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Would an EMP impact an inverter?

5K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  1911_Kid 
#1 ·
Am I correct in assuming that an unprotected inverter would be subject to damage in the event of an EMP?

Thanks for your answers.

Cal
 
#7 · (Edited)
??
DC batts that are maintained by solar panels.
EMP not gonna kill a AGM batt.

But yep, a general consumer inverter will die under EMP. Perhaps it survives if you invest in mu metal ;)

Or buy/make a mu lined case where you can store your needed electronic gadgets & equipment.

and btw, EMP's are ez to make. i am still kinda baffled as to why no city has been hit by one yet. a few basic concepts of amps, shape charge, and sonic boom. know those 3 and you have EMP.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Can only venture a guess: That it probably depends on the design/circuitry of the inverter. Very old, pre-1960s equipment would probably survive. I wouldn't expect the same with modern circuitry (at least not in consumer-grade equipment).

Not pretending electrical expertise; will be interested to read comments by anyone with an expertise in this area.
 
#4 ·
An inverter changes DC to AC, possibly better explained as converting battery power to standard household voltage. An electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) will be superimposed on lead lengths between the battery and the inverter as well as lead lengths on the circuit board and wiring within the inverter itself. This pulse creates current on the line that wants to go somewhere, usually to earth ground. The current will go through circuit devices which will be destroyed or damaged as the excessive current flows through them. I would suggest placing the inverter in a metallic enclosure (Faraday cage) and installing overvoltage (surge) suppressors on the DC current input lines (close to the inverter). You may also want to put surge suppressors on the inverter output lines (close to the inverter). YMMV.
 
#5 ·
There is no definitive answer to your query; the only honest answer is somewhere between "maybe" and "it depends". .

It depends on the specific piece of equipment, the type, inttensity, and source of the EMP, the distance to "ground zero", any interfering materials....
 
#8 ·
Thanks Mr Walsh
I got an interesting history tidbit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

In June 2013, a joint venture from researchers at Lloyd's of London and Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) in the United States used data from the Carrington Event to estimate the current cost of a similar event to the U.S. alone at $0.6–2.6 trillion.



it's interesting to me that educated suppositions on the subject range from "no big deal" all the way to "TEOTWAWKI"

confirming what you said and WCC alluded to;

"no one knows"



..L.T.A.
 
#11 ·
If there was an emp all the millenials will go nuts when their I-phones don't work.

Not to get off track but how many young people even have a clue to start a fire and then cook a meal over it. With all the technology we have no one knows basic skills anymore. You can't google it when the cell towers are fried
 
#15 · (Edited)
EMP's require solar activity for propagation. No solar activity no EMP. To date we at at the lowest point in the lowest solar activity cycle ever recorded. Lots of mis information being peddled about carrington event. Dont waste your time...
??
An EMP created on earth surface will be bound to earth due to earth magnetic shield.

Making an EMP on earth is ez !!
Hardly, read up on the science ask any .02% of the population so many ignorant experts on this topic. Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic wave and they are not bound by the earths ionosphere. It all depends on the charging of the ionosphere which is done via solar cycle/sun spots/solar flares. HARP was designed to see if it was possible to artificially charge the ionosphere. No solar activity no EMP sorry to burst the bubble...it would be more realistic to worry about the sun dying than a EMP right now.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, as are microwaves, infrared radiation, X-rays and gamma-rays. ... Electromagnetic radiation is transmitted in waves or particles at different wavelengths and frequencies. This broad range of wavelengths is known as the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.....
radio waves need 1) oscillation (aka frequency), and 2) large electric field to propagate a EM wave.

now take a coil of wire, 1v DC applied and 1x10^6 amps flows. what's the e-field?

we dont need an e-field, and, its the mag field that will cut across the very small wires in chips, which causes them to basically short and damage.

hold a magnet and move a wire through the mag field, now do the opposite, hence a EMP.

a FCG EMP will generate a huge (amplified) magnetic flux.

in summary, a Nuke EMP is way different than a FCG EMP.

a good read
http://www.ausairpower.net/ASPC-E-Bomb-Mirror.html
 
#23 ·
radio waves need 1) oscillation (aka frequency), and 2) large electric field to propagate a EM wave.

now take a coil of wire, 1v DC applied and 1x10^6 amps flows. what's the e-field?

we dont need an e-field, and, its the mag field that will cut across the very small wires in chips, which causes them to basically short and damage.

hold a magnet and move a wire through the mag field, now do the opposite, hence a EMP.

a FCG EMP will generate a huge (amplified) magnetic flux.

in summary, a Nuke EMP is way different than a FCG EMP.

a good read
http://www.ausairpower.net/ASPC-E-Bomb-Mirror.html
The small loop antenna is known as a magnetic loop since it behaves electrically as a coil (inductor). It couples to the magnetic field of the radio wave in the region near the antenna, in contrast to monopole and dipole antennas which couple to the electric field of the wave. In a receiving antenna (the main application of small loops) the oscillating magnetic field of the incoming radio wave induces a current in the wire winding by Faraday's law of induction....


An EMP behaves like a transmitter and your electronics can act as an antenna. The problem for an EMP is there is no such thing as a multiband antenna. Multiband antennas are compromising antennas with loss. A EMP will not effect every device since every device is not a good antenna. If serious communications are part of your preparations you will learn how much fake news there is circulating about EMP's.
 
#19 ·
Actually, there are theories that much of the energy that made it into the atmosphere would in turn hit the magnetosphere and strech it some and then reflect back at the earth. A rubber band type affect. Luckily most energy would never make it into the atmosphere but skip off it.
 
#22 · (Edited)
This is a prepper sub forum.
If preppring for EMP then invest in mu metal over steel(iron), line cases with it, hide your needed electronic stuff in the case. A cell phone is likely not a good item to store, cell towers will not survive. Personal radios (FRS and the like) will be useful. Inverters will be useful if you dont have DC electrical items. Solar panels will be useful. A laptop may be useful. Store the useful electronics in mu/iron lined case(s).


Mu metal + steel (iron) is the best shield.

That's the best way I think you can try and mitigate EMP.

Another good read https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=shielding-materials
 
#24 ·
LWolken

Mag fields dont need to have resonance with a "antenna". A mag field cutting across a wire of any size shape form will induce a voltage across such wire.

With very small "wires" and very voltage sensitive BJT FET (etc) junctions, mag fields will wreak havoc.

A very large cylindrical mag field that is compressed (hence magnified) can be like a sniper 50cal at distance, "deadly" to "whatever" it hits.
 
#25 ·
LWolken

Mag fields dont need to have resonance with a "antenna". A mag field cutting across a wire of any size shape form (with few exceptions) will induce a voltage across such wire.

With very small "wires" and very voltage sensitive BJT FET (etc) junctions, mag fields will wreak havoc.

A very large cylindrical mag field that is compressed (hence magnified) can be like a sniper 50cal at distance, "deadly" to "whatever" it hits.
 
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