BeoLink Converter 1611 Innovative Configurations

[Madskp]

The MCL2 systemnaual 89-90 which can be found i the Beoworld manuals section is also a good read for understanding the difference between datalink usages. In there they are called respectivly Audio Link and Audio Aux Link.

https://www.beoworld.org/manuals_view.asp?pid=973

[Steve at Sounds Heavenly]

Hi Guy,

Yes, thanks for correcting my poor description in the video! The IR codes for CD and Phono are different, but any Beogram with Datalink can respond to either the PHONO or CD codes.

This means that on an MCL system such as Beosystem 3500, 4500, 6500 or 7000, you can connect two Beograms to the mains system (one in the PHONO socket and one in the CD socket), plus two more into the local CD and PHONO inputs on the MCL2AV box in a link room.

The link room sources can only play in that room but this does mean that you could potentially have remote control access to up to four Beograms from your bathtub (as in the video) with two in the main room and two in the link room.

If anyone is feeling pedantic, the MCL2AV and extra Beogram for my bathroom are actually located outside the bathroom, with only the passive speakers and the IR remote receiver in the bathroom. This ensures that UK electrical safety rules are complied with!

Hope this helps…

Kind regards, Steve.

[Madskp]

Guy wrote:

I didn’t think that PL pin 7 was connected to anything inside the BL1611. I presume that you were trying to use it as ground in conjunction with pin 2, or instead of?

In my 1611 the where soldered togheter with a large solder blob, but that that didnt seem to be the case on the photos of the internals of yours.

Guy wrote:

Interesting. This may explain why my OneRemote Radio has a different 3-digit option code when connected to BL1611 to when it is connected to BC9500. (Eg to activate with N.MUSIC on my BC9500 it needs to be set as ‘302’ and with a BL1611 is needs to be ‘402’). I haven’t tested this yet as I need to make up a converter lead to move data to pin 6.

Yes indeed, and also the need for the adapter cables.

Guy wrote:

… but a Beogram with RIAA does use pin 7 apparently. Thus if I connect my BG6500 (with RIAA) to the PHONO socket on my BC9500 (also with RIAA) the mismatch between data pins stops me from activating the Beogram and using a double-RIAA setup.

Yes that may be a way to prevent starting record players that is incorrect connected to the Beomaster

 

[matador]

Guys, I’m sorry to be unable to participate to your Datalink investigations, far beyond my understanding, experience and available material (I used to have a full 5000 that was quite amazing but it goes away…).

[Madskp]

Fair enough. We might also have come a little beyond your original topic.

Btw one thing I dont recall seen anyone mention regarding the powerlink connecter on the Beolab 3500 is a direct connection from a Beomaster/beosound/beovision powerlink output. It might have been up in some threads. Just dont recall reading about it.

[matador]

From my readings in the forum, it allows to the linked device to know when you turn on or alter volume on a master unit like the BC2300, from its local controls, A.AUX.LINK not carrying volume or On/Off information.

Therefore the Powerlink socket just has the data pins connected and no sound pins connected at all.

[matador]

What I wonder is if it would be possible to have a stereo jack to Masterlink wire and then have a third input. Imagine:

A.AUX = Airplay (Multiroom), volume control from the remote.
DVD = Turntable through integrated or external RIAA, volume control from the remote.
“Menu 0 3 GO” = Bluetooth Receiver, volume control from the device (which make sense since it will often be a phone, and the symmetrical to asymmetrical loss will be less sensible because of BT).

 

[Madskp]

What happens if you press Menu 0 3 Go while the 1611 is connected?

will one of the sound inputs from it be open? If not you might be good to go with that solution.

Another thought is the Power link connector on the Beolab 3500.

it should be able to be feed by pressing Menu Menu 0 4 Go according to this https://www.soundsheavenly.com/faq/using-beolab-3500-mk-2-sound-bar-speaker-dock/

But might not work when the Beolab 3500 is connected to ML. Might be Worth trying though.

another source https://www.reddit.com/r/BangandOlufsen/comments/rvr4f4/best_way_to_modernise_a_beolab_3500_soundbar_as/

indicates that the powerlink port. Could be activated with 5v. But again dont know if it would be possible while ML is connected

[matador]

Burned!

Yes stupid me about ML over PL… Anyway, falling is sometimes discovering.

SO, guys, THREE sources on a Beolab 3500, yes three!

Source 1 from audio input of the 1611 converter.
Source 2 from video input of the 1611 converter.
Source 3 from the PL path “Menu 0 4 GO”. But there is a little background hiss, hopefully from too quick wiring, Steve should tell us.

The three sources are working altogether. Of course touching any control on the remote turn off the speaker when on PL mode.

I’ve tried wiring the Matserlink input along with the converter and guess what happened? A “mix” of the two sources of course (Master link from the hack and Masterlink from the converter)!

As for the 5v triggering, I’ve talk with the (sympathetic) guy and tried and it works for him (MK1, which has MCL engraved under the DIN socket), but not for me (MK2).

 

 

[Madskp]

Great news. Hope you can solve the hiss with optimized cabling.

Oh yeah forgot that you allready tried the 5v trick. Its wierd that its not a standard powerlink connector.

[Guy]

This thread has a lot to answer for!  Look what I have been busy collecting today courtesy of UK eBay!

