Magnets over RAM

jaculum

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Jan 12, 2006
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Pretty sure it can't. There might be an issue if it were operting with a magnet nearby, but it would most likely be data corruption, and that's no harm to the RAM itself.

The reason you aren't suppossed to get magnets near hard drves is because they use magnetism to store data, and introducing another magnet could possibly corrupt the data and make it useless, but it doesn't actually harm the hard drive in that case either. Since RAM doesn't store data in this way, it should be safe.

Magnets can also alter the data in a flash medium, supposedly, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of that since I don't know how it works.
 

ohiou_grad_06

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Possibly. If I would not test it myself, but for example, that's why you never put a tape, or video tape on a tv or computer monitor because the magnetic field it produces can erase them. I don't know that they would do anything to ram, but with all the transistors and what not you never know.
 

altazi

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Jan 23, 2007
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A changing magnetic field could run the risk of disturbing or damaging nearby electronic components, since a changing (e.g., magnet spinning rapidly) magnetic field would induce electric current in nearby conductors. A static magnetic field (of that magnitude) would have no effect.

Why would you want to put a magnet near your RAM, anyway?

Regards,

Altazi

(Electronic Engineer)
 

cruiseoveride

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Sep 16, 2006
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ram sitting outside with a magnet on top will not affect it.

Unless your magnet is so amazingly strong that it magnetises some sort of fero magnetic material on the pcb, which will then cause a current bias when its powered on, as the charge carriers will move towards the magnetic field instead..

When powered on, dont put any sort of external magnetic field near an electronic device, because magnetic fields are capable of producing current each time its feild is crossed.
 



I got it.... So, when we go to our jobs at the scrap yard, DON'T LEAVE THE DIMMS SITTING ON THE GIGANTIC ELECTROMAGNET/CRANE THING..... That could be bad. :lol: