beolover: Beogram 8002 (5633): Complete Restoration and Upgrade with Beolover Internal RIAA Pre-Amplifier and Commander Remote Control

Last year, I was offered a Beogram 8002 (Type 5633) in very nice original condition by its original owner. I did not hesitate to buy it! This post details the work done on this Beogram to return it to its original glory and like-new performance. I also installed the Beolover Commander Remote Control for Beogram 8000 and 8002, as well as the Beolover Internal RIAA Pre-Amplifier for Beogram 8000 and 8002.

This shows the unit after I completed my work:

This Beogram 8002 is now available for purchase at the Beolover's DKaudiolover store.

Let's see what it took to get there:

This shows the unit after I put it on my bench:

This unit was in very good cosmetic condition with a mostly unscratched original hood, an almost flawless platter, and very nice aluminum surfaces:

Even the veneer panels were almost pristine with excellent corners:

I put the unit into 'service position, i.e., I removed all the vital parts from the enclosure and set them up on my bench:

First, I focused on rebuilding the main PCB. This shows it extracted in its original condition:

I removed the microprocessor can and replaced all the electrolytic capacitors:

I replaced the period-unique 4-legged original 2200uF reservoir capacitor with the Beolover 4-Pin 2200uF Reservoir Capacitor for Beogram 8000 and 8002. This shows old and new in direct comparison:

And here is an impression of the Beolover part installed:

There was one more electrolytic capacitor that needed replacement: The decoupling capacitor next to the microcontroller in the processor shield can:

I opened the can up:

The capacitor is under the small add-on board. This shows it lifted up, revealing the (gold colored) cap:

This shows it replaced with a modern type:

Note that the negative end of this capacitor is soldered on both sides of the board, i.e., it also functions as a ground via.

Next, I focused on the two electrolytic capacitors on the small PCB that connects the voltage regulators for the 5V and 15V rails:

I replaced them with modern types:

Then I replaced the output relay. They often have oxidized terminals inside or get stuck:

I replaced it with a modern encapsulated replacement:

I also installed a (red) switch that allows connecting the system and the signal ground in case there is a hum issue:

The final capacitor to be replaced was in the transformer block. This shows it opened up, revealing the original non-polar electrolytic motor phase capacitor::

The red part on the left is the Beolover Motor Capacitor for the Beogram 8000 and 8002. It uses modern multilayer ceramic capacitors, a much better solution for a non-polar capacitance to shift a motor phase. This shows the original capacitor removed and the Beolover replacement connected to the original leads:

The Beolover capacitor is designed to accommodate both 50 Hz and 60 Hz Beogram versions. Simply solder one of the leads to the terminal labeled 'COM' and the other to the 27uF terminal for US 60Hz versions or to the 39uF labeled terminal for 220V 50Hz versions. Once soldered to the leads, the part fits neatly next to the PCB that holds the mains fuse:

Now it was time to pop up the carriage to clean the usually lubricant-encrusted components responsible for the carriage motion. This shows the carriage liberated and the parts ready for the ultrasonic cleaner:

While the carriage is up, it is the perfect moment for replacing the tracking sensor light bulb with a Beolover Tracking Sensor LED Light Source for Beogram 8000 and 8002. The first step for this procedure is liberating the four wires that lead into the tracking sensor housing. They are secured in place with a small rubber ring placed on one leg of a split post through which the wires are fed.

After removing the rubber ring, the wires can be pulled out:

The next step was removing the small metal plate that shields the tracking sensor from ambient light from the top. This shows it still in place:

After lifting the front end above the small plastic peg, the lid can be slid out to the left, and the photoresistor and bulb become visible:

The small board can be pulled out with suitable pliers or strong tweezers for accessing the solder pads of the bulb:

Here is a view from the front:

I unsoldered the bulb. This shows the liberated bulb together with the Beolover LED replacement:

The LED board is soldered to the same pads that supplied the bulb:

Make sure the LED faces the photoresistor if you try this at home!...;-). This shows the small PCB back in place:

Then the cover can be re-installed:

The final step is putting the wires back into their original position and reinstalling the small rubber ring to hold them in place:

While the carriage is up, it is the perfect moment for adjusting the vertical arm parallelism to get the tone arm parallel to the sensor arm:

In the meantime, the removed parts came back nice and shiny from the ultrasonic bath:

I reinstalled the parts and put the carriage back into place. Then it was time to adjust the lateral arm parallelism using my recently developed Beolover Arm Alignment Tool for Beogram 8000 and 8002:

The tool makes it easy to get the arms adjusted perpendicular to the carriage rods.

Next, I focused on the keypad, which always gets the light bulb in the <</>> assembly replaced with an LED. In this case, I also installed the Beolover Commander Remote Control for Beogram 8000 and 8002:

Check out the video that is posted under the above link for details on how the Commander is installed and how it works.

This shows the LED installed in place of the light bulb. in the <</>> assembly:

Since the bulb runs on 15V, the LED needs a current-limiting resistor in series:

Make sure this resistor is installed in the approximate location as shown above if you try this at home. Otherwise, it may be in the way when the PCB is clipped back into place behind the keypad.

I plugged everything back together and did the <</>> voltage adjustments per the service manual. The screws in the black <</>> housing need to be adjusted to get 650mV for both << and >> directions when the buttons are not pressed.

I also did the tracking sensor feedback adjustment. This shows the LED in action:

The feedback needs to be adjusted so that the platter rotates 2-3 times before the carriage starts moving after the needle hits the record. This can be adjusted with the small screw on the right side of the tracking sensor housing. It moves an aperture inside the housing, and with this, determines at what point of the arm deflection enough light falls on the photoresistor to cause the carriage motor to come on.

The other upgrade for this Beogram 8002 was the installation of the Beolover Internal RIAA Pre-Amplifier for Beogram 8000 and 8002:

This shows the board installed:

It is designed to connect directly to the solder pads where the output wires for the left and right channels are connected on the ribbon cable:

Simply unsolder the wires:

and then bolt in the board and solder the four vias on the RIAA board to the clean solder points:

This post gives more detailed info about the installation process.

The latest iteration of the RIAA board features a set of DIP switches that allow routing the output signal with amplification and without. That way, a Beogram fitted with the RIAA board can be configured for use on both the high-level inputs of modern amplifiers and 'devices', as well as on phono inputs of vintage amplifiers.

At this point, everything was in place for a first test-spin. I put on one of my favorite Kraut-Jazz albums, "House-Boat" by Volker Kriegel. This very crisp-sounding album was released on MPS Records in 1978 (MPS 15.535). The perfect music for happy afternoons fixing Beograms!...;-). The Beogram in service positon performed very well:

Now it was time to work on the enclosure. Like most Beogram 8000 and 8002 units these days, this unit also had loose aluminum panels. I glued them back into place after removing all the degraded double-sided tape remnants: