How to harden against EMP or Solar Flare

I will show you how I did it, based on information given me by a person who hardens aircraft against EMP.

I bought a good sturdy waterproof case, 28 inches wide about a foot high a foot deep made by Stanley Tools, a reputable company.
It can also lock which is important using a bar through the clasps or a bicycle lock.

Its made of a high impact polymer plastic of some kind. Quite sturdy.

And doesn't weigh too much.

Then I lined it with tin foil. 2 layers. Then I lined it with anti-static bubble packing. And finally put a cardboard bottom in it on top of the bubble wrap, to act as a moisture sink. And to give it a firm bottom.

So here is an image gallery. I took some photos while I did it.

Creating a hardened carrying case


For portable harddrives, I wrapped them in anti-static bubble wrap, then inserted them into shipping envelopes, that did not contain bubble wrap. Just paper. Since that bubble wrap is not anti-static. That is how electronics are shipped. Such as boards for inside a computer.

I also put my E-Reader in one and labelled them so I would know what was in each envelope.

I will put my handie talky ham radios in there and hand crank radio flashlight and my portable shortwave radio, my Home Patrol 1 scanner, my various electronic equipment like cam corders, watches, anything with delicate circuitry.

The anti-static bubble wrap you can get at a stationary store like Staples.

And you can get a Pelican case instead of the Hand Box from Stanley but pelican cases are expensive.

The Stanley tool box cost me 30 bucks or so on sale.

So say 35 for the box, 2 bucks for extra wide tin foil, (2 layers) then a roll of duct tape, 4 bucks, and the extra wide anti-static bubble wrap 13 dollars a roll. 6 dollars for some shipping envelopes and a dollar each for a couple of clear plastic boxes for the interior. It came with one tray.

62 dollars plus tax to protect all my electronic survival equipment which is worth a considerable amount of money. So its worth protecting it.

The duct tape strengthens the tin foil in the corners and anywhere that the tin foil might tear. Like at the edges of the opening. So you can wrap the edge of the tin foil with duct tape first, to strengthen the edge of the foil, then ductape it to the edges. Glue it to the box with dabs of white glue.

I still have some bubble packing left over, and if I needed to be mobile I would use it to be sure everyting was packed properly and snugly.

You can add one of those moisture packs, like silica to remove moisture. So this case you can stand on, and you could toss it and probably nothing inside would be damaged.

And it is protected against EMP and solar flare.

So what steps have you taken if any?

Thanks for the post, i think this is very practical for folks interested in taking some preventative measures without going overboard. I've done similar with a pelican case which i already owned, i was wondering how concerned you were about the sealing of the edges, as you have duct tape on duct tape rather than foil on foil?

edit: i may add that to test this setup, i put a mobile phone inside and try calling it to see if signal will pass!
and also i would point out to be careful with pelican cases as they have small protrusions on the inside that tend to puncture the foil if not careful.

I gave you a star, for your afford to bring this to ATS .
But your box will fail.

You need a Faraday cage and then shield the inside against the cage to avoid discharge into equipment. Also you better have round edges, because there will be concentrated electrical fields around sharp edges. You need to shield it against radiation, too. You used some foil here but the whole cage must be connected.

A nice animation:



This is how I would do it, its from the link below:

A Faraday box is simply a metal box designed to divert and soak up the EMP. If the object placed in the box is insulated from the inside surface of the box, it will not be effected by the EMP travelling around the outside metal surface of the box. The Faraday box simple and cheap and often provides more protection to electrical components than "hardening" through circuit designs which can't be (or haven't been) adequately tested.

Many containers are suitable for make-shift Faraday boxes: cake boxes, ammunition containers, metal filing cabinets, etc., etc., can all be used. Despite what you may have read or heard, these boxes do NOT have to be airtight due to the long wave length of EMP; boxes can be made of wire screen or other porous metal. The only two requirements for protection with a Faraday box are: (1) the equipment inside the box does NOT touch the metal container (plastic, wadded paper, or cardboard can all be used to insulate it from the metal) and (2) the metal shield is continuous without any gaps between pieces or extra-large holes in it.

