Pocket EMP device with a disposable camera's flash?

[Robert Baer]

OK, so if I understand correctly: the trigger pulse ionises the Xenon,
which then becomes conducting and the main discharge from the capacitor
follows.

Depending on the circuitry of the disposable camera, the capacitor's
discharge is either controlled by a second switch, or simply by virtue
of the Xenon becoming conducting.

If it is the former, no problem - that second switch simply needs to be
triggered or replaced to bypass it.

If it is the latter, then replacing the Xenon with an inductance coil
will cause the capacitor to discharge immediately after the trigger
pulse is fired.

So in theory it should work; correct me if I am wrong please.

The inductor is made with copper wire, which is rather conductive to
say the least - thereby putting a short circuit across a capacitor which
cannot charge in the first place.
As hinted perviously, the Xenon flash tube *is* the switch.
So if you want the capacitor to charge, and at some pre-determined
time to discharge into the LC circuit, you will need to add a switch
(hint: an SCR will do).

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

My point is, however, that technological progress will inevitably bring
with itself either a "zero secrets" society or something even worse
than Orwells (after all, he wrote 1984, not 2084....).

Actually he wrote 1948, but he swapped the last two digits. Check the
original copyright date.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

OK, so if I understand correctly: the trigger pulse ionises the Xenon,
which then becomes conducting and the main discharge from the capacitor
follows.
Yes.


Depending on the circuitry of the disposable camera, the capacitor's
discharge is either controlled by a second switch, or simply by virtue
of the Xenon becoming conducting.

There is no "second" switch.

If it is the former, no problem - that second switch simply needs to be
triggered or replaced to bypass it.

If it is the latter, then replacing the Xenon with an inductance coil
will cause the capacitor to discharge immediately after the trigger
pulse is fired.

No - work out why before you electrocute yourself please.

So in theory it should work; correct me if I am wrong please.

Your "theory" is screwed!

 

[Jan Panteltje]

No - work out why before you electrocute yourself please.


Your "theory" is screwed!

If anyone had bothered to look up and _read_ the original article,
you would find they _do_ use a swicth, take out the flashbulb, and
replace it with a coil.

Original text:
# Blitzschaltung eines alten, externen Fotoblitzes mit Lichtleitzahl 24.
Der Kondensator dieses Blitzgerätes hat eine Kapazität von 330?F und 330V Spannung.
# Selbstgewickelte Spule, Maße: 4,5*8cm, lackierter Kupferdraht, 1mm dick, 5 Windungen


So a home wound coil of 4.5 x 8 cm of 1mm thick wire, 5 turns, in series with
a switch, with a HV cap of 330uF at 330V.

RFID-Zapper:
https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper
<quote>
Hierzu verwenden wir einen hochkapazitiven und hochvoltigen
Blitzkondensator, wie wir ihn in einer billigen Einwegkamera finden, die wir
mit einer Spule aus lackiertem Kupferdraht nachrüsten. (Ein zusätzlicher
Schalter erwies sich auch als notwendig.) U
<end quote>
^^^^^^^^
'shalter = switch.

You close the switch, and bingo.


RFID detector (click the small pictures for diagram and PCB coil):
http://www.heise.de/ct/05/02/202/

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

If anyone had bothered to look up and _read_ the original article,
you would find they _do_ use a swicth, take out the flashbulb, and
replace it with a coil.

- judgement is passed much more efficiently without excessive knowledge ;-)

Original text:
# Blitzschaltung eines alten, externen Fotoblitzes mit Lichtleitzahl 24.
Der Kondensator dieses Blitzgerätes hat eine Kapazität von 330?F und 330V Spannung.
# Selbstgewickelte Spule, Maße: 4,5*8cm, lackierter Kupferdraht, 1mm dick, 5 Windungen


So a home wound coil of 4.5 x 8 cm of 1mm thick wire, 5 turns, in series with
a switch, with a HV cap of 330uF at 330V.

RFID-Zapper:
https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper
<quote>
Hierzu verwenden wir einen hochkapazitiven und hochvoltigen
Blitzkondensator, wie wir ihn in einer billigen Einwegkamera finden, die wir
mit einer Spule aus lackiertem Kupferdraht nachrüsten. (Ein zusätzlicher
Schalter erwies sich auch als notwendig.) U
<end quote>
^^^^^^^^
'shalter = switch.

You close the switch, and bingo.

BUT - The flash tube is such a nice High Current switch and the trigger
mechanism is conveniently compatible with timers e.t.c. It would be a shame not
to use it!

 

[Jan Panteltje]

BUT - The flash tube is such a nice High Current switch and the trigger
mechanism is conveniently compatible with timers e.t.c. It would be a shame not
to use it!

True, but I'd suspect a lot of energy to go into the flash, and less into the
coil.

 

[Richard The Dreaded Libertarian]

It has less to do with the police catching legitimate criminals, than
criminalising the innocent and acting with impunity.

For example, the police who recently murdered an innocent, restrained
and unresisting man are back on duty (Rambo killed another guy today
too) and they weren't even *tried*. If that isn't an indication of
being above the law, I don't know what is.

It is easy for you to point fingers being a Yank where freedom is still
somewhat valued but I extend a very warm welcome to you to come to
Britain and see things for yourself.

Until then, please spare us your snide misinformed comments.

Thompson's a Bushist. Talking sense to him is like talking to a brick.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Barry Lennox]

If anyone had bothered to look up and _read_ the original article,
you would find they _do_ use a swicth, take out the flashbulb, and
replace it with a coil.

snip.

Thanks, it looks pretty interesting. I gathered up a lot of those
1-shot cameras just for the HV caps for a spark eroder I built.
There's a lot of other useful bits in them as well. In many cases,
there's still the AA cell, which is barely discharged.

One warning, in nearly every one, the HV cap still had about 150-200V
on it, even after weeks, It could catch you out, if you are unaware of
this.

Anyway, has anybody here actually tried it as an RFID Zapper? More
usefully, would it damage the cellphone of the idiot user babbling
away next to me on the train?

Barry Lennox

 

[Barry Lennox]

Actually he wrote 1948, but he swapped the last two digits. Check the
original copyright date.

Quite true, I made a point of reading "1984" in 1984 over the Xmas
break. It was not very accurate, but not a bad read nevertheless.

However, it comes closer to describing Britain in 2006 with cameras on
every street corner, a gross loss of privacy, coppers shooting
innocent electricians then walking free, B-liar shouting "global
warming" as a distractor and a mad immigration policy that allows in
thousands of hate-filled religous zealots.

Barry Lennox

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Anyway, has anybody here actually tried it as an RFID Zapper? More
usefully, would it damage the cellphone of the idiot user babbling
away next to me on the train?

Barry Lennox

This is exactly one of my fears, we will get RFID tags in passports for example.
A new passport is expensive, and I dunno how many times they are prepared
to issue one, and if you go abroad and are not sure the tag works......
Better keep all those things is a metal box or envelope.

You can use one at the airport to zap all passports.......

oops.

 

[Genome]

Thompson's a Bushist. Talking sense to him is like talking to a brick.

Good Luck!
Rich

I was talking to my brick yesterday..... I said

'Hey, you're oblong in a three dimensional sort of way and kind of ruddy
brown.'

We had a cuddle later.

DNA

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Quite true, I made a point of reading "1984" in 1984 over the Xmas
break. It was not very accurate, but not a bad read nevertheless.

However, it comes closer to describing Britain in 2006 with cameras on
every street corner, a gross loss of privacy, coppers shooting
innocent electricians then walking free, B-liar shouting "global
warming" as a distractor and a mad immigration policy that allows in
thousands of hate-filled religous zealots.

Barry Lennox

Was that the one where you had to type your name and ID code into a
teletype machine, every place you went?


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Richard The Dreaded Libertarian]

He wrote "1984" _in_ 1948, duh.

Was that the one where you had to type your name and ID code into a
teletype machine, every place you went?

No - you didn't have to, because Big Brother even had cameras in your
house. They were watching you 24/7.

We had to read it in high school English, and I found it very frightening
and strangely prophetic. We also read "Animal Farm", and I was able to see
the equivalent actually happening in society before my very eyes.

But I seem to be the only one on the planet who got the point. (or at
least, in the USA.)

Thanks,
Rich

 

[martin griffith]

This is exactly one of my fears, we will get RFID tags in passports for example.
A new passport is expensive, and I dunno how many times they are prepared
to issue one, and if you go abroad and are not sure the tag works......
Better keep all those things is a metal box or envelope.

You can use one at the airport to zap all passports.......

oops.

That would be fun. I see the two guys arrested after the Heathrow epic
in August have been released, insufficient evidence....

But where do you get RFID tags from, to test to destruction? My little
village(1) has barely caught up to the barcode era, and most things
dont seem to have RFID tags (yet).

(1) nor does it have traffic wardens, or parking meters or CCTV, but I
just found out where the brothel is.


martin

 

[Didi]

We had to read it in high school English, and I found it very frightening

and strangely prophetic.

It is indeed, and it still is a good reading (can actually enjoy
rereading
it one of these days, it has been 15 years now since I last read it).
The final sentence of the novel ("He loved Big Brother...") is perhaps
the most chilling one I have ever read.... and so applicable to our
day.

Dimiter (supposedly no longer in Seldon mode

 

[Barry Lennox]

Was that the one where you had to type your name and ID code into a
teletype machine, every place you went?

Nope, there were "Telescreens" , cameras and microphones all over the
place to catch out wrongdoers. There's a good summary at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four and I have just
discovered the full text online at
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/

The Teletype machine rings a bell, there may have been something like
that in Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451, it's been a long time since
I read them

Barry Lennox

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Nope, there were "Telescreens" , cameras and microphones all over the
place to catch out wrongdoers. There's a good summary at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four and I have just
discovered the full text online at
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/

The Teletype machine rings a bell, there may have been something like
that in Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451, it's been a long time since
I read them

Barry Lennox

Me too, I read them all decades ago. I haven't seen much decent SCI
FI in print, in years. I got so desperate that I started writing some
of my own.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Robert Baer]

Quite true, I made a point of reading "1984" in 1984 over the Xmas
break. It was not very accurate, but not a bad read nevertheless.

However, it comes closer to describing Britain in 2006 with cameras on
every street corner, a gross loss of privacy, coppers shooting
innocent electricians then walking free, B-liar shouting "global
warming" as a distractor and a mad immigration policy that allows in
thousands of hate-filled religous zealots.

Barry Lennox

But sir! Gotta have a bunch of hate-filled zealots to "justify"
repressive measures!
Without them, the repressionists would be out of a job!

 

[Robert Baer]

That would be fun. I see the two guys arrested after the Heathrow epic
in August have been released, insufficient evidence....

But where do you get RFID tags from, to test to destruction? My little
village(1) has barely caught up to the barcode era, and most things
dont seem to have RFID tags (yet).

(1) nor does it have traffic wardens, or parking meters or CCTV, but I
just found out where the brothel is.


martin

Do not fall into a hole...

 

[Jim Yanik]

Me too, I read them all decades ago. I haven't seen much decent
SCI
FI in print, in years. I got so desperate that I started writing some
of my own.

try reading James P Hogan's stuff.
The Two Faces of Tomorrow,the "Giants" trilogy,Bug Park,Voyage From
Yesteryear.
Greg Bear is also OK. Darwin's Radio and Darwin's Children are good reads.