Becker 612 question - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

meltedpanda · #1 04-25-2009, 10:31 PM

Just got done putting back the becker 612 into my SL. I wanted a more vintage look. I really like it. Question, I have it hooked up as the diagram shows but it does not light up at night - should it? Never had one so I do not know? and if it should what have I done wrong?? the only light I see is the red "sterio" light

Mark DiSilvestro · #2 05-01-2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

Just got done putting back the becker 612 into my SL. I wanted a more vintage look. I really like it. Question, I have it hooked up as the diagram shows but it does not light up at night - should it? Never had one so I do not know? and if it should what have I done wrong?? the only light I see is the red "sterio" light

612 doesn't tell me much. Which Becker is it? Europa? Mexico-cassette? Except for the light, does it work OK? If it's one of the chrome-face Beckers, there should be a tiny bayonet dial lamp that's supposed to come on when the radio is switched on. It's probably blown.

Happy Motoring, Mark

meltedpanda · #3 05-02-2009, 08:37 AM

thanks Mark, I pulled it out of the dash and found that I had some of the connections wrong, I needed to have the lights connected to the 12V that comes on when the ignition is turned on. Fixed now
It is a Europa cassette,

Mark DiSilvestro · #4 05-03-2009, 12:45 PM

All the old German Beckers & Blaupnkts I've had, llt up when the radio was switched on. Many modern factory radio faces light up the same way but they either dim when the headlights are switched on, or are regulated by the car's dashlight control.

The only Europa cassette-radios I've seen are the late '70s - early '80s blackface units usually found in the W123 cars. I installed one in my '72 W114 250 and it looked great except the radio knobs didn't match that car's dash-knobs.

In the Virginia Beach Pick-N-Pull last summer, I found a 4-band (AM/FM/SW/LW) Europa cassette-radio in the front seat of a grey-market '82 280SE. It cost me $10. I'm thinking of putting it in my '84 Euro 300TD, if I can get a new belt for the casstte-player. Otherwise, the radio works perfectly.

Happy Motoring, Mark

meltedpanda · #5 05-03-2009, 08:48 PM

wow great find. Yes on my 450 the only thing I did not like the looks of in the cockpit was the aftermarket pioneer CD player with all its flashing lights and bling. I found this 612 and sent it off for a new face and ipod jack, it looks great and sounds as good as I need. I know this is not period to my 72 but it looks much better. I could not find a nice 72 vintage becker, so I settled on this one - a 1981 model.
NOW if only I could get my hands on a set of front eruos that wont break what little I have in my bank account!

irshmerc · #6 05-03-2009, 10:18 PM

hi lads, how ya doing
what would be the correct Becker for your 72 Ron, i also have a 72 a 350 though and i brought a Becker Mexico to replace the nice Philips thingie that was in there, it looks the 'red setters rude bits' alright, even though the cassette doesn't work
Good luck
Pete

Strife · #7 05-03-2009, 10:37 PM

I have a Europa II in one car and I had Becker refurbish a Mexico for my other car - the tape player sounds as good as cassette players did in the
70's (awful - and won't play dolby, metal, etc properly) - but I just wanted it fixed right. Neither of these are "period-correct" for my cars but IMO neither is a an all-analog gauged 380 or 560SL with a digital (and crappy, at that) radio display, like the radios that they came with.

Becker wasn't quite as speedy as they claimed to be in turn-around, but the price was very fair and they did good work.

I have a custom iPod input on the Europa II, with a very small motorcycle amp under the rear deck. The Mexico, I'm still debating on how best to do this.

Mark DiSilvestro · #8 05-04-2009, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strife

I have a Europa II in one car and I had Becker refurbish a Mexico for my other car - the tape player sounds as good as cassette players did in the
70's (awful - and won't play dolby, metal, etc properly) - but I just wanted it fixed right. Neither of these are "period-correct" for my cars but IMO neither is a an all-analog gauged 380 or 560SL with a digital (and crappy, at that) radio display, like the radios that they came with.

Becker wasn't quite as speedy as they claimed to be in turn-around, but the price was very fair and they did good work.

I have a custom iPod input on the Europa II, with a very small motorcycle amp under the rear deck. The Mexico, I'm still debating on how best to do this.

I think the Becker Mexico is the closest 'period-correct' cassette radio you will find for an early '70s Mercedes.

There was another early '70s option for those that wanted a cassette player in their Mercedes - Becker offered an optional remote cassette player that could be mounted under the dash or in the glovebox. Electrical connection was very simple - via a harness that plugged into the DIN socket on the back of the Europa stereo radio.
Back in the early '80s, I actually purchased on of these Becker cassette decks, new from a local Mercedes dealer for $85, but unfortunately it was defective so I had to return it.

In the mid '70s, there used to be a Blaupunkt radio dealer at one of the local malls and they also offered an optional separate cassette deck for use with their German-built stereo radios. If I recall it was nearly $200
At that time Blaupunkt was just starting to sell a line of cheaper Japanese radios, but if you insisted on a German Blaupunkt cassette-radio, those cost around $400 - nearly twice as much as a comparable Japanese Blaupunkt.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Mark DiSilvestro · #9 05-05-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

wow great find. Yes on my 450 the only thing I did not like the looks of in the cockpit was the aftermarket pioneer CD player with all its flashing lights and bling. I found this 612 and sent it off for a new face and ipod jack, it looks great and sounds as good as I need. I know this is not period to my 72 but it looks much better. I could not find a nice 72 vintage becker, so I settled on this one - a 1981 model.
NOW if only I could get my hands on a set of front eruos that wont break what little I have in my bank account!

If it has the chrome-face, it should look just fine. I think the main difference between the early Mexico-cassette radio and the late version is the speaker connectors - the twin-pin plug was changed to a polarised pin & blade plug. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the last of the chrome Mexico radios were a $2000 + option!

My Euro 300TD came with a fairly new Asian-built Blaupunkt CD-radio. It doesn't have as gaudy a "Hong Kong at Midnite' look, as some modern units, but it still too-often requires taking my eyes off the road to operate the buttons, and like most modern electronic gadgets, having to scroll though a menu to change most audio settings is a pain, as is the default feature that means I frequently have to reset the volume when I turn it back on. Ironically, the TD is my only car with a working CD-player.

My 240D's PO-installed Eclipse CD-radio was shot, so I replaced it with a working '80s Pioneer cassette-radio (with round knobs!) rescued from a neighbor's trash.
And the CD in my Nissan's OE Premium CD/Cassette-radio is also dead, but at least the cassette-deck and radio still works.

Happy Motoring, Mark