I know someone who made a microwave beam EMP device that could kill computers from a few hundred metres.
They were massively overdriving a microwave magnetron from a capacitor bank.

Somewhere I have a handheld AM CB radio that will reboot a computer if you transmit right next to it.
It can make the monitor go black and white from a metre or two, and I was able to transmit my voice to all the computer speakers on the floor above at work.
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The Engine Whisperer - fixer of things

That is possible, but theres a bit of difference in the power level required to temporarily flip a binary bit from a 0 (<1v) to a 1 (>~3v) (all thats required to crash a computer) at a range of less than a meter and the power level required to induce sufficient voltage to blow the electronics up permanently (6-12v or more) at a decent range..

Computer Speakers often pickup interference from mobiles/radios, since they have a high impedance, high gain amplifier in them with a nice meter or more long "aerial" (the lead to the PC's speaker socket) to pickup the field.. but they dont really melt down afterwards though..
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Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people

i think the microwave EMP's arent your standard EMP
i believe they gain effectiveness by getting the components etc in the target circuit to resonate. (your going to have a 4cm trace on your PCB somewhere right?)
and by being directional.

what *is* the mechanism of nuclear EMP? the metric assload of charged particles moving dern quick generates the emp?
i would have thaught that the resultant plasma would have been of neutral charge so when it all moves there would be no net charge displacement?

want to see the effect of a strong electromagnetic field on electronics?
put a mobile phone next to a computer monitor (generally sitting on the desk under the screen works best) then wait till you get a call or SMS.

best if you use sombodys monitor you dont like.
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Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

The most significant EMP generated by home HV experimenters is with Marx generators. Tesla coils don't have the same impulsive discharge and are somewhat safer near other equipment (I run a car radio 2 feet beyond spark range routinely. Marx generators eg 1 foot sparks on the other hand have repeatedly caused damage around those who have used them. Lots of anecdotal stuff mainly.

Peter

quote:

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Originally posted by Spockie-Tech:
but they dont really melt down afterwards though..

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i guess the inductance is higher in a tesla coil setup so it would act to smooth the arc somewhat?
it wouldnt have the same rate of change of flux?
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Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets