How To Use This Tape Recorder?

[cool_vintage]

Hey! I'm new to the forum and new to audio tape recording in general, so I have a few questions about the hardware I’ve got here. I recently acquired this Beocord 2000 tape recorder from a storage space clean out and I became fascinated by it so I would like to see if I can get it running. Only issue is I that I think I’m missing some speakers hah as well as the knowledge to get it setup. So I was wondering if you experts could point me in the right direction!

In terms of hardware I’ve got the tape recorder and what seems like 2 preamps (I’m guessing?) With Quad 303 and Quad 33 written on them.

Apologies for asking dumb questions I’m pretty new to all this, but what is the setup for a system like this? Do you think you could roughly tell me how it connects together? I’m just trying to figure out how I can play a tape with it haha.

Many thanks.

[dglcomp]

From what I can gather the QUAD 303 is a stereo amplifier and the 33 is the preamp/switching unit, the red/black sockets on the 303 being the speaker connections.

Now the Beocord would appear to have a built in amplifier so you could disregard the Quad stuff for now, you will want to find out what the minimum impedance for the speaker outputs are and for testing purposes any speakers that are at least the same impedance as the Beocords minimum will be fine, you will probably need to acquire some speaker connectors for it, these are easy to find as they were used on lots of kit back in the day, just look for DIN speaker connectors.

Oh and be careful powering things up, there may be RIFA suppression capacitors and they do go bang!

[John Caswell]

Downloading the handbooks from Hi Fi Engine will help you set things up.
The Quad 303 amplifier is connected to the Quad 33 preamplifier using a special 4 pin DIN cable, with the loudspeakers plugged in using 4mm plugs into the L/Speaker sockets on the 303
The Quad 33 has on the rear two 5pin DIN tape sockets marked Tape Replay and Tape Record. If you buy a standard 5pin DIN to 5pin DIN cable and plug one end into the Quad Tape Record socket and the other into the B&O Line socket I think you will be set up to record and play using the B&O input levels for recording and the Quad 33 volume control for play back.
On the Quad 33 Tape adaptor PCB, which pulls out from the rear (carefully) there are level controls for both tape signal out to the tape recorder and tape signal in from the recorder, so you will have to experiment to get the levels correct.
PM with phone nr/email and I will see what else I can do.

John

[DMcMahon]

Beocord 2000 De Luxe manual (German) lists the loudspeaker output impedance as 4 Ohms and output power as 8 Watts per channel.

David

[toshiba tony]

Tasty gear, we were B&O dealers in the 70's but that one escapes my memory.

[ricard]

The 2000 was out of production by the time the 1970s came along, the successor, the 2400, did make it a couple of years into that decade before too going out of production though.

I've had 2000 several years ago, seemed to be very well made, the main problem I had with mine was that the drive was slipping a bit. It was like the machine didn't have much reserve when it came to the drive. I ended up increasing the tension on the idler between the motor and flywheel by replacing the spring which helped a lot. The machine has four heads on account of the 2 track record / 2 or 4 track playback system, with two pressure pads, so there's quite a lot of effort needed to pull the tape through the machine.

B&O used Bogen heads, which are notorious for going open circuit, though I think that plagued the older high impedence heads more.

I like the appearance of the 2000. The combination of silver top deck and black front panel combination is visually appealing.

[cool_vintage]

Originally Posted by dglcomp

Oh and be careful powering things up, there may be RIFA suppression capacitors and they do go bang!

Hello all thank you very much for your replies definitely helped me out!

I’m curious to power up the tape player but I know it hasn’t run in many years so I’m a little unsure on what to expect, but as long as it doesn’t go up in smoke we should be good! Now that I have brought it up, are there any precautions I should take before plugging it in? Or perhaps maintenance that is expected to be performed when the player has not ran in a while? Or is it just a matter of plugging it in and hoping for the best? Haha

Oh and one more thing... I saw it has 110-240V~ Written on the nameplate below the AC power input, so I'm assuming this device will work on multiple voltages within that range without the need of a transformer?

Many thanks!

[Uncle Bulgaria]

I've found this PDF and the website it came from excellent as a step by step reminder of general precautions to take before powering on. It leans towards valve equipment, but the precautions and concerns are generally similar. I know from first hand experience the extra work and headaches caused by excitement meaning these precautions are missed!

At least manufacture a lamp-limiter to reduce the chance of fault currents causing cascades of damage.

Standard tape-deck specific concerns are drive belts (the rubber compounds go brittle or gooey over time) and seized motor lubrication. General points are also covered in the PDF, and include certain components (electrolytic capacitors especially) that will now be outside their expected lifetime so can have become electrically inneffective at their tasks. Replacing any that have broken will require soldering skills.

