[herrit]

I have just replaced the two belts within my Beocord 5500 and powered it up. Both belts seem to be doing their job. When I press Play, FF, RWD & Turn on the main keypad the cassette transport mechanism does what one would expect, and the tape goes in both directions. If I press the Play button on the fascia it starts and stops. (The drive pins continue to rotate for ~4 seconds).

But … if I press Stop on the main keypad, whilst the tape mechanism stops & the pinch rollers retract, the drive “pins” do _not_ stop rotating, unless I press Play on the fascia twice, and/or turn off the power.

So it looks like the Stop button on the control panel is only activating the head & pinch roller retraction, and not stopping the drive motor. I have undone & re-seated the ribbon cables, & I am 99.9% sure they are good. I never needed to remove the ribbon cable that goes to the main control panel, so I can’t see how I could have mucked that up.

Any ideas? Whilst I have downloaded the Service Manual, interpreting the electrical diagrams is beyond my pay grade.

Many thanks!

[filip_kbh]

Not sure what you mean by “drive pins” … a picture?

[Glitch]

I assume that you are asking about the capstans?

I’m not familiar with the BC5500, but on other Beocords the capstan turns whenever the deck is not in standby.

Glitch

[Dillen]

It wears out the motor brushes instead.
Anyway – your deck acts normally.

Martin

[Glitch]

Dillen wrote:

It wears out the motor brushes instead.

Good point. The brushes certainly wear out (and don’t appear to be a serviceable part).

Glitch

[herrit]

Sorry for not being clearer. By “drive pins” I mean did mean the capstans, yes – I had thought that the capstans were the plastic “gears” that go through the centre of the cassette. My bad.

• When I turn the deck on the capstans (and flywheels below etc) are stationery
• When I press PLAY (on the slide out control panel or front panel or Master Control Panel) the capstans rotate & the tape plays
• When I press STOP on the fascia the tape & the capstans stop. (The capstans actually continue to rotate for ~4 seconds, then stop).

• When I press STOP on the slide out control panel OR the Master Control Panel the tape mechanism stops & the pinch rollers retract, BUT the capstans do _not_ stop rotating, unless I press Play on the fascia twice, and/or turn off the power.

Glitch wrote:

I assume that you are asking about the capstans? I’m not familiar with the BC5500, but on other Beocords the capstan turns whenever the deck is not in standby. Glitch

 

Thanks @Glitch – it looks like what I have then is “normal” for a B&O tape deck. But it does seem strange behaviour to me, and can’t do much for prolonging component wear.

[Glitch]

herrit wrote:

But it does seem strange behaviour to me, and can’t do much for prolonging component wear.

For some bearing technologies, the highest wear occurs when the mechanism starts. I think that this is because motion is needed to create and maintain an oil film. Bearing wear is negligible after the bearing reaches equilibrium. B&O probably made this design decision in order to minimize wear.

Glitch

[Author]

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