EMP survivability

An EMP or Carrington event (CME) induces a voltage in a conductor that depends on the length of the conductor. Voltages induced in anything on a vehicle would be probably in the tens of volts or at most hundreds. While these would effectively destroy most semiconductor devices, it is unlikely to damage a Perentie's electrical system except for the voltage regulator in alternator, and probably some of the bulb filaments and fuses.

On the other hand, small electronic devices are almost certainly going to be destroyed, not by very high voltages, but by only a few volts in the wrong place and wrong polarity, plus, of course if they use thermionic valves, the heaters or filaments will be destroyed by even a couple of volts above what they were designed for.

And power distribution systems will be destroyed, not by the voltage, although that will be high because there are tens or hundreds of kilometres of wires, but by the fact that near DC currents flowing in transformers designed for AC will cause magnetic saturation, overheating, and destruction. And the major transformers are so expensive that few (if any) spares are stocked, are built to order (with six month lead times) - and can't be built at all if the destruction is worldwide!

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Originally Posted by tc_s1

Half joking at the time a few years ago, (in light of recent events, I see it now as only half) a friend said if it came to an EMP burst rendering electronics largely useless, he knew he was coming to my place to borrow a Perentie. While there's some logic to his argument (diesel remains usable longer on the shelf should pumps stop, and a largely manual, non-electronic engine would improve survivability of that vehicle in general) it raises the question, has there ever been any testing or analysis performed on how well a Perentie would survive an EMP, enabling one to drive off afterwards?

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Not sure but I do know that the new RFID type keys have a issue if electromagnetic interference is about. My key fails. Not my old Disco happily. mg xs ev has a remote keyfob allowing keyless entry and starting. Found twice now it would not work and suspected the first time the battery in keyfob might be flat.. that issue has bitten old D3 keys. The dealer who I called the first time mention the interference issue had a solution. EMP burst is a whole world other of pain.[biggrin]

Test suggest almost nothing works post a BIG EMP nuclear burst.

Personally I would be more concerned about the effects from what caused the EMP in the first place than how the electrics in my 4WD have been affected[bigwhistle]
Maybe a pushbike or a horse is a better option in such an event[thumbsupbig]

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Originally Posted by trout1105

Maybe a pushbike or a horse is a better option in such an event[thumbsupbig]

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no no no...
a pushbike gets stuck in mud and sand, a horse has its own mind and could just run off.

Lets face it, the Perentie is the best option

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Originally Posted by trout1105

Personally I would be more concerned about the effects from what caused the EMP in the first place than how the electrics in my 4WD have been affected[bigwhistle]
Maybe a pushbike or a horse is a better option in such an event[thumbsupbig]

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While we all seem to default to EMP coming from a mam made source, the impact could also come from a natural, earthbourne or cosmic event as well, and while I realize the odds of us humans messing it all up ourselves are at least as good, I'd prefer to think we'll squeak by without self-inflicting such, even if just barely. Thus my question isn't about whether I'll survive what will cause the hypothetical EMP so much as truly whether my Perentie may.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

On the other hand, small electronic devices are almost certainly going to be destroyed, not by very high voltages, but by only a few volts in the wrong place and wrong polarity, plus, of course if they use thermionic valves, the heaters or filaments will be destroyed by even a couple of volts above what they were designed for.

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When I was doing my apprenticeship, while at TAFE we studied EMP readiness and the general conclusion was semiconductors were out and thermionics were the go. The theory being the impedance of the event was such that it could cause high enough voltages to damage a semiconductor junction but the source impedance was high enough there was no way to generate enough power to burn out a fllament. The remainder of the "stuff in the jar" remaining completely unaffected.

The crux was a lot of the gear built during the cold war used glass because it was far more likely to survive, not (as many believed) because the military technology was that far behind.

Aside from the regulator and diodes in the alternator, I can't see anything else that might be an issue. If you wanted to "prep for doom" you could always replace the alternator with a generator and a magnetic regulator.

Not very often I can actually refer back to anything I learned at TAFE!

in doing a bit of research for something else, I was reading a little of this thread and wanted to comment on my own experience.

I witnessed during a stint in America some preparations for the just in case of an EMP Blast (generated from nuclear blast). What they did in advance was to install multiple capacitors in critical areas of the vehicle to absorb the momentary emp blast.

What ever they did was apparently researched and considered sufficient for the task.
In what i remember it is only the electronic components that are susceptible, so for the Perentie it would be the diode bank and regulator on the alternator.
Now where and the how I wouldn't have a clue.