One man's trash... (TV Repair)

I recently came upon an unwanted TV. I asked the previous owner if it was "no good" and she said that she hadn't wanted to get it repaired but there was something wrong with the power switch. After some consideration I decided to take it and see if I could do anything with it.

Now I'm no TV repairman, but I'm adventurous enough to try taking the thing apart if I have to. I'm just curious to know if anyone here has had any experience with televisions, and could possibly provide suggestions. In particular, I could use some DOs and DONTs so that I don't set my house on fire. I've worked with computer parts before, so I'm not stupid enough to do anything while it's plugged in, but if I recall there's something about the screen or the tubes being pressurized and I shouldn't touch them. Any advice at all would be welcome. Thanks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Alright, first of all I strongly advise you against actually opening TVs of any sort. If you still want to go ahead...

1. CRTs are "filled" with vacuum. That means if you accidentally hit one with a wrench or something, it might crack, break, and essentially implode in a shower of glass pieces. Not good if your hands or eyes are near. Plus it'd be a bitch to repair. Seriously, these things can be really dangerous.

2. TVs use extremely high voltage for their electron guns. Those are typically provided by capacitors and flyback transformers. Capacitors can remain charged for very long after you've unplugged a TV, meaning you can still get electrocuted and die. I'm serious here. There are sometime switches intended to discharge them during maintenance, but sometime those things don't even work. Lesson is, if you don't know what something is, or what something is connected to, then don't fucking touch it.

Those are probably the two main dangers I can think of, beyond the usual "unplug whatever the fuck you're trying to repair before opening it". But if you can't figure that part out, then you're probably an idiot.

Actually, if you still open your TV after what I've told you and have no experience with electronics beyond building computers, then there's a fair chance you're an idiot.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

What if I just tried prying off the little plastic piece that serves as the switch? Since that was, apparently, what was broken?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

No need to be so hostile, Butchere, even if you're right.
Magic - do you aim to fix the set for your future enjoyment or for profit via ebay?
If it's the latter, it would be a better idea to take the TV to a repair shop and get a quote. If the price they name is reasonably low, you could probably still make a profit by selling it off on ebay or through a similar service.
Though, if you intend to use the TV yourself, I'm not sure I can offer much advice. I too (along with 3/4 of GFFers I imagine) have built my computer but you need to understand that a TV is a completely different sort of beast.
Locate the make and model of the set, go the the manufacturer's website and read the manual. Then, read up on the subject on wikipedia and then reasearch it on google.
Still, it's a risky game considering the capacitors and cathode ray tubes Butchere spoke of.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I wasn't being hostile. A lot of people will simply decide it's not worth it after being informed of what can happen to them should they open up their TV and start messing around. Of those that do decide to go ahead, some will look at whether or not they have at least the common sense required and won't take any risk, which is fine. But a fair portion of the people that will go ahead won't, and those people are, for all intents and pruposes, idiots.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Of course I understand, there is no offense taken. I knew that there were dangers associated with TVs, which is why I created this thread to ask about them. If the television can be fixed then I intend to keep it. I figure whatever the cost might be for fixing it will be less than buying a brand new set (although that has yet to be determined).

A bit of an update: I have since gotten the set home and onto my father's workbench. There's not much external damage aside from some scratches, dirt, and goo from sitting outside. The buttons all seem to push and click the same way. I decided (perhaps a bit rashly) to try inserting the power cord slightly, at which point I heard a chirp come from the TV. When inserted all the way, the chirp occured rapidly. I didn't try pushing any buttons, and just unplugged it until I could find more information. I'll do some research online, but if the chirping means anything to you then, by all means, share.

How ya doing, buddy?