Weird one as its very environment specific. So behind my house I have a workshop that I use for welding. Mostly Tig welding so there is a whole lot of high frequency. These machines are known for messing with electronics. I want to build a basic PC to go out there just for internet and admin type stuff and the odd youtube video.
What should I do though to not have the PC potentially damaged by high frequency and other interference? I figured this forum probably has more people with experience in industrial environments.
I just donāt want to have to turn it off and un plug it every time I want to weld. I noticed that you can get power strips and surge protectors that are built for home theatre systems that filter a whole lot of stuff out. Is that what I should be using?
My welders manual says no computers within 30 feet and unfortunately my shop isnāt big enough for that.
Instead of spending a fortune for an āindustrial grade ruggedā setup, I would explore having the pc in another room altogether and having only the display/keyboard/mouse combo in the room ā¦
The only requirement would be one cat5/6 cable between the pc and the remote stationā¦
Something like this:
all peripherals except the monitor would get power through the cat5/6 cable (maybe in your case an STP/shielded cable would help) ā¦ If you can get power for the monitor from a separate circuit and assuming you are not using the monitor while welding you should be fine ā¦
Faraday cage on the case and monitor could avoid some interference,
tho I have no idea about the cables since they could pick up interference if not protected.
as a car guy who does a fair amount of welding, and metal work, i was concerned about this at one time. honestly just get a metal body lenovo laptop and then move on with life. I bought a lenovo yoga like 5 years ago and i have used it right next to my welder, i forgot to close the lid while running grinders and band saws, i used it to map fuel injection in cars, it has been fine.
Decent computer cases are already Faraday cages.
Ferrite cores on the cables in and out would be more helpful. The more distance from the RF noise you can get, the better. Preferably on different electrical circuits, with very good grounding, as well.
The higher up you can install the PC, the fewer particulates will get pulled in by the fan. Not an RF consideration, just general shop best practice.
Are you actually having problems or are you just worried about future problems? I highly doubt the welding is causing any problems. If it was, Iām sure the FCC would be involved with welders
I weld in my garage all the time. Got a rack in there with a backup server, switches, some Piās etc and never had a problem
Iāll also often weld with an old laptop nearby with plans on it, no problems
Iām with @Zedicus on this one. Itās the long cable runs that pick up the welder interference more (unless you buy shielded and separately grounded cables which isnāt always possible).
AC TIG frequency is in the several dozen to a couple hundred hertz range so it does not attenuate very fast through the air or through cables; ferrites on cables wonāt help much at those frequencies.
The FCC does technically regulate welders under Part 18, the rules state you can pollute the spectrum as much as you want until someone complains, then you must:
āthe operator of ISM equipment that causes harmful interference to any authorized radio service shall promptly take whatever steps may be necessary to eliminate the interference.ā
Anyone on an AM radio within several hundred yards of AC TIG is going to hear static.
All the other processes, DC TIG, MIG , Stick, donāt create much interfernce
Just for the record Iām not going to build some fancy industrial pc. All Iām wanting to know is how to make sure a standard everyday pc is protected from interference. This actually is something that can be a problem and is historically documented.
Your usage does not demand a big & fast machine. You may consider ārouter appliancesā kind of bare-bone systems available on Amazon/Aliexpress. Some can run low-power desktop CPUs. Come in rigid cases with thick aluminium. These machines were originally intended for industrial control/automation purposes.
Computers are mostly digital so any introduced EMF interference should just cause slow down and not actual distortion and corruption of data. Cyclic redundancy check are a thing and this should theoretically protect you, from a data standpoint. It will either pass or fail.
Build a PC now and actually do some testing. See if any undue slow down happens. Transfer data via wifi or LAN cable.
Dont forget to make sure the ground connection is connected. Have an AVR or better yet, a UPS connected to the computer if concern and that should set you up enough.
Iām just going to get a mini-itx case board and a cpu with integrated graphics. I can through something easy together for not a whole lot. The build it the easy simple part. My main PC is far far more powerful than this thing will ever need to be.
In the older days of personal computers (20+ years ago) some of the stories were hilarious. You would have stories of boards in printers being fried, computers going into sleep on their own, files moving, I even heard of one where the welding was changing peoples pay on the companies payroll software.
So couple of things. Yes, interference can be a thing when in close proximity to a welder, BUT it isnāt typically that destructive. See welding videos by YouTuber This Old Tony who places his CCD video camera within a few inches of a TIG weld to record it.
EMF is not an EMP and is subject to the inverse square law. Best fix is distance. A PC case does filter some noise, but itās not a Faraday cage by any means. @TimHolus shows a proper shielded enclosure, but unless you run an embassy, have really deep pockets, or wear tinfoil hats, you donāt need that level of protection.
Bigger issues come with the PC sharing the same power source as the welding cart. As power is drawn, power spikes up and down degrading PC components. Use a different phase for the PC, or better still, isolate the computer and peripherals on a quality UPS. A power bar with spike - lightning protection will not cut it.
Last, never use a surge suppression power bar on a UPS. Something most people donāt know.
