Page 2 of 2

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:04 pm
by pallophotophone
need4art wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:27 pm Hi Susan,
I have the entire works from a C-2 and I believe that the turntable and tone arm are the same. What I do not know is if the radio from that unit will work and what other wood parts would need to be fabricated to make it work. In addition I do not know what type of speaker it used. The cabinet looks in pretty good overall condition, what shape are the doors in closed.
I just don't have enough information to be able top make a judgement call at this point but I know that others on the forum might be able to help.

While this might be a daunting project the rarity of the unit might make it worthwhile
What part of the U.S. are you located in ?

Abe
Hello Abe,

The c-2 uses 2 loudspeakers- mounted one above the other, mounted on the same board- located midway down in the lower half of the cabinet. 2 cleats mounted on the cabinet walls. The receiver has the same control layout on both receivers. A major difference, besides the 2 speakers. is that the C-1 has a much bigger power amplifier and power supply that sits on the floor of the cabinet. You will have at least one correct of the 2 speakers that the C-1 uses . The Peerless speakers use a single turn voice coil. Very unusual design.
The c-1 has a square frame that holds a copper screen that was meant to prevent touching the power supply. And a wood framework with holes and cutouts that was meant to cover the back of radio and phonograph spaces. The c-2 used a screened frame to provide ventilation for the power tubes located on that chassis.
I only mention the speaker, power supplies and amplifier so you'll know the differences. Not that it won't work.
The phonograph uses the same layout, But I don't think the mounting board is the same size.
The radio chassis is the same size - but has fewer components on it by way of the design of the floor mounted amplifier/ power supply.

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:40 pm
by zipotontic
pallophotophone -

How funny, I never even noticed it before! It's 45. Picture attached.

Thanks!
Susan

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:53 pm
by ChuckA
The serial number of the C-1 is on the power amplifier chassis, SC - 4 digits starting with 1001, the highest so far is SC-1143.
The number on the cabinet is just a cabinet makers number they stamp in the wood parts.

The motor board from a C-2 won't fit in the C-1, motor, tonearm and pickup are the same. The C-1 radio chassis only has the RF & detector circuits, amplifier and PS in the lower
section of the cabinet. A C-2, R-1 or R-2 radio will fit in the cabinet.

You could make a "poorman's" C-1 from the parts of a C-2. If you didn't look in the back of this mockup no one would know the difference. The difference in audio between my
C-1 and the C-2's I have is negligible.

Chuck

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:56 pm
by zipotontic
Hey Chuck!

Thanks for the info! Even though we're not collectors, learning about all of this is really fun. Super interesting!

Susan

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:55 pm
by EdisonA450_Wish1
Hello,

I am the very fortunate new owner of this magnificent work of architecture, and am attempting to find the missing audio parts so I can restore it as close as possible to its intended design. The C-1 and C-2 appear to have identical components so my question is, does anyone know of any, even small, mechanical differences between a C-1 and C-2 radio receiver and phonograph? Are the radio knobs, metal plating and other finishes the same? I greatly appreciate any information. Thank you!

Ray

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:51 am
by pg1876
Congratulations on a fantastic purchase!! I am very excited to see how this comes along.

I believe that the C-1 was outfitted with two (2) Peerless speakers, whereas the C-2 is equipped with one.

As a result, the power amplifier apparatus would have been larger on the C-1 and likely employing an additional 50 tube.

The Edison radio service manuals often group together the R-1, R-2 & C-2 together - the C-1 may have used the SC chassis? (Whereas the others used the JR and JC). In terms of the exact differences between the chassis models I am not sure - I have only been fortunate enough to see a C-1 from the front

Additionally, from the 'visible perspective', the burled walnut face plate of the radio is rectangular and differs from the R-1, R-2 and C-2. That may have to be a custom piece as the likelihood of finding one seems slim...

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:42 pm
by ChuckA
Ray

A few notes on the C1 & C2 RP's. Obvious they used the same turntable, motor and tonearm assemblies, although the motor boards are not interchangeable.

The C2 radio chassis is the same as the R1 & R2 radios, the power supply, RF tuner and audio amplifier are all on the one chassis, makes for a real pain in the ass to restore
especially if one of the interstage transformers is open. The C1 radio chassis has only the RF tuner and detector on the chassis, the power supply and audio amplifier is on
a separate large chassis mounted in the bottom of the cabinet. The C2 uses a single 81 rectifier and a single 50 output tube. The C1 uses two 81's and two 50's, The single 81 was barely capable of supplying enough current for the unit, a problem that was discovered very early. The two 81's in the C1 are capable of double the current capability and also is setup as a full wave rectifier rather then the half wave rectifier in the C2. Makes it easier to filter the DC voltage = less hum. The C2 has a circuit in the power supply that is supposed to reduce the 60 cycle hum by canceling the hum on the DC supply by adding an out of phase hum signal into the signal path, it doesn't work so well.
The amplifier in the C2 is connected as a single ended output, the C1 has the 50's connected in parallel, not Push-Pull as some think.

Both use the Peerless one turn speaker, one in the C2 and two in the C1. The name is from the fact that the voice coil and secondary of the output transformer is just one turn of copper. To make them sound great there is a whole procedure on rebuilding the voice coil connections. The C1 connects the voice coils in series along with the field coils.

The biggest problem with restoring this one to original is locating the power supply/amplifier.
DSCN0452.JPG
A new one could be made, I did that for one of the C1's I had.
Other than a C1 the Splitdorf M6 used the same radio chassis and power supply/amp. They are pretty much as hard to find as a C1, I've only seen 2 and couldn't buy
them from the owners.
DSCN0440.JPG
You might want to just look for a C2 with a bad cabinet and put the electronics in your cabinet.

Over the past 20 or so years since my first one, only 7 C1's have surfaced.

Chuck

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:03 pm
by EdisonA450_Wish1
Thank you for the replies, photos, and detailed information. I will rebuild it with C-2 parts, and if C-1 parts become available I can always switch them out.

Chuck,

Just a few questions if you don't mind.

Do you know if a lock was an option for the radio door on the C-1? Mine has one but the two other cabinets I've seen don't have one.

There is a small light in the phonograph compartment on mine. Does yours have this as well? If so, is there a switch for it on the bedplate?

Do you have a list of owners/locations for the 8 known C-1s? It would be great to have a complete list posted of known examples with a photo or two.

Have you ever seen or heard of any other C-1s missing all the components? I am just thankful the cabinet is complete, in good condition, and no one tried to turn it into a wine cabinet, paint it, or do some other goofball thing to it.

Thanks again for your time and energy, Its appreciated. Have a great day!

Ray

Re: Edison C-1 Radio Cabinet (cabinet only)

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 12:39 am
by marcapra
Ray, congrats on buying that beautiful C-1 cabinet. It's a great thing with very cool interior too! Good luck finding the components, as even C-2 components are very hard to find. It's worth the work though in my opinion. I own one of Chuck's C-2s that I bought some years ago at the Stanton auction. It sounds great especially after I cut the wire leading to a treble cut off box that Chuck instructed me to do. He suggested I reconnect the wire to a toggle switch in the back so when I play a later hi fi 78, I can turn the treble cut off back on to avoid shrillness. Chuck is the world's foremost authority on these Edisons as you could probably tell from his entries here. So listen to what he says! Marc.