What to store in a faraday cage?

[Alaskajohn]

Let me start off by saying that for the last 10 years, my survivalist focus has been on learning, developing, acquiring and practicing how to survive with zero need for anything electronic. This is still my primary focus. There is a current active thread on the forum on how to make a good faraday cage, and I am starting this thread about what to put in a faraday cage. So this thread is about what to put in a faraday cage, so as not to derail the other thread on how to make a good faraday cage.

My main desire would be to have a good radio with shortwave like my Tecsun PL-880 and some handheld ham radio like the much aligned boefangs, plus a means to keep them charged. I'd like to include something like the Yeti 200X and solar panels and maybe some rechargeable batteries and a charger. This is something I want to put together soon and stash away in a method being discussed in the other thread.

What is wrong with this plan, and what else would you suggest?

My main concern is I get zero sun for almost two months each year, so solar has limitations. I do get 8 hour or more of sun for about 9 months a year. Plus, the lithium's won't charge or operate well for about 6 months a year with sub zeo temps, so I will need to keep them warm to use them. They will be stored below ground where the temps are about 45-52 degrees constant, year round. As long as I don't have to bug out, I can keep them there and run the wires from the external solar panels to the basement where the batteries can stay after I pull them from the faraday cage after a CME or nuclear event.

What are your thoughts or suggestions?

 

[SheepDog]

I have information in electronic form that I want to have no matter what. On top of that some small communication devices.
As long as you are not grid connected a CME can't damage your electronics. The HEMP is a different story. A Faraday cage will not protect electronics from the E1 pulse. The other thread has directions on how to build a device to protect electronics from the E1.

So my long term storage is a laptop and my short term storage is an external hard drive that stores information that changes and grows.

 

[Neb]

Let me start off by saying that for the last 10 years, my survivalist focus has been on learning, developing, acquiring and practicing how to survive with zero need for anything electronic. This is still my primary focus. There is a current active thread on the forum on how to make a good faraday cage, and I am starting this thread about what to put in a faraday cage. So this thread is about what to put in a faraday cage, so as not to derail the other thread on how to make a good faraday cage.

My main desire would be to have a good radio with shortwave like my Tecsun PL-880 and some handheld ham radio like the much aligned boefangs, plus a means to keep them charged. I'd like to include something like the Yeti 200X and solar panels and maybe some rechargeable batteries and a charger. This is something I want to put together soon and stash away in a method being discussed in the other thread.

What is wrong with this plan, and what else would you suggest?

My main concern is I get zero sun for almost two months each year, so solar has limitations. I do get 8 hour or more of sun for about 9 months a year. Plus, the lithium's won't charge or operate well for about 6 months a year with sub zeo temps, so I will need to keep them warm to use them. They will be stored below ground where the temps are about 45-52 degrees constant, year round. As long as I don't have to bug out, I can keep them there and run the wires from the external solar panels to the basement where the batteries can stay after I pull them from the faraday cage after a CME or nuclear event.

What are your thoughts or suggestions?

Thermo electric generators

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_generator
May be useful for your winter challenge. You may be familiar with peltier cells used to run a cooler from a car cigarette lighter outlet. When you pass current through them they create a thermal gradiant with one getting cold and the opposite side gets hot.

A thermo electric generator runs the idea backwards. It uses a thermal gradient into a electrical current. Keep one side cold and the other side hot and you get a current. They are used in satellites where one side is heated by the sun and the other side faces the cold of space.

Thought experiment

Imagine a copper rod in an insulated jacket that passes through the wall of your house to a heat sink mounted outside in the cold to radiate the heat into the cold air.

That could be the cold sink required by the thermo electric generator.

Another copper rod to collect heat from a chimney and you have the thermal gradient needed.

Its better than nothing?

Ben

 

[Hardcalibres]

My list of gear to protect is:

Solar charge controllers (MPPT)
Compact solar panels (Powerfilm Solar are the best)
Inverters
Digital watches
Handheld Ham radios
Base/portable ham radios
Radio accessories (tuners, chargers, smart antennas, ext Mics)
Compact Drone (can be operated without GPS)
Nightvision/thermal
Tablet/Laptop/ext hard disks - document/knowledge library
Laser range finder/laser aimers
Kestral ballistic calculator
Critical vehicle electronics (but picking vehicles that need as few as possible is arguably better).
PIR wireless alarms
Digital camera
Eneloop chargers
Generator parts (or even a complete EU22i Honda fits in a trash can on it's side)
Multimeter
Medical devices (pulse/Ox monitors, CPAP, Etc)
Electronic gun optics
Smart batteries (Most lithium batteries have protection circuits now - even the small ones)
Rechargeable tools (drills, saws, sanders, grinders, impact driver, batteries and chargers)
AC surge protectors (active ones are likely toast and solar activity is likely to last for a while after a big one)

Some may say they think some of the above items should be OK, but since we don't really know, protecting them seems prudent.

