[Donaldson Tan]

Being inspired by all those hollywood spy/hacker movies & tv shows, i decide to build a remote controlled self-destruct bay inside our computer? click of a button, the bay burns (not explode) to release so much heat that our hard disk, motherboard, casing totally melt..

i m thinking along the line of using thermite to generate the heat, but where I can get thermite?

[Corvettaholic]

You make it. Remember that thermite thread I started way back when? And I imagine thermite would totally destroy everything, including the case. Unless you didn't use too much.

[Donaldson Tan]

that thermite thread? Perhaps I can source for thermite in eBay. I'm not too sure how much heat will produce, but 30s of exposure to over 1500C should be able to melt the entire computer(at least the hard drive & the motherboard), given the lack of ventilation of our modern CPU casing.

Is there a better alternative to thermite? Occurs to me it's too smoky for use. I just want the heat to melt the crucial electronic components, not smoke and too much carbon monoxide.

[jdurg]

I don't know if they still use them now, but I know that way back when the millitary used to issue "thermite blankets" to the people using top-secret machinery or in chage of sensitive information.  In the event of an imminent capture, they were to throw the blanket over the machinery or cabinets/computers and light it on fire so that the items under the blanket would be completely destroyed.

Also, here's an interesting fact about the Hindenberg.  The blimp was filled with hydrogen gas, but that wasn't really what set it off.  The insulation they used around the blimp was made from nitrocellulouse, and the outer covering was iron oxide panels.  On top of the iron oxide panels, they coated it with a fine aluminum powder which was then painted over.  So in effect, they had the hydrogen gas chambers surrounded by guncotton and thermite!

[Corvettaholic]

Oh you don't want to go hunting for thermite on ebay, that stuff is heavily regulated here in the states, and I don't know about singapore. It involves aluminum and iron oxide, I'm sure you can find plenty reference to it with a google search. I don't want to post detailed stuff on it here due to forum rules. But one of the byproducts is molten iron, so yeah, it'll fry a computer just fine. Sparks a bit, but that should be contained by the case. You should get temps over 2000C with this stuff by the way, and I imagine you'd only need a couple grams. The heat will destroy a motherboard, and fry the electronics on the hard drive.

Just out of curiousity, why do you want to make this thing anyway? I'm guessing for the same reasons I come up with ideas, just for fun.

Now if you want the hard drive itself to be totally unreadable, you'll need something like a shaped charged pointing at the hard drive platters. If just the electronics are toast, you can still pull out the platters and rescue the data off it. Data docters does that I think.

[Donaldson Tan]

Also, here's an interesting fact about the Hindenberg.  The blimp was filled with hydrogen gas, but that wasn't really what set it off.  The insulation they used around the blimp was made from nitrocellulouse, and the outer covering was iron oxide panels.  On top of the iron oxide panels, they coated it with a fine aluminum powder which was then painted over.  So in effect, they had the hydrogen gas chambers surrounded by guncotton and thermite!

Nitrocellulose belongs to the TNT family.. Gas/Liquid fuels are out. I cant compromise any leakage of fluids and volatility inside the CPU casing. Any electrical spark will cause a kaboom! This leaves me with solid fuel..

Since hard disk store data via magnetic means, another means of data destruction is to activate a super strong electromagnet to destory the hard disk. I wonder how much magnetic strength I would need.

Wanna take part in some Inventor's Award thingy with this stuff..

[Corvettaholic]

You could rig up the power supply, at a flip of a switch, to channel all of its output to an electromagnet. Its nice that way because its high amperage, low voltage coming out of the power supply. Use the 12V line if anything. I'd imagine you could turn some coils around the hard drive itself, and once energized it would use the hard drive itself for a core. That'll mess with it good! Need to keep the magnet on for a couple minutes just to make sure though, cause you'd be amazed at the possibilities of reconstructive surgery. Once the electromagnet has done its work, turn that power to use to activate the solid fuel.

[hmx9123]

"Nitrocellulose belongs to the TNT family.. Gas/Liquid fuels are out. I cant compromise any leakage of fluids and volatility inside the CPU casing. Any electrical spark will cause a kaboom! This leaves me with solid fuel.."

NC actually belongs to the nitroglycerin family, being a nitric ester.  TNT is an aromatic nitro compound.  NC is also bad because it is volatile; you'd also need a blasting cap to detonate it, and were you to burn it, it probably would just flash and do little damage.  Thermite is a good way to get executed in Singapore, from what I understand of the laws there.  Corvettaholic is correct--the best way to totally screw up a hard drive is a big magnet.  Just buy a rare-earth magnet around 1.2 T and watch it slam the platters of the HD together.  Talk about gone.  It'll be unsalvageable.  If you're living in Singapore with their Stazi-like police, though, I certainly understand the need.

About the Hindenberg, I heard that in addition to what was listed, someone had added potassium perchlorate as well.  I don't know the truth of that or not, but it would have certainly only made the situation worse.

[Donaldson Tan]

I had meant that NC is an explosive too (as in the family of explosive componds).

Singapore does have very strict laws. Stazi? I always thought it's Gestapo-like. LOL. I shouldnt tarnish the reputation of our police. We cannot discredit them for ensuring Singapore's low crime-rate.

 :angel_not:

Does it mean I cant get thermite in Singapore? Thermite is considered as a pyrotechnic, right? The electromagnetic fry-er can also do that trick. All electronics are vulnerable, unless they are v well insulated. Gotta check the specification of the electromagnetic insulation in our hard disk. BTW is this a commercial secret, ie. nobody would give me this information?

[Corvettaholic]

Thermite a commercial secret? Nah, you can get books on the stuff. Go dig up my old thermite thread and I bet you can figure out whats up, or just PM me. What are the laws in Singapore like? Here in america, the ATF (alcohol, tobacco, firearms) regulates thermite and all explosives heavily. If you get caught with it and no license, expect jail time. Which is why I leave it alone. You probably can't buy thermite itself, but you can make it kinda easy, depending if you can give a good reason for getting the reactants. What are your customs inspections like?

[hmx9123]

From what I've been told, possession of firearms or pornography in Singapore is punishable by death.  I've heard horror stories about people getting beaten in the streets and anyone who publicly speaks out against the government 'dissappears'

[Donaldson Tan]

No doubt the government is very influential and very much in control on the daily affairs of the state. It aint true about the beating up but I too have heard stories of people disappearing.

There are some truths. I can quote an old boy from my school. His name Tang Liang Hong. His speech was well received during his political campaign for election, especially for speaking out. I never forget his analogy for Singapore's sucess: "even if the cock don't crow, the sun will still rise". After the campaign, the PAP politicans (who won) sued him for defamation and ask for very high compensation, so much that he has to sell off his landed properties. Pity no one dared to buy. The last newspaper report I saw about him mentioned that he's in Australia now.