Well, here we go - another newbie to torment all you TV restoration veterans out there. I trust there are no hazing rituals involving charged capacitors, right?:-) I've acquired our original 1954 Admiral Model C2226 cabinet that I grew up with until my folks FINALLY went to color sometime in the mid to late70's. REEEEELLY want to get this set operational again, but I've got the deck stacked against me - ALL I have is the cabinet. Nobody knows what happened to the chassis, tube or speaker. Looks like the TV was gutted at some point for parts, such a shame because the cabinet IS the one we had all those years. I sure hope y'all can help me! I'm a computer systems engineer, so I've had training in electronics in college years ago and know my way around a soldering iron, but applying that knowledge to TVs will be new. This will be a labor of love IF I can find the internals to even get started with. I've attached a photo of me and my TV, circa 1961, and all I can figure is that I'm waiting on the thing to warm up - either that or the camera flash overpowered the picture. I have additional photos of the cabinet as it stands today showing the progress I've made thus far that I'll post in the Early B&W thread. Got lots of questions! Thanks welcoming me into your home:-)

Welcome, good to have an Admiral admirer here.

That particular make is pretty popular amongst most members and is an acute special-ity of a few. I may have the speaker you need. I parted one out to put a motorola tube hifi in the cabinet many years ago, before i figured out how easy it was to get an Admiral working like new. I also have some NOS tuners for that vintage.

Good Luck!

Welcome, good to have an Admiral admirer here.

That particular make is pretty popular amongst most members and is an acute special-ity of a few. I may have the speaker you need. I parted one out to put a motorola tube hifi in the cabinet many years ago, before i figured out how easy it was to get an Admiral working like new. I also have some NOS tuners for that vintage.

Good Luck!

Hi DavGoodlin - thank you so much! I'm not sure what I'll end up with as far as a chassis goes, that is whether it'll be a complete TV to part out or what. In any case, I'll definitely keep you in mind for the tuner and speaker. Your post alone has given me a great deal of encouragement because I was beginning to think that no one had ANYTHING for the C2226! This seems to be a wonderful forum with a lot of kind folks - I'm sure glad I found it.

You know, I was studying that black and white photo of me staring at that old set, and so many memories came flooding back it was hard not to shed a tear. Thought I'd share a few. My Great Aunt Beula gave my folks that TV, probably in 1956 or so after she'd had it for a couple years already. I came along in 1958, so judging from the photo I'd say I was 3 years old, putting the photo at around 1961. By scanning and enlarging the photo, I could see that the clock on top of the TV showed 6:32, and from the way the shadows fell through the window on the curtains, I could tell it was morning. Was also able to determine that it must have been spring or summer because of the way I was dressed in shorts and short sleeves and by the fact that I was tanned. We had 4 channels broadcast out of Little Rock, Ch 4 KARK - NBC, Ch 7 KATV - ABC, Ch 11 KTHV - CBS and Ch 2 for Arkansas Educational TV. The time of 6:32 AM on the clock made sense because the broadcast day started at 6 AM Central with a recitation of John Gillespie Magee Jr.'s poem 'High Flight':

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even[8] eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I have trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
- Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Remember that?

First came the Farm Report from 6:00 - 6:30, and then it was time for Romper Room from 6:30 - 7:00 that always opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, so it was perfectly logical that I was staring at that screen at 6:32 AM. Following Romper Room was, best of all, Captain Kangaroo at 7:00 AM. After Captain Kangaroo it was time to get outside and play at 8:00 AM while the grass was still wet with morning dew! No computers/devices/texting garbage... My how times have changed - the innocence of television and society as a whole has been long lost, but we will always have those memories at least.

I also wondered how many of us learned to tell time, not in kindergarten or first grade, but by learning when our favorite shows would be broadcast? I was probably 3 years old, but I knew when my favorite morning shows came on, and I knew how to turn that old Admiral on and change it to the correct channel. When I was a little older I always eagerly awaited the latest copy of TV Guide to see what was coming on for the week, an entire weeks worth of programming contained in a little booklet barely a quarter inch thick. And what wonderful programming it was back then... If something good was coming on that week, you counted down the days and hours in great anticipation of seeing that show, whatever it was. Those once a year broadcasts of 'Wizard of Oz' immediately come to mind... They weren't just shows; they were EVENTS!