The BeoLab 3500 is a Mk2, at SW version 2.0 (which I think means that I get the older display items such as SAT instead of DTV).  Not sure whether A.AUX will work.

The BL2000 is the later model with a TV button, and is at SW 1.3 (EDIT: It’s actually at SW 1.1 according to the label)

One of my first tests will be the BL1611 ‘dual-input’ to the BL2000, but I then hope to try a few of the other things being discussed today – three inputs sounds ambitious!

[Madskp]

Hope it didnt ruin you ?

But nice and interesting what new things we will learn

[matador]

Guy wrote:

One of my first tests will be the BL1611 ‘dual-input’ to the BL2000,

Selectable with the front key!

Congrats on your new toys, may we make the interest to this understated speaker rise, make it the poor man’s Beosound 35…

[Madskp]

One interesting test with your new equipment couldbe if both the BL2000, and BL3500 can coexist with the 1611 and acces both sources

[Guy]

Madskp wrote:

Hope it didnt ruin you

About the price of 60kWh of electricity – that’s my new measure!

matador wrote:

Selectable with the front key!

Congrats on your new toys, may we make the interest to this understated speaker rise, make it the poor man’s Beosound 35…

Thanks Matador, and the first test is complete: The BL2000 behaves exactly like the BL3500. Front button source selection very useful, and I was quite lucky that it wasn’t the A.TAPE button version. Volume control wheel also useful. A.AUX doesn’t work (nor does PC) but I am not fussed about that. Only downside is Wife Acceptance Factor – she doesn’t like the look, and thinks there’s something missing from the middle.

Madskp wrote:

One interesting test with your new equipment couldbe if both the BL2000, and BL3500 can coexist with the 1611 and acces both sources

Great idea – I’ll add it to the list. That does however mean I need to dive back into the cardboard box pile to search for an ML distr box that I know is in there somewhere!

[matador]

Guy wrote:

A.AUX doesn’t work (nor does PC)

I don’t understand: is it that the commande from remote does not call an audio source?

Guy wrote:

she doesn’t like the look, and thinks there’s something missing from the middle.

Honestly? she can’t be more right, I feel the same. Just put an iPod on dock or better a cactus in the middle!

 

[Guy]

I am now trying the BL3500 with BL1611 and it seems to behave exactly as Matador’s.  A.AUX works fine.  However, when I select ‘PC’ it plays an audio source but shows V.AUX in the display.

Confusingly, if I use LIST to select V.AUX it plays a video source but shows V.AUX in the display!

Is that the same on yours Matador?

EDIT:  Just saw a very old post of Keith’s that says you can turn on the BL3500 using the volume wheel of the BeoCom 6000 phone.   I suppose that when it’s off, the BL3500 is really only muted so that makes perfect sense.

[matador]

Guy wrote:

Is that the same on yours Matador?

I can’t say, you’ll have to wait I replug the whole thing (I disconnect everything after each experience and don’t use it daily). PC shows PC and open the audio/audio port of the 1611.

Just guessing but wasn’t the PC command added for the Beoport or when computers became an usual source of sound? Then it would make sense it shared the V.AUX entry like if it was the audio part of an AV source (sound plus picture i.e computer screen). Maybe related to the beomedia implementation? I don’t know.

It would be interesting maybe to have a little timeline with beosources names changes and equivalent over time?

I have an energy counter plug. I will check if power consumption change between on, muted and off. would be sad and surprinsing that there is no standby mode even if I dont hear any click when the speaker turns on.

[Guy]

matador wrote:

PC shows PC and open the audio/audio port of the 1611.

In that case I think yours may be SW2.1, whereas mine is 2.0. You may have told us your SW version, but I can’t remember!

matador wrote:

Just guessing but wasn’t the PC command added for the Beoport or when computers became an usual source of sound? Then it would make sense it shared the V.AUX entry like if it was the audio part of an AV source (sound plus picture i.e computer screen). Maybe related to the beomedia implementation? I don’t know.

That makes perfect sense and I vaguely remember something similar. I just can’t find anything in the archives. I’ll keep looking. (Of course that would explain why PC didn’t even exist on older Beo4s, although BL1000 allowed you to press SHIFT STORE for PC)

matador wrote:

It would be interesting maybe to have a little timeline with beosources names changes and equivalent over time?

That would be very useful. The closest I have is a list of Beo4 SW updates (mostly in Danish) showing at what SW level new sources were introduced – the early part of this has dates. For example, PC was introduced to the Beo4 at SW EE3.2 (but there’s no date for this one!)

matador wrote:

would be sad and surprinsing that there is no standby mode even if I dont hear any click when the speaker turns on.

There is a click on the BL3500 (and a much louder one on the BL2000) but it would be interesting to know if there is a difference between mute and stand-by for link room Beolabs.

[Guy]

matador wrote:

Guy wrote:
A.AUX doesn’t work (nor does PC)

I don’t understand: is it that the commande from remote does not call an audio source?

Sorry, I missed this post earlier. The BL2000 just doesn’t respond to PC or A.AUX at all. I have now tried this both when connected to BL1611 in the dual-input setup, and also when connected to my Beoport by ML.

And yes a little cactus for the BL2000’s shelf in the middle would be great – should also keep prying fingers away!

[Author]

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