..the types of components used in those years, both military and civilian, were not as suceptable to EMP damage as the discrete electronic compoinents we have come to abjectly rely on today.Today's micro-electronics input/output pins are, however, protected intrinsic ESD circuity; typically fast clamping diodes to ground and the Vcc or Vdd supply rails ... this works surprising well in practice AND is an under-rated factor in most 'predictions' performed by arm-chair EMP analysts ...
Today's micro-electronics input/output pins are, however, protected intrinsic ESD circuity; typically fast clamping diodes to ground and the Vcc or Vdd supply rails ... this works surprising well in practice AND is an under-rated factor in most 'predictions' performed by arm-chair EMP analysts ...That ESD circuitry is not designed specifically with EMP in mind at all. It is designed with the manufacturing process and then real world usage in mind, and is not tested for or designed in consideration of EMP events.
Since it is not designed to those standards and expectations, it can not reasonably be expected or assured to provide protection during it.
I know of know commercial manufacture who would claim, or even hint, that their ESD protection would definitvely hold up in an EMP event...and I worked for several years at Micron Electronics here in Idaho.
The specs and standards that the equipment has to comply with are different for the two events and you can add a third set in for lightning protection. For ESD, generally they are: IEC-1000-4-2; levels 1 to 4 (contact discharge) and RTCA-160 D; section 25. For EMP they are: MIL-STD-461 C: requirements CS 06, CS 10, CS 11, RS 05; IEC-1000-4-4; and RTCA-160 D; section 17. For lighting suppression they are: IEC-100-4-5; levels 1 and 2, and RTCA-160 D; section 22.
Although there are similarities, the two events have intrinsic differences which make it difficult to make any definitive claim without design and testing considerations to the respective specs.