View Full Version : EMP and Electronic Optics
Are all of the "military grade optics (aimpoint, eotech and illuminated scopes) we're buying for our weapons shielded or are we hoping our safes will be an effective "Fairaday Cage"?
I wouldn't count on digital electronics withstanding an EMP.
I would agree with that. I was wondering if someone else had a different opinion and why.
ChadAmberg
04-20-2011, 10:18
I wouldn't worry about it myself. The effects of an EMP is generally overrated, any EMP blast needs to be much closer than the propaganda generally indicates. And when figuring out the effects of a blast, for the device to be affected, it needs enough wire to act as an antenna of sorts.
So power lines act as an antenna and will pick up blast effects from much farther away than a car will, and the electronics in a handheld device should fare even better.
agent-smith
04-20-2011, 11:24
Why are people so worried about an EMP blast?
If someone does pull-off one of these (highly unlikely), my Aimpoint is going to be the least of my worries.
No arguement here! It was a thought that ran threw my brain the other day.
Beprepared
04-20-2011, 17:27
Of coarse they'd be screwed. Didn't you play Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare 2?
[ROFL2]
Thats why we co-witness, right?
[/SARCASM OFF]
I think the EMP would effect electronics that were powered on. As for using a faraday cage - my physics class knowledge say that it should protect it - but I have no way to be certain.
An ACOG in general should not be affected at all.
If you look up Starfish Prime. You can see how an EMP from a nuke far far away disturbed Hawaii's grid system.
AirbornePathogen
04-23-2011, 18:33
Of coarse they'd be screwed. Didn't you play Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare 2?
[ROFL2]
Thats why we co-witness, right?
[/SARCASM OFF]
Absolutely. Have iron sights as well, and maintain proficiency with them. Not just for this reason, we all know that Mr. Murphy is never far away, and your batteries will die or your optic will otherwise go tango uniform at the least opportune time.
Byte Stryke
05-07-2011, 15:50
Absolutely. Have iron sights as well, and maintain proficiency with them. Not just for this reason, we all know that Mr. Murphy is never far away, and your batteries will die or your optic will otherwise go tango uniform at the least opportune time.
There are so many variables out to get you and your fancy electronics that an EMP is only a drop in a very large drum.
moisture, impact, battery failure/leakage, electronics failure, stray rounds, static electricity/lightning, gunfire, hail, meteors and the list goes on.
always be at least adept at your BUIS, proficient is recommended.
It's like having a back up generator that you have never tested.
[Eek3]
Colorado Osprey
05-07-2011, 21:07
After working in a test lab that tested mechanical and electrical components for some military contractors; most electronics used in the military are not protected against an EMP. In fact the mil requirement for most produced items withstanding and EMP was dropped almost 20 years ago.
ESD (electro-static-discharge) is minor version of an EMP.
Visualize a static shock from the carpet when you touch someone and they say ouch.
You body can store between 4,000-35,000 Volts as a capacitor your body can store up to 100 picofarads
As an ESD this can destroy most electronics that are not protected.
EMP's can knock out major and minor electronics including a power grid over 1000 miles a way.
(Starfish Prime 1962- with a small yield)
Static charges break down at 10,000V/cm. EMP's can actually generate a continued and growing ESD as they travel.... south, but not north towards the magnetic pole.
An EMP or nuke denated for an EMP over say North Dakota (because EMP's travel mostly south) would knock out most electronics of 90-95% of the country. A EMP detination in Florida would affect nearby states and the northeast, central and west coast would be unaffected.
Now the question is what can you do to protect yourself?
A Faraday Cage will protect electronics. Tin foil wrap (not aluminum foil) will work. Ferrous metal containers will protect electronics. That means metal gun lockers and safes will save your electronic sites.
The mil dropped its requirement for electronic hardening because the cost out weighted the benefits of a possible EMP. IMHO you have bigger things to worry about like food and water shortages in a SHTF scenario. If you think you might ever encounter this think about a BUIS. Personally all of my SHTF guns have iron sites and nothing attached to them that will break or fall off. K.I.S.S.- The ultimate in reliability.
All of my stuff is fine because I put magical tape on it.
theskalickys
05-08-2011, 22:30
IDK this is why i don't put electronics on guns or cars etc.. Also why I keep building my skills to fix and build necessities without any electricity. I feel like too many people rely on it too much..
theskalickys
05-08-2011, 22:31
Oh yeah, and how much is that magical tape?
Oh yeah, and how much is that magical tape?
vastly more expensive than zombie protection...
IDK this is why i don't put electronics on guns or cars etc.. Also why I keep building my skills to fix and build necessities without any electricity. I feel like too many people rely on it too much..
This is why you should also run a good set of back up sights and practice just as much with them as you do your red dot or whatever it is that you have.
Oh yeah, and how much is that magical tape?
I don't know, I asked google for it.
vastly more expensive than zombie protection...
If you tried to find some, probably yes. Zombie protection however is a must have.
theskalickys
05-09-2011, 09:49
With all the Zombie talk around here, I am suprised there is not a section of this forum dedicated just to preparation of the Zombie invasion...
Well we call it just being prepared. [Beer]
Well we call it just being prepared. [Beer]
And you can talk jokingly about the zombie apocalypse and people will only.slightly look qt you funny it is the other shtf stuff where you start getting super weird looks
EMP's are way over-rated. I read a study recently citing that cars are not as susceptible to EMP's as we are lead to believe (like in One Second After) because they are not grounded. Your rifle is probably much the same, depending on how you store it.
I worried about this and did a lot of research on the topic and found that while my new Mercedes will likely be toast my old Bronco and Wranger (both with computers) would be fine and those are the ones I would want anyway to GOOD. I had even considered encasing my garage in a faraday like cage, but then the tin hat blew off my head and I came back down to earth :).
Now I have to admit, I don't really know all that much about EMP's but I thought that if whatever electronics you had were shut down with no power going to them, they would be ok and not shorted out?
Not really. At its most basic, EMP will cause an electrical overload in anything grounded and the problem comes up because of the small wires that most electronics have these days, they cannot handle the load and would pass a short to the breadboard and toast it. Obviously it all depends on the size of the EMP, but the scare is that a large enough EMP would take out America as we know it since everything is tiny electronics. The military has done a lot of testing and has pretty much determined that most vehicles won't be impacted but smaller electronics will, such as cell phones and computers, even if they are off they can still be effected. Now if they are unplugged then they are less susceptible because the EMP cannot travel through the power lines and still hit your device, but could still be affected.
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