Grounding a Faraday box is NOT necessary and in some cases actually may be less than ideal. While EMP and lightning aren't the "same animal", a good example of how lack of grounding is a plus can be seen with some types of lightning strikes. Take, for example, a lightning strike on a flying airplane. The strike doesn't fry the plane's occupants because the metal shell of the plane is a Faraday box of sorts. Even though the plane, high over the earth, isn't grounded it will sustain little damage. In this case, much the same is true of small Faraday cages and EMP. Consequently, storage of equipment in Faraday boxes on wooden shelves or the like does NOT require that everything be grounded. (One note: theoretically non-grounded boxes might hold a slight charge of electricity; take some time and care before handling ungrounded boxes following a nuclear attack.)

The thickness of the metal shield around the Faraday box isn't of much concern, either. This makes it possible to build protection "on the cheap" by simply using the cardboard packing box that equipment comes in along with aluminium foil. Just wrap the box with the aluminium foil (other metal foil or metal screen will also work); tape the foil in place and you're done. Provided it is kept dry, the cardboard will insulate the gear inside it from the foil; placing the foil-wrapped box inside a larger cardboard box is also wise to be sure the foil isn't accidentally ripped anywhere. The result is an "instant" Faraday box with your equipment safely stored inside, ready for use following a nuclear war.

Copper or aluminium foil can help you insulate a whole room from EMP as well. Just paper the wall, ceiling and floor with metal foil. Ideally the floor is then covered with a false floor of wood or with heavy carpeting to insulate everything and everyone inside from the shield (and EMP). The only catch to this is that care must be taken NOT to allow electrical wiring connections to pierce the foil shield (i.e., no AC powered equipment or radio antennas can come into the room from outside). Care must also be taken that the door is covered with foil AND electrically connected to the shield with a wire and screws or some similar set up.

Sorry I had to copy so much because he shows how to do it here.

The information is from here:
www.aussurvivalist.com...

Also, EMP and Solar Flares are not the same.

In case of solar flare you should stay in your swimming pool,if any!!

Originally posted by Shar_Chi
Thanks for the post, i think this is very practical for folks interested in taking some preventative measures without going overboard. I've done similar with a pelican case which i already owned, i was wondering how concerned you were about the sealing of the edges, as you have duct tape on duct tape rather than foil on foil?

edit: i may add that to test this setup, i put a mobile phone inside and try calling it to see if signal will pass!
and also i would point out to be careful with pelican cases as they have small protrusions on the inside that tend to puncture the foil if not careful.

edit on 11-11-2011 by Shar_Chi because: (no reason given)

I think most cases have some protrusions. This case had some for strength in the sides.

The seal around the opening is maybe not perfect but I did bring the foil right up to the edge. I originally had an overlap but because of the waterproof seal, it was interfering.

I think that it is probably good enogh. I was wondering if the ducttape had any metal at all in it. You know it looks silverish. I suppose I could improve that seal with a strip of tin foil covered in duct tape that is attached to the bottom part at the lip extending upwards, so that it overlaps the seal when closed.

I don't know, its a matter of weighing the practicality of use against the slight chance of minor leakage.

I think its probably ok like way it is. I should test it with a cell phone.

Originally posted by verschickter
I gave you a star, for your afford to bring this to ATS

.
But your box will fail.

You need a Faraday cage and then shield the inside against the cage to avoid discharge into equipment. Also you better have round edges, because there will be concentrated electrical fields around sharp edges. You need to shield it against radiation, too. You used some foil here but the whole cage must be connected.

A nice animation:



This is how I would do it, its from the link below:

A Faraday box is simply a metal box designed to divert and soak up the EMP. If the object placed in the box is insulated from the inside surface of the box, it will not be effected by the EMP travelling around the outside metal surface of the box. The Faraday box simple and cheap and often provides more protection to electrical components than "hardening" through circuit designs which can't be (or haven't been) adequately tested.

Many containers are suitable for make-shift Faraday boxes: cake boxes, ammunition containers, metal filing cabinets, etc., etc., can all be used. Despite what you may have read or heard, these boxes do NOT have to be airtight due to the long wave length of EMP; boxes can be made of wire screen or other porous metal. The only two requirements for protection with a Faraday box are: (1) the equipment inside the box does NOT touch the metal container (plastic, wadded paper, or cardboard can all be used to insulate it from the metal) and (2) the metal shield is continuous without any gaps between pieces or extra-large holes in it.

