Beomaster 8000 Restoration: Displays
Beomaster 8000: Volume display with new surface mount LEDs installed.
After more than 30 years in service, many Beomaster 8000s have display segments that are missing. The reason for this is the way they manufactured these displays in the 1980s. In those days the individual LEDs of the displays were not encapsulated with the bonding wires fully exposed. This resulted in vulnerability to oxidation, vibration and thermal stresses, and over time the wires can disconnect. Luckily, this can be fixed by replacing all 61 individual segment LEDs with modern 0603-package surface mount LEDs. Note, that due to the much higher efficiency of modern LEDs the intensity of the LEDs needs to be reduced to achieve the original look. This can be done via a modification of the display power supply circuit.
Please, visit these blog entries at http://beolover.blogspot.com for detailed accounts of this restoration procedure:
Please, visit these blog entries at http://beolover.blogspot.com for detailed accounts of this restoration procedure:
- http://beolover.blogspot.com/2012/09/beomaster-8000-display-repair-hopefully.html (this blog entry gives a good description of the LED replacement procedure and how to put the displays back together after the 'surgery')
- http://beolover.blogspot.com/2012/05/beomaster-8000-display-brightness.html (this blog entry discusses the brightness adjustment procedure)
