MMC Cartridge Box: Now Available on Shapeways

What better way to celebrate my 400th beolover post with making the Beolover MMC Cartridge Box available on Shapeways?? It is time for adequate protection for our valuable cartridges!

It was a lengthy and difficult process to get this part designed and I had to go through many design iterations to get the 'feel' right. I desired to have a solid press-fit between the cartridge and the 'base' of the box to afford maximum protection to the cartridge in case someone accidentally drops the base after inserting a cartridge. The top on the other hand was supposed to fit with some, but not too much friction to enable easy access. Some manufacturing tolerances at Shapeways did not help this process either, and so it took me many design iterations and test prints to get to a point where the print outcomes between different print-runs were satisfactory.

So here we go: This shows the bases with cartridges inserted and the matching tops:

And with closed tops:

And why not get base and top in a duo-tone combination??:

There are 49 color combinations possible as they are available in seven colors...check out the parts at my Shapeways store!

Or use these direct links below for ordering. You can select the color during checkout. It usually takes about two weeks to get parts from Shapeways in most parts of the world.

MMC Cartridge Box: Another Iteration

This is a follow up to my recent post about the design of MMC20 and MMC4000/6000 cartridge storage boxes. I just received the next iteration from Shapeways. I changed the lettering on the covers and also designed a cover with a view port to directly see what type cartridge is inside. Here are a couple of impressions:

I also made the covers a tad thicker in the hope to get a tighter fit, but now they are a bit too tight for my taste. So, I guess the next iteration may be the final one...;-)

MMC Cartridge Box: A First Impression

I accumulated a few MMC20 and MMC4000/6000 cartridges over the years, and I only have a couple protective covers. I always wanted a better solution for keeping them safe. Protecting them definitely makes sense considering the prices they fetch these days in good condition. So I set out to design a 3D printable small box. First I took exact measurements of a MMC20 cartridge and built a model in Inventor. Then I created the lower part of a box moulded to the metal housing of the cartridge and a cover.

Yesterday I received the third version of the design from Shapeways, which finally seems to fit the cartridge perfectly, and also has enough friction between the cover to give a nice open-close feel. The issue with 3D printing really is that every technology and material behaves differently, while having specific tolerances and 'quirks'. So it takes a bit of trial and error to get a working product from a CAD design. Well, here are a few impressions:

This shows the empty container. The bottom part shows the characteristic slant of the bottom part of the cartridge. The front part is cut out deeply to make sure that the cantilever and tip never touch anything:

Pretty amazing the resolution that Shapeways can achieve. The slightly grainy surface is a result of their Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process that blasts the plastic granules in the printing bed to fuse them into a solid body. 

And here with inserted MMC20CL cartridge. The cartridge body makes a nice smooth press-fit with the part to ensure protection even if turned upside down:

And closed. The cover shows the cartridge type on top:

I think I will redesign that a bit with bigger lettering. I will make a specific cover for each MMC20 and the MMC4000 and MMC6000 models that one can easily find the desired one. Shapeways also offers a bunch of nice colors, i.e. color coding will be possible, too.

Stay tuned for the final version...They will be offered at the Beolover Shapeway store.

Beogram 4002 (5513): First Contact and Test Drive

I recently received a nice condition Beogram 4002 (5513) for some TLC. So I opened it up and hooked it up to my Beosystem 6000 for a test drive. Immediately when I turned on the Beomaster 6000, a loud hum became apparent...I turned off and had a closer look. It turned out that P9 on PCB was inserted 180 degree reversed. That can happen since the 6 pin plug is not polarized, i.e. it can be inserted in both directions. Luckily, this is not damaging, since this plug does not carry any power rails. Here is a picture of the wrong orientation:

According to the circuit diagram the black chassis ground lead needs to be on the right side when observed from the front of the turntable. Like so:

This fixed the hum issue.

Further inspection also revealed a bit of a messy (but inconsequential) soldering job at the chassis GND connector at the back of the Beogram (I really wish people would spend a few minutes watching some of Norman Meir's absolutely excellent soldering tutorials on YouTube before messing with these beautiful vintage units...;-):

So far so good! I am listening to Somethin' Else (Blue Note 1595) on a nice 200g Classic Records audiophile reissue (stereo version) trying out the lovely, nice condition MMC6000 that this Beogram has fitted! Lucky owner!!