Do I need to worry about stored RDS deteriorating?

[halmbarte]

@FeltaDorce

"Faraday cages don’t need to be grounded to protect the contents.

H"

In the traditional use of Faraday cages, this is correct. Normally, they direct current around the contents of the cage, keeping things safe. This application does not require any grounding.

With regards to EMP, things are different. The EMP pulse is not attacking any object with current (which is why EMP is able to attack electronics through the air, as opposed to needing a conductive contact with the electronics). An EMP pulse attacks items by “jostling” the electrons within it very quickly. In this case, an ungrounded Faraday cage can actually become the current EMITTER (it has the electrons in it, which are being driven by the pulse). If the pulse is strong enough, you can create a relative voltage across the cage itself, that may discharge internally. A good ground will allow the excessive voltage within the cage to stabilize.

A EMP pulse is a high intensity electro-magnetic field with a very fast rise time. EM fields that change in time induce electron movement in conductors, which we call current.

Using a EM field to induce current is generally well understood, and is how much exotic equipment, like transformers and AC motors operate. How you generate the EM field doesn’t matter.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/faraday-cage.htm

As a Faraday cage distributes that charge or radiation around the cage’s exterior, it cancels out electric charges or radiation within the cage’s interior. In short, a Faraday cage is a hollow conductor, in which the charge remains on the external surface of the cage.

H