Hi all.
So basically, I want to see how easy it would be to make a small faraday cage, or similar, to prevent a cell phone from sending or receiving any data of any sort. I have heard of using a microwave, yes. And I have heard of people putting their cell phones into the fridge too. I would like something smaller, simpler. I picture a metal box with a lid that I can set it into.
Additionally, something similar for travel, preferably a thing that could fit in a pocket, with bonus points if it could be somewhat flexible.
Yes, I know it sounds crazy. I am just curious what others think about this sort of stuff. I currently just turn my phone off and not worry about it when its not in use, especially at night. Although the more paranoid part of me thinks that turning it off isn't enough.
What are your thoughts?
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Le_Squish ago
I'm a seamstress and this is something in the quenue to experiment with. I know aluminium foil can block some near field stuff and aluminum fabrics do exist. But I don't have the equipment to test the effectiveness of any pouch or case I could make though....
Amadameus ago
Strips of aluminum foil and fabric glue would work very nicely, I think!
If you make one of these please let me know, I'd love to see the design.
Le_Squish ago
I'm thinking of actual aluminum fabric. I have a machine that can sew it and there is a shop in town that lets you rent their laser cutter by the minute. Guess, I'll bump this up in the research quenue.
Amadameus ago
I can't speak to the aluminum fabric, but I can tell you one thing in particular:
The ability of a Faraday Cage (that's what we're making, a pouch-shaped Faraday cage lined with fabric) to block electromagnetic waves is directly proportional to the spacing between the wires. Think of it like a sieve for frequencies. The larger the spacing, the less it will block.
If you use chicken wire, any wavelength short enough to fit inside those holes will penetrate. If you use window screening your wavelength goes down, but still exists. Aluminum foil is a preferred material because it's got no holes and thus can (in theory) block everything. The real world adds some technicalities but they're minor cases. A perfect sphere of grounded metal will block damn near everything from getting in or out.
Now the question is, your aluminum fabric may or may not work depending on the way it's made. If the fibers are coated in aluminum it might work very well. If there are just a few aluminum wires woven in there, it might not work well at all.
Unless the fabric is super expensive, I think it's definitely worth a shot. Let us know how it goes! You might be able to get several commissioned pieces for Voaters if you advertise.