Grounding a Faraday box is NOT necessary and in some cases actually may be less than ideal. While EMP and lightning aren't the "same animal", a good example of how lack of grounding is a plus can be seen with some types of lightning strikes. Take, for example, a lightning strike on a flying airplane. The strike doesn't fry the plane's occupants because the metal shell of the plane is a Faraday box of sorts. Even though the plane, high over the earth, isn't grounded it will sustain little damage. In this case, much the same is true of small Faraday cages and EMP. Consequently, storage of equipment in Faraday boxes on wooden shelves or the like does NOT require that everything be grounded. (One note: theoretically non-grounded boxes might hold a slight charge of electricity; take some time and care before handling ungrounded boxes following a nuclear attack.)

The thickness of the metal shield around the Faraday box isn't of much concern, either. This makes it possible to build protection "on the cheap" by simply using the cardboard packing box that equipment comes in along with aluminium foil. Just wrap the box with the aluminium foil (other metal foil or metal screen will also work); tape the foil in place and you're done. Provided it is kept dry, the cardboard will insulate the gear inside it from the foil; placing the foil-wrapped box inside a larger cardboard box is also wise to be sure the foil isn't accidentally ripped anywhere. The result is an "instant" Faraday box with your equipment safely stored inside, ready for use following a nuclear war.

Copper or aluminium foil can help you insulate a whole room from EMP as well. Just paper the wall, ceiling and floor with metal foil. Ideally the floor is then covered with a false floor of wood or with heavy carpeting to insulate everything and everyone inside from the shield (and EMP). The only catch to this is that care must be taken NOT to allow electrical wiring connections to pierce the foil shield (i.e., no AC powered equipment or radio antennas can come into the room from outside). Care must also be taken that the door is covered with foil AND electrically connected to the shield with a wire and screws or some similar set up.

Sorry I had to copy so much because he shows how to do it here.

The information is from here:
www.aussurvivalist.com...

Also, EMP and Solar Flares are not the same.

edit on 11-11-2011 by verschickter because: (no reason given)

edit on 11-11-2011 by verschickter because: (no reason given)

It wouldn't be practical for me to wrap everyting in tin foil and seal it, since i want tto play with the stuff inside.
So I need a box that I can open.

It may not be 100 percent, but its better than nothing.

EM waves are EM waves, and the difference is just the wave length. It won't stop gamma radiation if it is close to the source. You need lead for that. It will stop alpha and beta radiation.

It will stop microwaves and radiowaves and that type of electrical discharge.

Your box likely has long edges where the top meets the bottom. Instant fail. You can appear to have a seal, but experience says you won't, and this is where the EMP will get in.

If you were to weld the top to the bottom on a metal box, you'd have a better chance.

It takes a lot of effort, experience and tech know-how to get a good seal against a barrage of RF. I do it from time to time at work - any long (meaning >0.5") mating surfaces without some sort of positive seal across them like BeCu fingers or the like, and you will leak. Finding just how bad it's leaking and where takes a lot of specialized gear.

Oh, and you can't really lump EMP from nukes and what you get from a solar flare together, because they're two totally different things.

Solar flares get you primarily a geomagnetic heave. If you don't have long wire antennas, long cable runs, AC power or the like, they won't bother you a bit.

HANDs get you geomagnetic heave, plus Compton effect RF. The RF will want to get into everything, but it's far from the OMG EVERY SEMI WILL DIE!!!11! hype you hear from the MSM, who don't often understand radio from sound. If the equipment is powered down, you'll dodge about 80% of the possible bullets which come from state machine upset. No antennas or long wires and you're pretty much home. But if you want a box that is 100% safe from RF bursts, it's gonna take more than anti-static wrap.

A Solar flare does not have the same properties as an EMP and they wont short any of your equipment out unless it is plugged in to the wall at the same time as a power surge hits the grid. The best way to protect things from solar activity is to just unplug it.

reply to post by Rocketman7

Dont wrap everything inside up, you first just have to shield the box with copper or aluminium foil and then use your antistatic foil and glue it in if you want.

You didnt understand me. Its kind of funny, you do all the work, spend all the money to get a protection and then decide it will work for you. It reminds me of those people who ask questions but cant stand the answer so they´re asking again, and again... But my problem is, you are wrong and others that will copy your box will fail because you decided "that it works just fine for me".
Your box provides zero protection because the top of the lid is not connected to the body. You must maintain a conducting connection between the top and the bottom. (Duct tape is not a good conductor...)

Beliefe me, I´m a technician, and you are what?

EM waves are EM waves, and the difference is just the wave length. It won't stop gamma radiation if it is close to the source.