 

[Rebecca]

It probably depends on each person's space available to dedicate to a faraday cage, in a small space I would go for something like a kindle or tablet and a way to charge it. Those thousands of downloaded books will be invaluable. As the space and protection improves keep adding things until the list is somewhat similar to Hardcalibres.

 

[Alaskajohn]

My list of gear to protect is:

Solar charge controllers (MPPT)
Compact solar panels (Powerfilm Solar are the best)
Inverters
Digital watches
Handheld Ham radios
Base/portable ham radios
Radio accessories (tuners, chargers, smart antennas, ext Mics)
Compact Drone (can be operated without GPS)
Nightvision/thermal
Tablet/Laptop/ext hard disks - document/knowledge library
Laser range finder/laser aimers
Kestral ballistic calculator
Critical vehicle electronics (but picking vehicles that need as few as possible is arguably better).
PIR wireless alarms
Digital camera
Eneloop chargers
Generator parts (or even a complete EU22i Honda fits in a trash can on it's side)
Multimeter
Medical devices (pulse/Ox monitors, CPAP, Etc)
Electronic gun optics
Smart batteries (Most lithium batteries have protection circuits now - even the small ones)
Rechargeable tools (drills, saws, sanders, grinders, impact driver, batteries and chargers)
AC surge protectors (active ones are likely toast and solar activity is likely to last for a while after a big one)

Some may say they think some of the above items should be OK, but since we don't really know, protecting them seems prudent.

Thanks for the list! Now I know what to do with my spare XPS2. Probably will throw a battery charger and a few spare batteries for my Dewalt tools. And you gave me some other ideas to think about.

 

[Alaskajohn]

It probably depends on each person's space available to dedicate to a faraday cage, in a small space I would go for something like a kindle or tablet and a way to charge it. Those thousands of downloaded books will be invaluable. As the space and protection improves keep adding things until the list is somewhat similar to Hardcalibres.

My kids have given me their old laptops that I was going to configure as a knowledge and family history storage. Now that I think of it, I should probably through some thumb drives in the cage. The laptops are too big for the 120mm ammo cases, so I’ll have to make a different faraday cage for them.

 

[Supervisor42]

Can I store a 'mother-in-law' in mine?

... naa, probably too corrosive.

 

[SheepDog]

The only things that I am protecting are a single laptop, extra batteries, and a 1 terabyte external hard drive.
I can charge the batteries using acid and two different metals.

Any more than that is just not practical. I have a lot of tools and a bunch of power tools. The large power tools will have to be converted to steam power and things like drills and routers will be converted to hand power or stored until I can make a steam powered generator. I have a good selection of hand tools so I will be able to make and repair things but all the electronic gear will be gone. I can fabricate a voltmeter and ammeter so basic measurements will be possible.

 

[Neb]

The only things that I am protecting are a single laptop, extra batteries, and a 1 terabyte external hard drive.
I can charge the batteries using acid and two different metals.

Any more than that is just not practical. I have a lot of tools and a bunch of power tools. The large power tools will have to be converted to steam power and things like drills and routers will be converted to hand power or stored until I can make a steam powered generator. I have a good selection of hand tools so I will be able to make and repair things but all the electronic gear will be gone. I can fabricate a voltmeter and ammeter so basic measurements will be possible.

Trivia

I had professor that was 80+ for electricity and magnetism so he was around in old days. I asked him

"
What did you guys use as a voltage reference before zener diodes were invented?
"

Answer

A chemical cell.

Ben

 

[Caribou]

Spare hearing aids.

 

[Alaskajohn]

Any thoughts on how long those expensive lithium batteries will store sealed up in a dry environment at 45-52 degrees?

 

[Neb]

Any thoughts on how long those expensive lithium batteries will store sealed up in a dry environment at 45-52 degrees?

Mine rated for 20 year shelf life.

Ben

 

[Alaskajohn]

Mine rated for 20 year shelf life.

Ben

That may be about the shelf life I have left in me! Thanks!

 

[INresponse]

A 4'x4'x8' tall enclosure wouldn't take up much room and would allow for plenty of storage. When I get a chance to build mine within the next year I am fortunate enough to have enough space for a larger sized portable generator, and I am really wanting a 6k watt diesel generator so that will be my big power supply for limited use, but I am also planning on a 200 watt solar system as they do not take up much space and the price for a good one is still pretty reasonable. I have a friend that rebuilds old computers so I will have a couple old laptops, and maybe a desktop computer, all loaded with helpful information and probably a few low tech games. A stereo with a CD player, and a bunch of CD's would be entertaining. An VCR for my stash of old VCR tapes, and a DVD player with all my DVD's and a couple cheap flat screen TV's wouldn't take up much space either. Maybe an old alarm clock or two. Other small items that are cheap to buy if you have room. A walk around the house looking at electronic things you have will give you more ideas. Again, it depends on how much room you will have but walking around yard sales or any local store will help you find small affordable items that might come in handy and make life a little easier if the time comes.
It wouldn't be difficult to wrap all the small items in heavy duty aluminum foil and tape a label to each item for easy identification.