Beogram 4002 (5503): Installation of Upgrades - Internal RIAA Preamp, Commander Remote Control and a New Hood

After completing the functional restoration of a Beogram 4002 (Type 5503) that I had received from Oklahoma, it was time to install the upgrades my customer desired. He wanted the internal Beolover RIAA pre-amplifier that I recently updated to fit AC motor Beogram 4002s, the Beolover Commander remote control system and a brand new hood to give this Beogram a pristine like-new look.

I started out by preparing the keypad for the Commander remote system. This shows the complete Commander kit for AC motor Beogram 4002s:

The small narrow circuit board to the right in the above picture is the keypad adapter. Since AC motor Beograms still mostly rely on directly soldered wiring harnesses, the installation of the Commander is unfortunately not 'plug and play' like the DC motor version. Instead, a breakout for the keypad signals needs to be created that the Commander can communicate with the control system of the Beogram and take over the keypad functions. 

This shows the keypad PCB after pulling it out from its slot under the keypad:

The solder pads on the left side connect to the wiring harness that sends the keypad signals to the main board. This shows the contact pads magnified:

The keypad breakout fits onto these pads, but a 'corridor' needs to be generated by removing some of the solder that the adapter can be soldered in. This is shown here:

When I took the above picture I already had added some solder flux to the pads in preparation for soldering the adapter in. This shows the adapter (also with some flux on the pads):

The adapter essentially connects the small white connector 1:1 to the keypad pads. When soldering it in, it is best to first tack it on only on two of the terminals so the fit can still be corrected easily. This is shown here:

It is important to make sure the board sits orthogonally respective to the keypad board:

Once the orientation is satisfying the remaining pads can be soldered into place:

Before I continued with the Commander installation I plugged the Beolover RIAA preamp board in since this needs to be done while the keypad is removed. This shows the original output board still in place together with the new green RIAA board on the right:

Implantation is a straight forward board switch. The RIAA board has the same connectors as the original board. This shows the board installed:

Then it was time to slide the modified keypad board back into its slot under the keypad:

Then I bolted the Commander board in (it uses one of the main PCB bolt holes):

After this I plugged the Beogram in and pressed start on the Apple Remote that connects to the Commander board and the carriage started moving. After it had moved sufficiently to reveal the small plastic fixture that holds the output board in place, I unplugged the unit and bolted the grounding connector of the RIAA board on top of the plastic part. The bolt goes directly into the enclosure, i.e. this is a good spot to make a system ground connection:

The last step was the installation of a new hood (acquired from the Beoparts Store in Denmark - these hoods are faithful reproductions of the original ones, made by injection moulding - very beolovely!). The first step was the removal of the hood hinge assembly from the scratched up original hood. To get to the screws one needs to remove the aluminum trim from the sides of the hood. This can usually be done with a razor blade that is forced in-between the trim and the plexiglass:

After unbolting the hinge assembly, I removed the actual hinges and checked them with my template that I recently developed after bent hinges led to the catastrophic failure of one of these hoods. These hinges passed with flying colors and fit perfectly onto my template:

So, on to the installation. I put the hinges back into place and then prepared the reproduction aluminum strip for hood. I usually make a small mark across a strip of blue tape and the aligned aluminum strip with a pencil:

That helps aligning the strip once the hinge has been bolted in. This shows the final result after installing the aluminum strip:

Very nice! This Beogram is ready for pickup! What better reason could there be for a roadtrip from Oklahoma to Albuquerque?!?!...;-)

Beogram 4004 (5526): Installation of a Brand New Hood

The Beogram 4004 that I just restored came with a hood that had cracks on both sides around the hinge areas. It also was pretty badly scratched and even had some scratches on the inside. In the past I would have made an effort to save it by installing hinge patches and spending some time in the garage with a polishing kit. Luckily, this is not necessary anymore since there are brand new hoods available that are made by the same die casting process like the original ones. This means they do not have any noticeable seams like they are found on other replacement hoods made from laser cut panels.

These hoods can be obtained from the Beoparts-shop in Denmark! This shows the new hood together with a properly labeled reproduced aluminum trim:

The first step of a hood replacement is to remove the hinge assembly from the original hood. Usually, one can liberate the aluminum trim sides from the plexiglass with a razor blade:

This reveals the bolts. Unbolting these bolts allows removal of the hinge:

The next step is aligning the aluminum trim. It needs to sit precisely centered. I made some 3D printed alignment helpers, which essentially function as templates for aligning the strip. 

