Beogram 2400 control panel and lift post repair

[PATRICK MALONEY]

Greetings!  I just picked up a pair of Beogram 2400 turntables in need of serious attention, which I am more than happy to give!

The biggest problem with both of them was that their control panel/switches were totally broken and falling apart.  Basically, the clear plastic bottom plate had broken at all 4 screw attachment points.  The solution, once I figured out how to reconnect everything, was to reinsert the 4 screw through washers to bridge the broken off areas.  See photo.

Also, the toothed belts that I’m guessing were connected to the speed control sprocket were dried up and in pieces.  As it turns out, they don’t really seem to be needed since you can turn the sprocket using the tip of your fingernail.  Not as elegant, perhaps, but it works!

I have both the user and service manuals, but their Model 2400 parts illustrations are seriously lacking in showing details in this area.

Another issue one of them had (Serial number 1564021) was mentioned in several other posts – the post that lifts the tone arm was solidly frozen and stuck.  I first tried subsequent applications of DeoxIT, bolt loosener, sewing machine oil, light hammer taps and even waiting overnight to no avail.  In between each application I tried lifting the post with pliers.  Nothing. Finally, I flipped the TT over and raised the tone arm as high as it would go so that I could squirt some sewing machine oil into the area of the post from the other end.  I waited some more, hoping to give the oil a chance to filter down from the top.

I then flipped the TT upside down again and removed the wire that went through the post, holding it to the long metal arm.  I then lifted the arm over and to the side of the stuck post.  This move was complicated by the fact that the long arm was held in place by a spring and a cotter pin that went though a hole in the electrical contact plate.  See the red arrows pointing to these parts in the photo and also note that these parts are completely missing from the same area of the second 2400 (serial number 1769027)!  Just another example of how useless the service manual is in helping to troubleshoot in this area.

Once the long, flat arm was disengaged from the post, I was able to get a better hold of the post with pliers and rotate it a bit while pulling up and pushing down on the post.  Very soon, the post started moving up and down – success!  I reassembled everything, put a record on and the TT operated as it should with the arm moving sideways and up and down as appropriate.

Hopefully this information will be of use to others if you find a 2400 or similar BeoGram model TT in similar condition.

If you need more or a better explanation of what I did, just let me know.

Cheers, Pat

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