Is Building an EMP Device Possible?

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Building an EMP device raises significant legal and safety concerns, as creating an uncontrolled electromagnetic pulse is likely illegal and can cause widespread damage to electronics. The discussion highlights the need for a clear understanding of the technology, as well as the potential risks involved, including personal injury and legal repercussions. While some participants mention sources for plans, they caution against pursuing such projects without extensive knowledge of electronics and physics. The conversation also touches on military applications of EMP technology and the challenges of hardening systems against EMP effects. Overall, engaging in EMP-related experiments is fraught with danger and legal implications, making thorough research and caution essential.
_X3R0_
I am hoping that you will help me to build an E.M.P.. Is there anyone that knows of plans or where to get plans for this device. thankyou
 
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Isn't that illegal to begin with? You know the FCC clause below most of your household electrical devices that say something about: this device may not cause interference and must accept interference.
 
_X3R0_ said:
I am hoping that you will help me to build an E.M.P.. Is there anyone that knows of plans or where to get plans for this device. thankyou
You need to better define what you want to build, and where you plan to test it. EMP can have several different meanings.
 
A device that can create an uncontrolled electromagnetic pulse is most likely very very illegal.
 
Perhaps X3RO just wants to modulate a http://www.frye.com/products/tempus/tempusanl4.html with a carrier frequency and see what it looks like on a scope.:rolleyes:
(Or the OP has been watching too many MATRIX videos.)
 
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_X3R0_ said:
I am hoping that you will help me to build an E.M.P.. Is there anyone that knows of plans or where to get plans for this device. thankyou

Yes. You can get plans from Sandia National Lab -- but you'll need clearance and a demonstrated need to know. :)
 
i saw something ton totse.com about an E.M.P. bomb not so long ago...
I am posting this while the totse.com server is down so you will have to look thru it a bit later, i think its under bad ideas/ka-f***ing-boom.
 
I'm thinkin a large coil, a BIG power source, and a axe should get you started.
 
One fully charged high density Carbon Fiber Capacitor and a Cherry Bomb makes a good but illegal experimental source of EMP, Use the Cherry Bomb to blow up the charged Capacitor and voila, EMP!

1 Farad Cap + Cherry Bomb =
 
  • #10
Intuitive said:
One fully charged high density Carbon Fiber Capacitor and a Cherry Bomb makes a good but illegal experimental source of EMP, Use the Cherry Bomb to blow up the charged Capacitor and voila, EMP!
1 Farad Cap + Cherry Bomb =

No pun intended, but my intuition says that the pulse generated will be incredibly minimal.
 
  • #11
Pengwuino said:
No pun intended, but my intuition says that the pulse generated will be incredibly minimal.

Minimal but it is testable.
 
  • #12
just a quick note to the original poster, as a DOD employee I feel the urge to tell you the area you are looking at raises big flags with the Mothership. EMP events and work in general is a very controlled study for good reason. This doesn't preclude working with EMP devices but in the present world environment, don't be surprised if you find yourself answer questions as to your intend. Successful test and evaluation of such devices requires specialized facilities, experience, etc. This is not intended to be heavy handed, just informative. It's always better to know what you are getting into. Research in this area is very interesting and has some facinating applications.
...now back to your regular program.
 
  • #13
The net is so flooded with spam about EMP it makes a person wonder what's right, what's wrong.. here you go.

Totse is funny, but somewhat accurate, but currently down. I believe their version is the nuclear version of the EMP. Not uranium or etc. just a nuclear chemical explosion. Being on TOTSE for some time, I wouldn't trust a single document on there. That means, don't build anything you see on TOTSE. You'll most likely kill yourself. There are some interesting things which are accurate, however they were never sorted from fiction to nonfiction. You won't know what's true or not.

If you want more information on electrical magnetic pulse explosive I would go to...

Roguesci.org
However, don't talk to people since this has been discussed.
If you talk about it, you'll most likely get banned quickly.
Use the forum search feature.

I would like you to know that this is one of those things where, if you don't know the basics of it, you probably can't do it.
Just take your time because something like this will usually get you in trouble if done incorrectly. They're illegal either way, I think.

Who cares? Ethics ethics blah blah. Just understand that when you build it, you'll most likely fry all circuitry around you. That means just about any appliance you have in your house, will pretty much get wasted and destroyed. If you mess up, you'll get (fried / blown up) also by electricity (for the non-nuclear version) or an explosion (for the nuclear one).

Truly not the safest experiment however a good one if you've got some backwoods to screw around in. Also, getting plans isn't going to be easy at all. I would suggest you do hardcore study of electronics, physics, and chemistry before you even attempt tackling something like this. I've read things from EEs who have done EEing for about 15 years and didn't understand the EMP completely. It takes time.

I also think you might want to look into H.E.R.F. technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herf
http://www.freeinfosociety.com/science/herf.html
http://www.ncc-cybersecurity.net/workingCopy%20BLUE/WCSU1.html

I read that you can make a HERF weapon from a microwave, but I never uncovered the whole thing about that.
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2004/05/journal_homemad.html

There's also an article in popular mechanics of Sept 2001 with some talk about EMPs. I checked it out on microfilm and there wasn't a lot to it, but still interesting.

As a member of the DOD venue, I ask whytf people aren't using certain tech to kill IEDs that are killing many troops in Iraq. I suppose it's the geneva contract, which is total junk when it comes to troops who could have been saved by knocking out tons of electronics. Just another reason I chose not to join the military.
 
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  • #14
Bio... I would guess the question of directivity and shielding of our own weapons and support system comes into play here. I don't think we have a warm fuzzy feeling about our own systems survivability during an EMP event. An EMP burst is pretty indiscriminate. People hate spending what we do on defense, the additional cost to harden every battle field system, down to comms gear, would make them crap. And that is the only way to gain from using the technology militarily, if you still have capabilities after the fact.
 
  • #15
venuesystem said:
Bio... I would guess the question of directivity and shielding of our own weapons and support system comes into play here. I don't think we have a warm fuzzy feeling about our own systems survivability during an EMP event. An EMP burst is pretty indiscriminate. People hate spending what we do on defense, the additional cost to harden every battle field system, down to comms gear, would make them crap. And that is the only way to gain from using the technology militarily, if you still have capabilities after the fact.

I think one of the "modernization" factors to developed militaries such as the US is to acquire gear that withstands what they might encounter as it pertains to EMP's in the field if they ever do encounter it.
 
  • #16
Pengwuino - I would agree but it is not an easy task. There are cost issues, space and weight issues, etc. to hash out. What systems are mission critical and to whom? With the current budget getting tighter and tighter, cost savings are the driving factor in how much testing is done and how much work the contractor needs to do to comply. Putting additional funding into hardening against a weapon system that is not presently fielded by any military, such as an EMP system, is a hard sell. The military uses more and more commerical gear in their systems, which are not designed from the ground up as a military system. The costs to re-design to EMP standards would kill any cost benefits of using COTs to begin with.
There is no good answer save spending more dollars we don't have...
 
  • #17
Ok, over a year ago but hey... ROTFLMAO... Tears in my eyes over that one. Just a walk in the park son.

thaelin
 
  • #18
thaelin said:
Ok, over a year ago but hey... ROTFLMAO... Tears in my eyes over that one. Just a walk in the park son.

thaelin

Whoops, thaelin. I'd normally offer my welcome to the PF to you, but that would put me on the NSA radar screen along with you. Not too bright a start, eh?
 
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