Jump to content

Why dont em waves destroy computers or electronic communications?


Recommended Posts

Yes, most signal switching electronics ( in the KHz, MHz and GHz range ) has to be shielded so as not to induce EMF in nearby equipment.
If not shielded it is classified as a transmitter. 

EM radiation, however, falls off in strength very quickly, so a little separation goes a long way in reducing this effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Radiation with enough energy to disrupt the behaviour of electronic circuits is generally easy to shield. For example, ICs are packaged in opaque plastic or ceramic which protects them from UV, for example. If you try and operate a chip out of its packaging (as is done for test purposes) then you can she a bright light on it and stop it working properly.

A bigger problem is other forms of ionising radiation. Even the packaging materials can generate small amounts of alpha radiation, for example.

Some components are built to cope with some level of radiation; especially if, for example. they are intended for safety-critical applications or to be used in harsh environments like space. For example, memories can use a checksum or, better, an error correcting code so that if a bit is disrupted by radiation it can be detected as an error and corrected. Or, you can just build the circuit with bigger transistors so that it is less likely to be disrupted by a single alpha particle.

Part of the test and characterisation process of devices is to check the level of radiation that causes the circuit to misbehave.

However, to "destroy" a device would require much higher levels of radiation. At that point, the state of your electronic equipment is probably the least of your worries!

Note that this is part of the problem with trying to get robotic equipment to work in the Fukushima reactors. The radiation levels stop the electronics working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A nuclear bomb emits a powerful EM pulse that will destroy unprotected electronic and electric devices, including transformers used to distribute electricity to homes and businesses. Moreover, the solar flares emit powerful EM that sometimes damage electrical distribution equipment. Although electronic devices can be shielded from EM, high energy EM can penetrate some defenses. Thus, satellites are occasionally damaged.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, MigL said:

Yes, most signal switching electronics ( in the KHz, MHz and GHz range ) has to be shielded so as not to induce EMF in nearby equipment.
If not shielded it is classified as a transmitter. 

EM radiation, however, falls off in strength very quickly, so a little separation goes a long way in reducing this effect.

Plus other tricks like twisted pairs in wiring. A single wire radiates, but if the return is alongside it the net current is zero, so the field drops off quickly. A short distance away there is negligible radiation or field.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.