Could it be a sabotage using EMI?

Opening Scene:

Hidden high above the San Diego Freeway, obscured by a smog cloud, the silent hovercraft of Dr. Evil looks down on the moving vehicles of the freeway. Peering through a viewscope Dr. Evil identifies his next victim. Maybe it was the flash of his white hair, maybe it was the iconic shape of his classic generation 2 Prius, but James Sikes is about to take the ride of his life....

"Activate the the Mega EMI ray!" screams Dr. Evil. "...and may the best car win."

"Target the Blue Prius! Set the ray to Anti-Smug level 10!"


Disclaimer: With all due respect to victims of real tragedies, which always must be met with respect and real investigation. I mean this only as comment on "Conspiracy Theories" not as commentary on actual tragic events.

 

No, but there is technology on the way that will set in motion...


Coming soon: cars that communicate


The focus at this time is on Toyota, tomorrow it could be Honda. As we progress we will eventually iron out the problems and just be happy we where on the bleeding edge of the technology that got us out of the gas age.

-zxit

 

I am impressed and relieved! I am not the only one who can't comprehend; why do Toyota's problems seem to be US centered?

This not to say that perhaps Toyota's quality did not slipped in their kamikaze effort to become number one. Still, if anyone will correct the problem should there be any, Mr. Toyoda will. After all every car has his name on it - well almost.

 

I'm thinking it is actually related to the use of a cell phone. Be it, EMI, bluetooth, WiFi, or the actual cell phone usage.

 

Hi cp...,

The FCC is not the legal control over military emissions. I believe that miltary emissions are coordinated by the White House Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Other than frequency, the Military can pretty emit anything they can buy equipment for.

 

Hi Carz89,

One of the keyless entry bands is smack dab in the middle of the ham band (where they put radars) at 434 MHz. Another is just above 300 MHz, which is right next to the military UHF COM band (225 to 300 MHz) which is commonly used by military aircraft. This is more a fault of the frequency coordination, and trade-offs with regards of the cost of the receiver, and its capability to reject off-frequency signals.

So, its not supprising that the low cost receivers in an remote car door opener are jammed by nearby Air Craft Carriers.

Its also telling, that even with the strong signals from a nearby Air-Craft Carrier, the equipment, hooked to a resonant antenna (the receiver and keyfob) were not damaged, just jammed. As they continued to work after the Air Craft Carrier moved on.

 

WOW,
I'll have to check the EMI pulse from a nuke out the next time I drive thru ground zero.

Dbcassidy

 

EMI does not have to "damage" electronics to cause problems.
It just need to "interfere" by causing induced current, which in turns causes logic fault due to voltage threshold crossing in IC. As simple as that.
Not every parts and sensors in modern vehicles are protected by metal cases.
Your gas pedal is not.

P.S. when magnetic flux flow thru a metal loop, it induces current.
The larger the flux and loop, the stronger the current.

 

Chaotic EMI strong enough to disable a Prius on the freeway, will affect all nearby vehicles as well. It's an interesting theory, but the very low incidence rate makes it difficult to determine causality

Yes, I do. There are dedicated test facilities in the desert in Nevada and California expressly designed to "sweep" EMI for certification tests, there are also facilities located throughout the USA and the world for this testing

Other Labs & Test Facilities

EMCC DR. RASEK - Military & Avionics EMC Testing

Nevada Automotive Test Center - Electromagnetic Compatibility/Interference

EMC/EMI - Environ Testing Laboratory - Engineering and Testing Services since 1962

eEngineer -- EMI/EMC Military Standards-461a,b,c,d,e Summary

Really?

First of all, it's called "EMP" or Electro Magnetic Pulse.

Electromagnetic Pulse-From Chaos To A Manageable Solution

Digital Flight Control System Emi/Emp Testing--Lessons Learned

http://www.sandia.gov/electromagnetics/New_Reports/reports/Caldwell2005.pdf

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_senate_hearings&docid=f:21324.pdf

Back when above ground nuclear weapons testing occurred, in 1962 there was a test series known as Operation Dominic

Operation Dominic

Of particular interest was the high altitude testing, the so-called Fishbowl Series. The test most notable was Starfish Prime

Damn Interesting • Starfish Prime

What is fascinating was how the vacuum tube electronics of the day were disrupted and/or disabled in Hawaii.

Your assertion that HAEMP is of no threat to electronics is absurd, to say the least. Tactical and strategic systems, including the associated vehicles, MUST meet and be tested to MIL-STD-2169B

Don't bother trying to find the details of this standard. It's still Classified

If HAEMP really is harmless, I wouldn't have been employed doing testing on subassemblies and completed systems. It costs a FORTUNE to get HAEMP compliance

 

With all that testing of EMF/EMP effects, there must be some description of what fails and how. Is there some sort of EMF that selectively damages one component, while leaving everything else functional? I would expect an ECU glitch to lock up the entire ECU. Lock up the ECU that reads the gas pedal position and you'll also lose signals to the spark plugs. So even if the gas pedal problem is EMF, I find it highly unlikely that there would not also be additional effects that would just plain kill the engine.

 

The EMI/EMP cannot be selective, IMO.

Here is a study on EMP tests on various devices including cars:
http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission-7MB.pdf

The only serious negative effect is that some cars stalled at very high radiation levels. Note that they are simulating the detonation of a many megaton nuclear weapon.

from the section on automobiles:

The potential EMP vulnerability of automobiles derives from the use of built-in electronics that support multiple automotive functions. Electronic components were first introduced into automobiles in the late 1960s. As time passed and electronics technologies evolved, electronic applications in automobiles proliferated. Modern automobiles have as many as 100 microprocessors that control virtually all functions. While electronic applications have proliferated within automobiles, so too have application standards and electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) practices. Thus, while it might be expected that increased EMP vulnerability would accompany the proliferated electronics applications, this trend, at least in part, is mitigated by the increased application of EMI/EMC practices.

We tested a sample of 37 cars in an EMP simulation laboratory, with automobile vintages ranging from 1986 through 2002. Automobiles of these vintages include extensive electronics and represent a significant fraction of automobiles on the road today. The testing was conducted by exposing running and nonrunning automobiles to sequentially increasing EMP field intensities. If anomalous response (either temporary or permanent) was observed, the testing of that particular automobile was stopped. If no anomalous response was observed, the testing was continued up to the field intensity limits of the simulation capability (approximately 50 kV/m).

Automobiles were subjected to EMP environments under both engine turned off and engine turned on conditions. No effects were subsequently observed in those automobiles that were not turned on during EMP exposure. The most serious effect observed on running automobiles was that the motors in three cars stopped at field strengths of approximately 30 kV/m or above. In an actual EMP exposure, these vehicles would glide to a stop and require the driver to restart them. Electronics in the dashboard of one automobile were damaged and required repair. Other effects were relatively minor. Twenty-five automobiles exhibited malfunctions that could be considered only a nuisance (e.g., blinking dashboard lights) and did not require driver intervention to correct. Eight of the 37 cars tested did not exhibit any anomalous response.

Based on these test results, we expect few automobile effects at EMP field levels below 25 kV/m. Approximately 10 percent or more of the automobiles exposed to higher field levels may experience serious EMP effects, including engine stall, that require driver intervention to correct. We further expect that at least two out of three automobiles on the road will manifest some nuisance response at these higher field levels. The serious malfunctions could trigger car crashes on U.S. highways; the nuisance malfunctions could exacerbate this condition. The ultimate result of automobile EMP exposure could be triggered crashes that damage many more vehicles than are damaged by the EMP, the consequent loss of life, and multiple injuries.

3PriusMike

 

I'll never again drive under high voltage power lines

 

... You have nothing to lose but your brains!

In the interest of safety, I'd recommend putting the tinfoil hat over the entire car.

Unless Mr. Lutz is directing a pinpoint beam of it from his flying saucer directly at Toyotas only.

***

By the principle of Occam's razor, it is much more likely there was one defective part in one car, and after that a lot of mistaken-pedal incidents blamed on the car, than that someone is using EMI to sabotage cars. With thirty-seven thousand fatal accidents in the U.S. every year, and many more less serious, an industrious reporter will be able to find plenty of accidents involving any car maker he chooses, to offer up to a media hungry for sensationalist stories with which to entertain a ghoulish public.

BTW, I love the word "sabotage." It comes from sabo=shoe in French, and the habit of Luddites of throwing a wooden shoe into industrial machinery to foul the works, since machinery was seen as depriving workers of employment.

 

I once found a really interesting book - Sabotage - A Study of the American Workplace - it was a collection of stories from workers that had committed small acts against their (former) employers. It was quite fascinating but unfortunately, I lent the book to someone and never got it back.

 

Yes, there is. That is covered under MIL-STD-2169B, which is a Classified test procedure

Yes, depending on microprocessor design, some may latch-up, glitch, or fail before another does. This is addressed in MIL-STD-2169B

The effect on entire systems is difficult to predict. Depending on coupling, some components will latch up, glitch or fail before others will

Although MIL-STD-2169B is a Classified document, there are open documents and sources that go into quite a bit of detail about this phenomenon.

I highly recommend "EMP Environment and System Hardness Design," by Dr. Rabindra N Ghose. Be forewarned a lot of Calculus, so brush up on it before attempting to read

I'm not going to get into details of what are the Classified sections of MIL-STD-2169B, but although the Commission made a Good Faith effort to determine possible effects, their testing did NOT follow the guidelines of the Classified test protocol

Although not every modern vehicle will coast to a stop dead following a significant exoatmospheric EMP event, or CME event from the sun, the fact is, a fair number of vehicles will experience damage. Consider how easy it is to fry modern vehicle electronics just by doing a reverse-polarity jump start, or shorting jumper cables together

The most significant impact to our national infrastructure will be on power generation and distribution, telecommunications, and industrial control systems. It would probably be a moot point discussing the potential for a large number of automobiles to coast to a stop dead following an EMP event, if our fuel production and distribution, in addition to power generation, is disrupted on a wide scale

Long story short, there are no mass produced vehicles that meet MIL-STD-2169B off the line. Modern tactical and strategic vehicles use electronically controlled motors, almost always turbodiesel, that need extensive modification to meet MIL-STD-2169B

 

One former client, screwed me out of some money as they refused to recognize certain project Milestone events. I wrote a very simple subroutine into their plant control network

All one had to do was either at the operator console, or using a backdoor that I had also setup, enter "-666" into a given product configuration page. The subroutine would execute, and immediately open all the plant ditch valves, creating quite a mess.

Sadly, i never had the balls to carry it out

A colleague of mine informed me that, 8 years later, when he was at the same plant doing some upgrades, that little hidden subroutine of mine was still in the stack. He thought about purging it, then after he realized what dickheads comprised that client, left it in

 

Do you have any friends who write the software for vote counting machines?

 

Um .... maybe