B & O Gone Bad

[bluemt]

Hi - First post here....

I live outside Boston and have a 1700 model turntable. The platter "bottoms out" on the plynth and won't spin freely. I can't find any obvious fix for this after looking carefully at the mechanism. It's as if the platter sits too low.

Please advise.

Thanks

John

[MosfetOwner]

Welcome, John.

There could be a number of reasons why the platter bottoms out on the plinth. I’m not familiar with the B&O Beogram 1700 turntable, so can’t tell you exactly why it might be. However, if it has a suspension system isolating the turntable’s tonearm and platter assembly from the main plinth, as some B&O turntables had (similar to Linn or Thorens turntables), then the springs or other suspension components may have collapsed or stretched. You’d need to take the bottom off the turntable and check that. If it doesn’t have a suspension, then it sounds as though whatever attaches the platter bearing/bush assembly to the plinth has broken, stretched or come loose – it may be some screws or bolts, or rubber mountings, but the fault should be quite obvious. Of course, it could also be that the shaft that the platter runs on has been bent, which may be somewhat more serious, but that would cause it to scrape in one place only - it wouldn't look as though the platter was running too low.

If I was you, I’d take the bottom cover off the turntable to check it out, if you haven’t done so – just make sure you have a container to store the screws attaching the bottom, and preferably do it on something soft, so that you don’t cause any problems to the tonearm when you turn it upside down. You can sometimes turn the turntable onto its side and support it there, while you look underneath. It’s probably also a good idea to remove the cartridge or its stylus, to prevent damage to that, and attach the tonearm firmly to its rest, using twist ties, wire or something similar while you work on the turntable.

[bluemt]

Thanks for the thoughful reply. I've taken it apart and have concluded that there's a problem with the shaft or the bearing. All other parts including the suspension check out fine. Unfortunately, the shaft/bearing isn't easily removed from it's metal casing so I can't diagnose beyond this point.

I've got other tables that I use and am going to try and sell the B&O in it's current condition to someone who wants it for parts or to repair.

[EC8010]

How does a bearing supporting a platter weighing only a few pounds and spinning at only 33 1/3 rpm wear sufficiently that it drops the platter onto a subchassis? Either someone has been in there before you and lost the ball bearing that should take the thrust, or you're looking in the wrong place. Sagging suspension is much more likely.

[MosfetOwner]

Have you tried the discussion forum on http://www.beoworld.co.uk ? It’s a dedicated forum purely for B&O owners, so if it’s a problem that often occurs with your turntable, they may be able to help you there. I’m sure there would be a few experts in Beogram turntables, and as turntables are always worth more when they are functioning well, it’s probably worth trying to fix it before you sell it. You might decide to keep it if you fix it. They also have a “Connoiseur’s Club” that you can join for a fee, with user and service manuals available for download, which would probably be useful for you.