I usually put a strip of blue tape on the hood allowing to make a small pencil alignment mark on the strip and the tape:

Now is the time to bolt the hinge into the new hood:

This shows the new bolts. Do not over-tighten, these new hoods can also crack!...;-)

After coating the aluminum trim with adhesive, it can be placed on the hood that the alignment marks match up:

Then the side parts can be bent down and pressed into place:

Beolovely!

Beogram 4002 (5513): Installation of a Brand New Hood

There was one more item to address before the Beogram 4002 (5513) that I recently restored would be ready to return to its owner: The original hood already showed telltale signs of developing cracks around the area where the hinge bolts into it:

My customer decided to replace the hood a brand new reproduction hood from the Beoparts-shop in Denmark! These hoods are manufactured via injection moulding, exactly like the original hoods. This means there are no seams like you find them on previously available hoods made by fusing laser cut panels together. These hoods look exactly like the original ones!

This shows the new hood together with the appropriate 4002 reproduction aluminum trim:

For installation, the hinge needs to be removed from the old hood. To get to the bolts, the aluminum trim needs to be pried off from the sides. After removing the bolts the hinge comes off:

I used my alignment helpers to place the aluminum trim properly:

And this is the final result with the hinge bolted in, and the aluminum trim glued to the hood:

Beolovely! This Beogram 4002 is ready to go back to its owner!

Beogram 4002: A New Day, a New Hood!

Today, I installed another brand new reproduction hood from the Beoparts-shop in Denmark! These hoods are manufactured via injection moulding, exactly like the original hoods. This means there are no seams like you find them on previously available hoods made by fusing laser cut panels together. These hoods look exactly like the original ones.

This shows the new hood:

The hood hinge I received was missing the 'sliding pads' (aka as 'guide rail' in the service manual) that keep the torsion spring of the hood from scraping along the actual hinge parts (aka 'mounting hardware' in the manual). I designed 3D printable replacements. Here you can see an original pad on the right and my copy on the left:

And here the copy is installed in the above hood:

Not as pretty as the original, but functional. This hood is ready to travel to its new owner!

Beogram 4000: Installation of a Brand New Hood!

The Beogram 4000 that I recently restored also had a scratched hood. Instead of spending 3 hrs in the garage polishing an old hood, my customer sent me a brand new reproduction hood from the Beoparts-shop in Denmark along for installation. These hoods represent a milestone in Beogram 400x restoration. They are manufactured via injection moulding, exactly like the original hoods. This means there are no seams like you find them on hoods made by fusing laser cut panels together.

In short: These hoods look exactly like the original ones. They were developed by Dillen (Beoworld). Their availability has advanced Beogram 400x restorations quite bit. Get your new hood directly from Beoparts-shop or get in touch with the Beolover. I have a bunch in stock in the US.

This post shows how I installed the hood on the original hinge part: Here is very the awesome new hood and a matching aluminum trim:

These hoods come covered with a self-adherent foil to prevent scratching during shipping and installation. I left this foil in place except around the hinge area. 

Let's do it! The first step is to remove the hinge part from the original hood. Usually, one can remove the sides of the aluminum trip with a razor blade:

This allows bending the trim back far enough to get to the often rusty screws:

Simply remove the screws and then take the hinge off:

Then bolt the new hinge in. It has an improved design. The original screws were countersunk flathead type. This creates lateral stress around the bolt holes and is in my opinion the main reason for the frequent cracks that form around the holes, rendering the original hoods obsolete.

The new design uses socket head screws with a thin head. This prevents most of the formation of lateral stress, so there is hope that these hoods may last longer. This shows the bolts in place (don't forget to use the supplied plastic washers under these bolts. This will reduce the stress even further):

Once the hinge has been bolted in, it is time to install the aluminum trim. The key aspect is to apply it precisely centered, that the trim sides reach down to the bottom of the hood on both sides in exact the same way matching the lower edge of the plexiglass. I designed a clip-on part that allows to apply the strip exactly centered. This shows the part for the left end of the strip

and this for the right end. Just place the strip that it exactly matches the ends of the two parts:

I use a small piece of blue painter's tape on the plexiglass to make a small alignment mark on the hood and the strip. Pencil can easily be removed from the brushed aluminum strip:

Using this alignment mark it is a simple task to place the strip exactly centered with the glue down. After pressing the strip into place on top of the hood, I bent the sides down. I realized that it is difficult to properly press the strip-sides into place on the plexiglass, and so I used two clamping tools that I had developed earlier for hinge repairs to press the sides into place for 24 hrs to let the glue bond properly:

I have a mirrored clamp for the other end:

After 24 hrs I took the clamps off. And here we go: A new reproduction hood installed. Beolovely!