# EMP devices and their alternatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478 "2003-11-05T03:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tybaltius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f6c823/32.png) [@Tybaltius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tybaltius)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/1 "2003-11-05T03:21:11Z")
Does a weapon exist that can cause an EMP hardened and proofed device to fail? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/2 "2003-11-05T04:04:23Z")
From personal experience, I find electronic equipment to be particularily vulnerable to axe and sledge attacks. ---
**Author:** ![cdhostage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@cdhostage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdhostage)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/3 "2003-11-05T04:17:15Z")
Nothing is EMP proofed. A strong enough pulse could rip all the ions from your body. Of course, given that something needds explode to make said pulse, you’ll have other things to worry about. Ty, I assume you’re talking about modern electronic contrivances that are especially prone to failure when subjected to a sudden enormous change in the local magnetic flux. Induction’s a bitch, ain’t it? The best way to protect such a device is with a Faraday cage; at its simplest just a metal box with the contents electr9cally isolated. Most of the induction effects of an EMP pulse will occur on the skin of said cage. And the best waty to cause such a box to fail is… fasp … physically breaking itl With an axe or an explosion, take your pic. ---
**Author:** ![Tybaltius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f6c823/32.png) [@Tybaltius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tybaltius)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/4 "2003-11-05T04:36:56Z")
I’m speaking of a completely illogical and hypothetical situation where the use of an EMP device was out of the question, and you didn’t have a close enough access to destroy it with an axe, gun, explosion, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/5 "2003-11-05T04:48:18Z")
Start a rumor that touching it will cause herpes? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/6 "2003-11-05T14:24:33Z")
Not since the 1920’s ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/7 "2003-11-05T15:39:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m speaking of a completely illogical and hypothetical situation where the use of an EMP device was out of the question, and you didn’t have a close enough access to destroy it with an axe, gun, explosion, etc. Running right out of weapons, aren’t we? Seriously, that doesn’t leave much. And if you don’t have close enough access to destroy it with an explosion, etc., then you pretty much don’t have enough access to destroy it, period–even with an EMP. What are we talking about, something buried under two miles of granite? Something at the bottom of an oceanic trench? Something on the far side of the moon? Is this question Matrix-related? ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/8 "2003-11-05T16:31:12Z")
Well… you cannot destroy it, and an EMP device is out of the question… Cutting off the power supply comes to mind. Other than that, your hypothetical situation may have made the device invulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-devices-and-their-alternatives/211478/9 "2003-11-05T17:46:39Z")
Extreme Tidal effect due to the proximity of a supermassive black hole will cause mechanical strains that disrupt the crystal sructure. Heck, a sufficiently strong gravitic pulse would do even better, sending a severe warpage of space time across the target and really putting a few cracks in it. Hey - you started this hypothetical…ness… talking… stuff…