Beogram CD X: Revisiting To Address Some Loose Ends

I finished up the Beogram CD X in a previous post. It has been playing in my workshop since then. I haven't encountered any issues with actual CD play. However, while playing around with the CD X controls I did discover that the seven segment display window has a broken segment.

Pressing the "Display" text on the CD X touch panel will cycle the display from displaying the current track time, total elapsed time and the track number:number of repeats.

While in those other display modes I could see a missing segment.

The Beogram CD X seven segment display is a module specifically made for several CD players of the CD X generation. I contacted Martin Olsen to see if he had any spares. Luckily for me he had a New Old Stock (NOS) module he could source me.

Having recently received it I opened the CD X back up for replacement of the display.

Re-installation of the CD X circuit board with this display is not as easy as it appears. While there are just three screws to mount the circuit board to the CD X frame...it must be aligned just right. The glass touch panel has a number of small rubber contact tabs that must contact metal posts on the board. If they don't make correct contact the touch panel won't operate correctly. It took me a couple of tries to get the CD X display board re-installed/re-aligned where everything worked again.

Once I got past that re-assembly hurdle the CD X was back to full functionality again.

BeoGram CD X: Restoring the door motor

In the previous post about this BeoGram CD X unit I got it working again by reworking the board vias. While the CD X was playing CDs again its motorized door was struggling with opening and closing.

I ordered a new belt for the door motor and received it from Martin Olsen this week.

This post shows the opening back up of the CD X and changing out the belt motor plus checking capacitor 2801 (220uF, 10V) of the door's motor drive circuit. The capacitor is sometimes faulty.
I will also show the restored vias on the Servo board (PCB 04) as I promised in the first CD X post.
Here is the CD X with the bottom cover removed. You can see the door motor assembly on the left.

I removed the top cover from the main CD assembly to make easier work of the belt replacement.

While the CD assembly is out I will take this time to show photos of the Servo board (PCB 04) I restored the vias on earlier.

Continuing with the CD X motor belt and capacitor 2801 replacement, this next picture shows the CD X top cover with the door motor assembly.

The door motor belt cannot be replaced without some more disassembly so the next few pictures illustrate taking the motor assembly apart to get at the belt.

To remove the gear blocking the extraction of the belt there is one of those pesky C-clips. Pesky because they are very easy to lose.

I had to loosen the two screws on one door switch assemblies to give enough clearance to remove the large, white, plastic gear. Finally the belt as accessible.

I installed the new belt and reassembled the motor assembly.

Now it is time for the 2801 capacitor.  I de-soldered and removed it. Sure enough the 220uF capacitor only measures 65uF.

Replacing it I can continue the reassembly of the CD X.

A test of the restored door motor assembly now shows the door opening and closing with ease.
This CD X is ready to go back into service.

BeoGram CD X: Restoring to working order

Here is a BeoGram CD X that was recently dropped off to see if I could get it working again.

This is a really nice design by Bang & Olufsen from the mid-eighties, 1986 to be precise.
Interestingly this CD player was marketed for users who did not necessarily own a B&O system. The CD X only has RCA output plugs instead of the usual five or seven pin DIN plug. It also has no remote control capability.

However, when all other CD players were the typical rectangular box shape, B&O went for a nice, sleek, top loading CD player.

Quite a lovely design that I have always liked.

A problem and usually "the problem" with these CD players is that they stop functioning due to problems with vias that connect circuitry to the ground plane of their circuit boards.
That being the case my first task will be to rework all of the board vias and see if that doesn't get this CD X unit working again.

The CD X is not too difficult to figure out how to open up. The service manual has instructional diagrams. The bottom cover is removed first.  Then the top can be removed (along with disconnecting a few connections).

Here is the CD X with the bottom cover removed.

Here is the CD X with the top cover removed.

As with most CD X units that have been sitting unused for a while there is quite a bit of dust inside.

I will clean out all of the dust as I work on the two main circuit boards.

I started with the Decoder circuit board (PCB 05) on the underside of the unit. It is probably the key board to repair the vias on.

I actually removed this board to do the vias repair.
My repair method is to de-solder the vias, remove the wire/pin and run a piece of stranded wire into the hole. On the ground plane side of the board I fan out the wire strands and solder them to the board.
After that I cut off the new wire on the underside and solder it to the pad on the board.

I apologize for not having photos of the other side of the board and for not taking photos of the other circuit board I reworked the vias on (Servo board - PCB 04).  I will make sure to do those for the next CD X unit I work on :-).

After reassembling the CD X I inserted a CD and it played like it should.  This CD X unit is working again!

Next was some actual listening testing.  I connect the CD X to TP1 of my workshop Beomaster 8000 receiver.  The CD X played great.

Being manufactured in 1986 it will likely require some recapping of the electrolytic capacitors at some point. I will also want to replace the belt on the motor that opens and closes the CD X lid. Those tasks will be done in the future.

For now I will move this CD player to a listening room for some more testing before I return it to its owner.