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Hi all! Why did it take me so long to acquire a BeoSound Century… I LOVE this thing! Got it for my Mum who’s in her 80s, she wants to listen to CDs again… 🥰 I bought it in the knowledge it wasn’t receiving IR instructions. Having done the usual Standby > Sound > 1 > Store without success, I suspected the IR PCB caps, a known issue. Having removed the board, I found this! Looks like R13 (820K) has committed an act of immolation, and R9 (10K) looks to have blown its top! Has anyone come across anything like this before? I wonder what could have caused it? Thoughts welcome 🙂 Login to view image

Yes the Century is a very nice unit. I had one for several years, but parted with it at one time when I started implementing Sonos for streaming music. I might consider getting one again at one point though. One thought about your issue, the caps a notorius for failing i some of B&O's IR receivers. I would think that if C4 is failed it could actually be shorted and it could make some trouble for R9 and R13, but I do not know if other parts can affect this or have been affected by it like the IC. I also notice something between R9 and R13 that looks like corrosion and might be touching another trace. Maybe check if there is a short there, and the scrape it away and clean it. Hope this can be helpfull and maybe other members can chime in  

Thanks @Madskp!

I cleaned the board up yesterday, and carried out a few (amateur) tests!

R9 revealed itself as not to have blown its top. I think it was the detritus making it out to be headless. It tested out just over 10K, all good. However R13 was O/C. The track between them was also O/C. Yes, there was some corrosion. I bridged the two resistor pads with a hair's breath wire! This required a very steady hand, and it's a good job I'm short-sighted! 🤓

I strapped in a couple of resistors via some wire to make 820K as good as. Alas, it's still not working. Of the two 22uF caps - in circuit C1 is measuring 12.2uF, and C4 16.4uF. Neither are S/C. I'll place some on order!

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An update...

Replaced R13, C1 & C4 with SMDs. Powered it up, pressed 'Standby > Sound > 1 > Store' on the unit itself, which results in the number 1 briefly making an appearance on the display. Fully expecting no response as per when pressing anything on the BL1000 - I pressed Radio, and it sprung to life - it's working! 😃

I wonder if the break in the track between R9 & R13 caused an over-current situation in R13?

Anyway, I've since removed & disassembled the gearbox & door slider, removed the old grease & applied new grease (Molykote EM-30L), and a new belt. The mechanism is now running very smoothly.

I've been enjoying my old CDs again, with the unit set up in my bedroom. There's something about having a smaller unit like this, set to the side playing music in the background (and LOUDER when one desires!), without having / wanting to fire up the main audio system.

I'll carry out a couple more jobs, like cleaning the CD lens / mirror, cleaning the fabric frets etc, before handing it over. This is staying in the family, but I've become so attached to it, I'll be getting one for myself!

Great news - thanks for letting us know the outcome, and enjoy the search for your own Century! 😀

Yes allways good to hear when repairs go well and the end result can be enjoyed 😀