Alpha radiation will be absorbed by a piece of paper, beta by a plank of wood and gamma and neutron radiation by a block of concrete or lead or water.

But from the first sentence, I see, you have no idea what you are talking about.
You even did not read what I posted for you, so do what you want, but stop spreading false informations.
Yeah, on the internet, you can be a expert in any field, as long as you´re not caught talking BS, like you.

reply to post by pazcat


I'm down with that...

I wonder where all the misinformation about effects of a geomagnetic storm comes from??

Serious question here. Does that mean I can use my Hun Fire resistant file cabinet without any modifications to it ? ( 3 drawer )

Oh..and can someone use the 3m 425 aluminum tape instead of duct tape ?

JG.

reply to post by Chadwickus

Its because people are to lazy to look it up, so they make it up...

@jaduguru
you better forget duct tape, lol. It may be practical for many things, but not shielding agains any EMWs

Originally posted by verschickter
reply to post by Chadwickus

 

Its because people are to lazy to look it up, so they make it up...

@jaduguru
you better forget duct tape, lol. It may be practical for many things, but not shielding agains any EMWs

edit on 11-11-2011 by verschickter because: jaduguru

No no.. I understood that duct tape is worthless in this build .. I was just suggesting using the 3m Aluminum tape (425) to fasten your foil or wire mesh.

JG.

reply to post by jaduguru


The make up thing was not adressed to you ;-)
I dont know if the foil is conducting on the side where the glue is, this would be a problem, if it´s not so.

Good point on the glue thing ..

What about my file cabinet .. would it work without any modifications ?

Thank you for your responses

JG.

PS. I did not mean to hijack this thread..

reply to post by verschickter


Yeah, I think what you are saying is it is either a go or nogo.
The OP claims his works for his purposes, but it is a nogo.
It is not your equipment Bro, you explained quite well as to why, and from here everyone else knows even if the OP does not.
Idea is a nogo.

Listen folks, if you are going to secure something against emp, solar flare, typhoon, monsoon, or zombie attacks....
Secure it and leave it, do not make shortcuts in the physics or mechanics field as there are reasons why things work and do not.
Plus security is a full time job and there can be no time off, if you are serious enough to sink cash into it.
If you plan on "playing" with it, you simply can not afford to shield it.
If you have 2 you have 1, if you have 1 you have none.
If you only have 1, enjoy it and don't worry about shielding it.
You have bigger more imminent worries, starvation and homelessnes for starters.
So, in short, enjoy your toys before you get old and die, enjoy life!
Hope it helps

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by pazcat

 

I'm down with that...

I wonder where all the misinformation about effects of a geomagnetic storm comes from??

Who knows, the internet, hollywood and probably just a case of not understanding things. It sounds plausible too so that wouldn't help much.

Originally posted by pazcat
A Solar flare does not have the same properties as an EMP and they wont short any of your equipment out unless it is plugged in to the wall at the same time as a power surge hits the grid. The best way to protect things from solar activity is to just unplug it.

Well its difficult to say really because we don't have enough data. We do have data that it did burn hydro wires and blow some street lights.

And take out radio communications etc. Its broad spectrum. Although heavily x-ray.

historical solar flares

If there was a really big one directed at us, its difficult to say what might happen. Our shields may go down.

Personally I do not think that EMP or death ray solar flare will happen in my lifetime. But better safe than sorry and the effort I made is associated with the risk. I don't want to put things into hibernation like FEMA or the military should, for use in case of. They have a budget of sorts and like I say, I want to continue to use whats in the box, and when I am not using it, store it neatly away.

I guess I have become accustomed to living with my electronic toys and after reading the book 'One Second After' even if some of it is exaggerated, I am not ready to go back to the good old days which as we know, look best when looking back from our vantage point.

My step dad when I was a kid, had an old tube radio in the basement, that got shortwave and I think AM, and it was fun to play with. Mostly what you heard we would think of now as some type of digital signal although it could have been picking up a quasar. But then you can't dance to it.

Thanks for the stars and kudos! Its good information to share, and really the thanks belongs to those who gave it to me. It took me a couple hours to harden my box, but now that it is done, even without EMP or Solar Flare, background radiation and these sorts of things can wear away at equipment and data over time.
Its nice to have it safer and more organized. Evn if there was just a fire, I could grab it and take it out a window or even break a window with it.