB so it can be pulled out. They are held in place with two rubber rings (indicated by the red arrows):

I removed them and pulled the wires out a bit:

Be careful not to damage the fragile tonearm wiring that goes into the center of the bearing of the arm assembly while this is done. The next step is pulling out the small metal plate that covers the tracking sensor from the top:

It can be pushed out towards the left (in the above picture) if it is a bit lifted up at the front. Removal reveals the photoresistor and bulb of the sensor::

The next step was carefully pulling out the small board that holds the bulb and the resistor (red arrow):

It can usually be positioned like this for access to the bulb solder points:

When I unsoldered the bulb it immediately lost one of its legs:

This is a common issue with these bulbs; the heat close to the glass corrodes the wires, and they tend to break off after a while. I like LED replacements since they promise to last much longer than bulbs and are also more stable mechanically.

This shows the Beolover replacement part:

It is soldered to the same pads as the bulb:

Here the view from the front:

If you try this at home, make sure the LED faces the photoresistor!...;-).

The final installation steps are to replace the cover plate

and to put the wires back into their original location:

Another task to complete while the carriage is liberated is the installation of a small Kapton patch under the arm counterweight. This is how it usually looks on a Beogram 8000:

You can see a discoloration where the adjustment screw touches it to adjust the vertical arm parallelism. Unfortunately, sometimes the counterweight sticks to the screw when the arm is supposed to lower, and this can cause the arm to drop onto the platter without damping. The reason is that the solenoid makes its move while the counterweight is stuck. Then at some point, it releases, and the arm falls freely onto the platter.

The remedy for this is installing a piece of smooth Kapton or similar:

B&O started doing this in the factory for the Beogram 8002. So they must have noticed this already back then. Once the tape is in place, the vertical parallelism can be adjusted with a screwdriver:

The tonearm needs to be parallel to the sensor arm:

There is another bulb that should be replaced. It is in the black box on the keypad PCB:

The first step is sliding out the PCB (sometimes it is held in place by an (unnecessary) small screw. After removing the screw, use a screwdriver to lift the board above the screw receptacle. Then the board can be slid out:

While the PCB is removed, it is a great moment to clean the buttons and their recesses. For this, the buttons are best removed (note their locations, they can be accidentally switched)

Then the button recesses can be cleaned with a moist Q-tip:

Do not use alcohol around the Beogram 8000 or 8002. Many components do not hold up to it, and cosmetic damage can occur. Always just use warm water.

To replace the bulb, the cover of the black box needs to be removed. It is just clipped on and can be liberated with a suitable screwdriver. Once it is off, the bulb is revealed:

The bulb is soldered to terminals on the bottom of the keypad PCB:

After using my desoldering gun on the pads, I removed the bulb. This shows the bulb in comparison to a white 5mm LED after I Dremeled the originally clear plastic a bit to make it matte for diffusing the light uniformly. It is also a good idea to grind off the rim that such LEDs usually have at the bottom of the plastic encasement, so it fits better into the bulb cavity.

This shows the inserted LED:

Since the bulb runs on 15V, the LED needs a current-limiting resistor. Values between 4.7k and 10k are usually working:

Make sure the resistor is installed in the approximate location shown above. If it is too far away from the 'black box assembly', it can interfere when the circuit board is slid back behind the keypad.

At this point, I re-assembled the carriage mechanism. This shows the shiny moving parts back from the ultrasonic:

I coated the rods and the spindle with Takticel NST, a nanoparticle-based coating that makes metal surfaces slippery. After coating the parts, they need to sit for ~2 hrs for the coating to form:

Then it was time to put everything back together. It can be a bit tricky to get the spindle in while the carriage is still up. A good starting point looks like this:

Once the spindle and the long rod are in place the assembly can be slowly tilted towards its horizontal position while guiding the spindle into its 'bearing' near the motor. Once the spindle is seated in the bearing, the front rod can be inserted and clipped into place:

After installing the new belt, I clipped the rotary encoder PCB back into its cradle:

If you do this at home, make sure you orient the aperture wheel so that the encoder can be inserted without bending the plastic apertures. With the carriage back in place, it was the moment for adjusting the horizontal arm parallelism. I used my new Beolover Arm Alignment Tool for Beogram 8000 and 8002:

It makes it straightforward to get the arms perpendicular to the carriage rods. Simply loosen the two screws in the back of the sensor arm a bit, align the arm with the tool and carefully re-tighten the screws. Then adjust the tonearm parallel to the sensor arm using the screw on the side of the sensor arm.

Next, I installed a new Beolover Motor Capacitor for Beogram 8000 and 8002 in the transformer box. This shows it opened up with the grey original capacitor still in place:

Installation of the Beolover part is easy. Just unsolder the leads on the capacitor and then tack them to the COM and the 39uF (220V/50Hz units) or 27uF (110V/60Hz units) pad. Then seat the capacitor assembly in the opening where the original cap sat:

After this, I did the adjustment of the <</>> voltages

and the tracking sensor adjustment, and then it was finally time to give this functionally restored Beogram 8000 a first test spin. I moved the Lazy Susan platform with the Beogram setup on top to a cabinet near my amplifier and plugged it in.

I put on my favorite 1980s Lonnie Liston Smith record, "Dreams of Tomorrow" (Doctor Jazz FW38447), and listened to my favorite track, the very funky "A Lonely Way To Be" written by Marcus Miller, the most fantastic bass player of the 1980s (IMO!...;-), and everything worked perfectly! Here is an impression of my setup:

Next, I focused on restoring the enclosure. First, I glued the aluminum panels back into place:

As usual the small shield of the black panel that sits under the arms had come loose, too. I glued it back into place, too:

Then I installed a new hood obtained from the DKsoundparts store in Denmark. The original trim was moved over from the original hood by co-Beolover Beomazed. He is doing an outstanding job on these. It is a pretty difficult process to move the trim, and one has to be very careful not to damage it. In this case, the result was perfect!

Then it was time to put the 'entrails' back into the enclosure and do another test spin!

This time I selected one of my favorite 1970s records, "Free as the Wind" by the Crusaders. It was released in 1977 on ABC Records (BT-6029). Here are a couple of impressions of the album playing on this nearly new-looking Beogram 8000!: