On 4/1/24 17:42, CAREY SCHUG via cctalk wrote:
Will things like PDAs and tablets, powered off and stored inside steel ammo
boxes survive?
Yes, as will most contemporary electronics, even without elaborate
protection.
The amount of current induced in a device by EMP is a function of the
number and length of conductors; most modern electronics are unlikely to
have an issue given relatively short conductor lengths. Automotive
ECUs, in particular, are unlikely to be affected, as they're equipped
with seriously clamped lines and generally have been tested in lightning
simulators (EMP looks like lightning, but EMP has a much faster rise
time, much higher voltages, and vastly higher currents); likewise the
commercial electrical grid is likely to be largely unaffected due to
existing lightning protection. If your device can withstand a nearby
lightning strike, it's probably going to survive a high altitude EMP event.
The biggest problem for semiconductor devices is from neutron flux when
under power, hence weird solutions for military systems where a PN diode
will be used to trigger a crowbar on the power supply (ionizing
radiation arrives well in advance of the neutrons). The upshot is that
warfighting systems will recover, although the same probably can't be
said for the warfighters.
Yes, I spent entirely too much time in this space in my misspent youth.
Note that none of this is to suggest that all electronics will survive,
but the doom and gloom people associate with high altitude EMP, and
Carrington events in particular, are generally overblown.
--
Christian Kennedy, Ph.D.
[email protected] AF6AP | DB00000692 | PG00029419
http://www.mainecoon.com PGP KeyID 108DAB97
PGP fingerprint: 4E99 10B6 7253 B048 6685 6CBC 55E1 20A3 108D AB97
"Mr. McKittrick, after careful consideration…"
