Can I pick your brains for a novel?

[venivdvici]

Hi, I hope it's okay to ask to pick your brains. I've poked around here, and your expertise blows me away. I know nothing about old tv and radio repair or even electronics, but I love retro. If you saw my home, you'd know what I mean.

I like to write novels for fun (but I'm not hawking them here!). I've written six over the past ten years (my practice novels). They're all set in the mid-20th century. I've recently edited them and feel I'm now capable of writing a new novel good enough to query to a publisher. (You learn a lot in ten years.) I just have to write it.

Anyway, my main character will be a tv repairman circa 1960. I might make him a geezer, and there'll be humor and mystery/suspense. I haven't worked out the plot yet. I've come across some great YouTubes about tv repair (I'm sure I linked off this site) and bought three old tv repair manuals published @ 1960. I plan to do my homework for normal repairs and jargon. What I need (for now) is some out-of-the-ordinary information about old television sets for my plot.

How can I electrocute (or otherwise kill) someone with a 1955 to 1960 television set? B&W? Color? I see in the manuals info about High Voltage area, Medium High Voltage area, capacitors, and antennae that might work, but it's not spelled out for me on how it's done. What can interference or magnets do to harm someone? (Can you tell I don't know anything??? Ha!) Any stupid tv tricks you can do with old televisions to mess with someone's mind?

I grew up in the tube tv generation, so I remember things like horizontal and vertical contrast and contrast and brightness dials and rabbit ears. I remember old tv shows. That's the extent of my vintage tv knowledge to date.

I'd appreciate any help. I can't offer anything but a free version of my last book and a thank you. And a mention in my new book (for what that's worth, ha!).

Thanks, Vivian