my very first vintage TV!! - Videokarma.org TV - Video

fairchild · #1 02-06-2009, 02:19 PM

Greetings TeeVee'ers! Well, after 40 years in tube audio, including writing for Vacuum Tube Valley magazine "The Classic Electronics Reference Journal" http://www.vacuumtube.com I've finally been bitten by the TV bug... I swore I'd never touch one of the infernal things, except for saving a factory RCA CT-100 manual I found a few years ago, thinking it must be kinda scarce and hating to see it thrown it out, but today it happened! While scavenging in a local electronics recycler, I came across this cute little Admiral TV Model TS-105-AL N that I just couldn't resist because it so cute, was almost complete (2 small gold knob center caps missing), 2 tone green, and in pretty nice shape. I have no idea if it works... can anyone tell anything about these? I assume these things need caps and such like a vintage McIntosh or other tube amp... Where do I find an owners manual or copy ? Also love to find an ad. I found a Sams for it.. Jeezum, I have a bad feeling that this is just the start of something scary!!! Attached a pic. RA in NY

Sandy G · #2 02-06-2009, 02:31 PM

May God have mercy on yr soul...Yep, re-cap, & check resistors, if the CRT's good, it should be a doable project.

*zenithfan1* · #3 02-06-2009, 03:33 PM

Hey! welcome to the TV forums! And now that you're bit by the bug, kiss any available space in the basement goodbye! It comes on slowly, one day you notice that there isn't room to breathe. LOL. BTW, I should have that Moto manual out soon, I've been pretty busy lately so please bear with me. Do like Sandy said and she should come back to life. Although these 'ol sets can be cantankerous little f*ckers from time to time.

Ohighway · #4 02-06-2009, 04:13 PM

Fairchild. ---VERY--- cool find. I came up with something similar years ago, though I don't think it's a Admiral. RCA or GE maybe ?? Pic attached.

fairchild · #5 02-06-2009, 04:58 PM

thanks Zentih, SAndy and Ohigh... I like it so much that it'll be an art object if it doesn't work... but are CRTs ever available or fixable? The rest I can handle...

Ohigh... be that a Fisher 50A that I spy thar, next to the Dynaco ST-70!! ?
I LOVE that turquoise TV... my favorite color (I have a 58 DeSoto!) ...
I think these cool little 50s portables might be my TV niche...

I know what you mean about space, I dabble in stereo consoles a bit, the 5' long kind.
Yikes!! Roger in NY

Ohighway · #6 02-06-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairchild

Ohigh... be that a Fisher 50A that I spy thar, next to the Dynaco ST-70!! ?
I LOVE that turquoise TV... my favorite color (I have a 58 DeSoto!) ...
I think these cool little 50s portables might be my TV niche...

Yes a Fisher 50a and a Dyna ST-70. Look further, low, and to the left and you'll also spot a old Jensen speaker cabinet. On the right.... a pair of Klipschorns.

If you're gonna' do TV, then the little portables might just be the way to go. They don't take up scads of room like the consoles!

58 Desoto? One of the lost marques..... And for sure Chrysler had the wild 50's look going full bore right about then.

***Eric H*** · #7 02-06-2009, 06:58 PM

My very first eBay purchase was one just like this! now it's 12 years and 100 sets later...

These are really quite easy to work on, PC board construction makes recapping simple, the CRT is probably good, most of these little sets don't seem to have had as much use as their bigger cousins.

I have a schematic but it's a copy already and would be difficult to copy again.
The Sams Photofact# for this set is a 350-1

Dan Starnes · #8 02-06-2009, 07:12 PM

Welcome to the addiction.
Dan

jeyurkon · #9 02-06-2009, 07:15 PM

Congratulations! It is cute. It's strange how inanimate objects can intrigue us.

John

fairchild · #10 02-06-2009, 08:18 PM

".... 12 years and 100 sets later." Uh oh!!!! What have I done?!! I love this thing!

*Bill Cahill* · #11 02-06-2009, 11:55 PM

Replace those Selenium rectifiers!!!!
Don't forget, you will have to add extra resistance before the first filter, or, you will blow your power supply with the new, more efficient silicon rectifers.
I reccommend The 2Amp, 1KV diodes due to the surge factor.
Lave seleniums there for show, but, completely disconnect them.
You'll need new electrolytics as well.
Welcome to insanity 101.
47 tv's later, and, three more coming?
Bill Cahill

jeyurkon · #12 02-07-2009, 12:04 AM

Bill and Eric, do you have 47 and 100 sets respectively still in your possession?

In any case, WOW!

John

*Bill Cahill* · #13 02-07-2009, 12:32 AM

Yep.....

:hu ge:

Bill Cahill

fairchild · #14 02-07-2009, 08:30 AM

"Replace those Selenium rectifiers!!!!" yep, I figured so, gotta do it in all the '60s Fisher and other units that have em... I kinda like the tube recitfers of the older days.

I know about Predictas, but are there small portables that are especially unique or cool worth looking for?

*Bill Cahill* · #15 02-07-2009, 10:19 AM

It's hard to say.. In 1959 Admiral made one neat looking 17" slimline portable that came in some neat color combinations, and, once, I even worked on one with factory installed UHF. Plastic front, and, back covers.
However, negative poits follow:
Low life expectancy picture tube.
Yoke often dis intergrated due to plastic disease.
Cabinet was a shock hazzard.
Front screen got static charge from hv, and, was a shock hazzard. So were the old GE tv's.
On the M4, 5, 6 GE's, plastic mask, with gold paint on GE's got one heck of a hv static charge. Touch that, you got many surprises.....
The Admirals had problems with poor connections on the circuit boards, as did the GE's.
The old top hat rectifiers in the old sets were a problem with high leakage, and, shorting out.
Circuit breakers usually didn't hold up, either.
When they worked correctly, the Admirals received fairly good.
I would pass on any of the early Silvertone console, table model, and, portable tv's from that era up to 1965.
They wre lousy sets, hard to work on, broke down considerably, were dangerous to service, and, broke down often.
Vertical chassis, one side of line on chassis, all hot connections for line, b+ boost, filters, rectifiers, hot line, etc., were in easy access. The tubes were pointed to front of set. You had to reach in a tight area to get at tubes.
Chassis tilted backwards. Then, was a nightmare to get back in.
We HATED those sets!!!!
RCA '59 models had a neat look, but, quality tended to be low.
They performed poorly.
And, the channel selector knob was metal.
On early versions, it went directly on metal shaft. Chassis was one side of line, and, made this a shock hazzard. There was one similar model with a power transformer.
The hump top 14"-17" "deluxe" portables were neat looking, but, were a repairmans' nightmare.
The larger size with a vertical chassis had a power transformer, and, weren't so bad.
Bill Cahill