The voltage selector is part of the power supply, which usually changes taps on an internal transformer to allow for different nations' electricity supplies. Make sure it's switched to the right range!

[Cobaltblue]

It seems often forgotten that this forum is just a part of Paul's contribution to vintage equipment.

Go Here: https://www.vintage-radio.com/

and especially here: https://www.vintage-radio.com/repair...ion/index.html

It contains pretty much everything the newbie restorer needs to know.

Cheers

Mike T

[dave walsh]

I've asked in the past why those other amazingly good "starter sections" created by Paul aren't more directly flagged up Mike but I didn't really get any answer. I'd been on the Forum for a very long time before I even realised they existed but I've always put that down to my computer incompetence

Given the wider spread of new members these days, it might be helpful if they were taken to them automatically in the first place but perhaps there is some difficulty with that or it's been tried before and has it's own problems
I suppose the arrival of those keen to learn by observation rather than systematically might be a factor?

Dave

[Uncle Bulgaria]

Good points Mike and Dave. My experience was that an online search led to a forum result, and subsequent membership. Even as a 'digital native' it was only later that I realised vintage-radio.com and vintage-radio.net were parts of the same umbrella. My auto-fill goes straight to the forum on .net, so without digging I'd never have found the excellent pages on capacitors and so forth on the .com site.

[DMcMahon]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

It seems often forgotten that this forum is just a part of Paul's contribution to vintage equipment.

Go Here: https://www.vintage-radio.com/

and especially here: https://www.vintage-radio.com/repair...ion/index.html

It contains pretty much everything the newbie restorer needs to know.

Cheers

Mike T

Even though I have seen these before I have to be honest and say that I did not realise the Forum connection, even though it is obvious now.

Even though I have seen them before, I have not really looked at their content, which looks really good so I need to make time to have a good read through.

David

[Nuvistor]

Originally Posted by cool_vintage

Oh and one more thing... I saw it has 110-240V~ Written on the nameplate below the AC power input, so I'm assuming this device will work on multiple voltages within that range without the need of a transformer?

Many thanks!

There will be a voltage adjustment somewhere on the machine, so yes you won’t need a transformer but make sure the voltage selection however it’s is accomplished matches your power.

[DMcMahon]

The German manual lists 6 mains voltage settings covering 94V to 236V and this is also shown on the schematic.

So make sure it is set to 236V on the mains voltage selection switch to match the UK 230-240V mains supply. There should be a mains voltage fuse nearby and this should be a 0.63A delay fuse marked with a capital T (for Träge).

David

[DMcMahon]

The mains voltage selection switch typically will be external, often on the rear panel and less often inside the recorder.

I am not familiar with this model so do not know.

However looking at the schematic more closely it strongly looks like there is no mains voltage selection switch as such, the required voltage selection being done by connections/links at the mains transformer primary winding.

David

[DMcMahon]

Have just found another Beocord 2000 De Luxe schematic which does show a mains voltage selection switch including a 240V switched setting, so it will depend upon which version/where it was built as to what type of mains voltage selection hardware is in your machine.

David

[DMcMahon]

I see that there also is a Beocord 2000 cassette deck, which is a little confusing.

The first Beocord 2000 De Luxe schematic I referenced is definitely for reel to reel but the second schematic I referenced for Beocord 2000 De Luxe I am unsure if reel to reel or cassette ?

David

[Welsh Anorak]

Just another of B&O's little quirks!
I've had a few of these and, despite being a little noisy (single motor and idler drive) they are a really nice machine especially with the built-in mixer.
In case you're wondering, the switch behind the head cover enables 4-track or 2-track playback - there's an extra playback head. That, together with the three-speeds makes it one of the most versatile machines available.
The Bogen heads do fail on these, unfortunately.
If you can lay your hands on a pair of speakers from, say, an old music centre fitted with DIN speaker plugs you can plug them directly into the dot and dash style sockets on the base of your machine. Otherwise there's a cunningly concealed headphone jack on the side to the right of the tape counter.
I'd post a thread on the Quads on the vintage audio and hi-fi section of the forum where you'll have lots of people coming to help - they are deservedly well regarded. And yes, the 33 is the preamp and the 303 the matching power amplifier.

[llama]

Starting on the path to being a Jeff Lynne-style record producer...
https://forum.beoworld.org/forums/p/16768/298872.aspx

Graham

[hillmanie]

Hi
This won't be news to you experts but as I've had my sudden bangs and smoke in addition to your static tests - meter etc- I've rigged up a bulb, incandescent in holder with wires and crocodile clips. If I'm wary of electrocution I connect the bulb in series with the mains lead of the appliance. If it glows brightly have your wife check your life insurance.
Tony