I could go on and on, but I'll spare you that - you all know where I'm coming from (well, at least those of you as old and crusty as I am). Folks, this is why I HAVE to restore that old Admiral... This is a must do, despite my wife's eye-rolling skepticism... That old TV is inextricably linked to my earliest childhood memories and, along with it, everything that once made sense. And, this is why I'm so glad I found this forum with so many nice folks that I feel certain can help me complete this mission:-)

Great story! I think restoring the set is a good idea, and definatly doable as long as you have some patience. Have you researched to find out what chassis number this is, and what other models used the same one? One of us could do that for you if you need to. Armed with that, I think you can locate a complete set to canniblize. You could just transfer over everything to your cabinet. A cheap metal table model might work fine. One bit of good news is that those 21" sets from the 50s don't have much of a market so you can usually pick them up cheap or free. Best of luck!
EDIT: I just read your other thread, looks like you're on the right track.

I've acquired our original 1954 Admiral Model C2226 cabinet that I grew up with . . . . . . I've got the deck stacked against me - ALL I have is the cabinet. Nobody knows what happened to the chassis, tube or speaker. Looks like the TV was gutted at some point for parts, such a shame because the cabinet IS the one we had all those years.


A good theory is that a repairman took the chassis into the shop to be repaired, and returned a verdict that the set was not worth repairing, so your parents said to junk it.

Your first problem is to figure out what chassis you are looking for.

Admirals of that era are known by their chassis numbers, instead of their model numbers and the number you listed is a model number.

Using data from:
http://www.earlytelevision.org/tv_schematic_diagrams.html
I see that you are looking for Admiral chassis 22A3.

Schematic diagrams for this chassis are in Rider TV book 15, page 59 and elsewhere.

By the way, if the CRT trim survives, you also should determine what size picture tube your set has, as some chassis were supplied with more than one size tube. I have no knowledge of this model


I sure hope y'all can help me! I'm a computer systems engineer, so I've had training in electronics in college years ago and know my way around a soldering iron, but applying that knowledge to TVs will be new.


Hey, it is all in your mind. You've got to stop thinking like a transister and learn to think like a tube and the sets will talk to you and tell you how to fix them!


Oh, from http://www.tvhistory.tv/index.html

I see that your set was made in 1954, was 21 inch and cost:

[need photo] 1954 - (C2226) 21" console, wood (mahogany), $339.95

James

I'm a computer systems engineer, so I've had training in electronics in college years ago and know my way around a soldering iron, but applying that knowledge to TVs will be new.

This might be a good time for a reminder, if it's a long time (or never) since you worked on tube gear:

B+ can bite bad! (and of course so can the line voltage and the high voltage).

Whenever the set is plugged in, learn to work with one hand in your pocket.

This might be a good time for a reminder, if it's a long time (or never) since you worked on tube gear:

B+ can bite bad! (and of course so can the line voltage and the high voltage).

Whenever the set is plugged in, learn to work with one hand in your pocket.

Ah, yes! The old one hand rule! I remember it well. Yes, I understand that with tube equipment, it ain't no +/- 12/5/3V like in a PC and capacitors can make for a bad day and a new hair style as well. Thanks for the reminder!

A good theory is that a repairman took the chassis into the shop to be repaired, and returned a verdict that the set was not worth repairing, so your parents said to junk it.


Thanks, James - I hadn't thought of that but it makes perfect sense.

Hey, it is all in your mind. You've got to stop thinking like a transister and learn to think like a tube and the sets will talk to you and tell you how to fix them!

LOL! That's priceless, James - we're going to have to start calling you the "Tube Whisperer"! Agreed - need to throw away my digital hat and put on my analog fedora...

Most folks that have done a bit of work on vintage TVs (my self included) can tell you what area(s) to look for a problem in by seeing a picture or lack there of on the screen, and listening to the sound.

Analog ain't all or nothing, it usually gives you something to work with. This is a double edged sword because, despite the troubleshooting advantages, you need to know when to stop and when to press on. If you settle too soon you realize it can be better after it is back together and then are constantly annoyed by the temptation to go back in and get it right. But if you don't recognize the limits of a design and interpret a mediocre design(or insurmountable bug) as a fixable issue then you can drive your self mad if you won't stop your self from trying to obtain a nearly impossible improvement.

Welcome aboard! :wave: There are a few of us Arkies here and over on AudioKarma too.