2nd hand Beocord 2000 Deluxe – Critical points to check

[YannChris]

Hello Beoworlders,

I have a lot of reel-to-reel tapes recorded by my father and of course no way to read them.

I found a 2nd hand Beocord 2000 Deluxe for sale and will test it next week.

The set seems cosmetically correct, the seller states that fast wind and rewind are OK, counter works and that heads “need a good cleaning”, so I have doubts.

What are the other critical points to check?

Thanks for your help,

Yann.

 

 

 

[omminp]

I have found that the critical issue with these machines is the heads.  It seems the original Bogen heads have a high failure rate, all but the erase head which seems to be a survivor.  Often the other heads will be open circuit (both or 1 channel).  Original heads are not readily available, and if they were they would be suspect given the time since manufacture.

The other known issue (fast winding) may not be a problem if that part is working.

 

[YannChris]

Thanks Omminp,

I’ll check heads very carefully when I’ll test the set.

Kind regards,

Yann.

[chartz]

Yes, the Bogen heads can be defective. Not worn necessarily but electrically defective. They don’t like old capacitors at all, so if you find an old machine that hasn’t been powered on for ages, don’t try it. Replace capacitors on playback and record circuits then go ahead.

The BIG problem in those decks are the idler wheels. Normally they should be completely silent, but after all this time they harden and become intolerably noisy. They really ruin the experience, hence my preference for Revox machines over Beocords or Uher machines, which were good, but had only one Papst motor.

[YannChris]

Thanks Chartz 🙂

The set is proposed at 60 Euros, I wonder if the risk/price ratio is good on such an old machine.

Regards,

Yann.

[chartz]

It’s cheap if there’s no rust anywhere and if the heads aren’t worn out. Bogen heads are fragile and soft.

[YannChris]

Hi all,

I tested the set and bought it.

By chance, the heads are not worn out, so I can play the tapes.

But Chartz was right, idler wheels must be hard and the BeOcord sounds as a BOeing 🙂

As my project is to digitalize the tapes it is not so annoying.

By chance, the line-out works but the plug is wired in a strange way, as input and output pins seem to be reversed.

So to connect it to my Beocenter 9000, I have to fiddle with Din/RCA/Din adapters.

Tomorrow I’ll check the speaker outputs.

Kind regards,

Yann.

[omminp]

Hello Yann, great that the heads are working – you can get on and recover the tapes now.  A good clean of the tape transport with IPA may be worth doing before going too far.

Re your interconnect issue, it is also possible to send the audio out to the RADIO DIN socket if the press buttons are used.  That socket is wired mirror image to the line socket, so it will work with your cable.  The function diagram for BEOCORD 2000 DE LUXE is a help, it shows the line out as pins 1 & 4 on the LINE socket, but 3 & 5 on the RADIO socket.

Regarding the transport noise, my experience is a small drop of oil on the transport wheel shafts and I can’t hear the mechanical noise over the noise from a clothes washing machine 2 rooms away – not silent, but I would say quiet.

Good luck.

[YannChris]

Hello Beoworlders,

Chartz and Omminp, thanks for your precious informations.

I opened the set and cleaned what I could, including the heads which seem to be OK.

I did not put oil on the idlers, as I don’t know which kind of oil to use.

The exchange of capacitors is unfortunately out of my competence.

The connection from Beocenter to the Radio input on the BC 2000 works.

I kept a connection from the Line socket to an USB soundcard and tested the recording on a laptop. Test was successful.

Good surprise, a small envelope containing the schematic is stuck inside of the bottom plastic case.

2 problems remain:

1: I cannot find how the chassis is held on the wooden frame. I found one screw on the right side, underneath the headphone jack but could not find anything on the left side.

So if I place the set vertically, the chassis tends to get out.

Unfortunately the service manual available on the old site is in German and I don’t speak this language.

2: The set is rather silent on low speed, more noisy on middle speed and supersonic on high speed.

It does not work when placed vertically.

Could a video help someone to diagnose where the defect stands?

Thanks for your help,

Yann.

[omminp]

It all seems very promising for Beocord.

There were 2 models, the K which had a wooden case, and the T which was a ‘portable’ with a plastic case.  You mention a plastic bottom bit and a wooden case top.  I assume you have the model ‘K’ .

Either model is not designed to operate vertically.

To remove the case part, upend the machine onto a protective surface (maybe a bath towel) being careful not to bend any of the protruding controls.  Look for 4 screws M4 holding the case to the chassis via 4 rubber vibration buffers.  Remove the screws and lift the wooden case clear.

The noise – to me the description is about right for the 2 lower speeds, there is a small increase in noise as speed is increased (everything moves faster…) BUT the highest speed noise is wrong.  Could it be something is rubbing at that setting?  If you remove the cover plate under the tape spools (6 screws, and Allen key to remove the speed change knob) you can see how the mechanism works.  In fact, mechanically nothing changes when the speed is changed EXCEPT the vertical position of the drive wheel on the stepped main pulley attached directly to the shaft of the Papst drive motor. I wonder if the main pulley is not in the correct location and causing the drive wheel to foul?  Without power to the machine, you should be able to see the movement and determine if the drive wheel is progressing smoothly up and down the main pulley.  The pulley position can be adjusted if you loosen the grub screw in the stepped pulley (2mm Allen key but needs an extra long one to reach the screw)

Sewing machine oil is fine, but remember less is better.  One small drop per shaft.

Yes I know of no other service manual on line other than the German one.  I find that if I can identify the part of the manual I need, then Google translate works well for a few paras.

I think you have hit the jackpot – and the circuit diagram is a real bonus after 50 years!

Best P

 

 

 

 

 

[YannChris]

Thanks Omminp.

You were right… again 🙂

3 rubber buffers were broken in two parts, the 4th was the only still in one piece.

3 drops of loctite made the job, I feel more secure now.

While the set was opened, I took videos of the moving parts at the 3 speeds. The belt on the right side moves strangely. The set is more noisy when “closed”.

Videos are online on this playlist, if you can’t reach them just tell me:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Sdc5VmHaOJJCaNR6syj5EfxE5SZrQ_H

PS: The type stated on the schematic is 4136 50 Hz

Kind regards,

Yann.

[chartz]

Yup, the idler is definitely the culprit for this noise. The usual flat spot plus hardened rubber. Nothing to be done here, just have it redone by a competent company. All three have to be done, by the way.

Meanwhile, you can swap the noisier one with the one at right.

Never mind the belt, but yeah, it’ll need to be replaced too. It’s a bit loose.

 

[omminp]

Hi and thanks for the videos.

The noise doubles in frequency and becomes more intrusive as the speed increases.   The idler is causing the noise, a bit annoying for you.  Maybe worth swapping the idlers in the short term as suggested by chartz.

The belt is not likely to be a problem provided the uptake spool works ok when playing a tape.

Post a photo when you get it all back together.

Regards Peter

 

[YannChris]

Hi,

Thanks Peter and Chartz for your informations.

As I am not particularly skilled with my hands, I’m not very confident in swapping the idlers.

Chartz, I understand what you mean, but I don’t see how to identify which idler is the loudest and how / where to put it.

I think it’s more sensible to digitize my tapes first and will update this thread once done.

Thanks again,

Yann.

 

 

 

 

[chartz]

Ça marche Yann.

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