Arc welding causing computer problems

[invisible hand]

Hey guys, my friend owns a business that does a lot of arc welding. They are having problems with their shop floor computers when the welders do there thing.

Can anything be done to stop the intereference, moving the equipment to another location is not possible.

see e-mail from my wife:

"Our Shipper/Receiver guy at work tells me that whenever he is working on his computer on the shop floor and the welders start welding in the room above his, the computer totally goes crazy and he losses all his information. Basically, the computer is only reliable when the welders are not welding.

Do you have any idea why this happens? Better yet, do you have any idea how to fix it? Maybe your computer guys on that chat site might have an idea?

Thanks….goodness knows that I probably can’t figure this one out on my own."

Any ideas guys? Thanks for the help.

[bchur83]

Arc Welder = EMI = Not good for computer. Unless you can get a large EMI shielded case, I would move them out of the range of the Arc Welder.

[The_Jizzler]

sounds like interference. they can try physically grounding thier cases (if theyre metal) or push comes to shove wrap the computers in aluminum foil! bling bling

[seadave77]

Hmm...Maybe a power spike/drop when the welders turn on or maybe the fact that there are large amounts of electrical radiation going around when they turn on. Is the computer plugged into a UPS, if so that should stop the power spike/drops. Maybe wrap the computer in tin foil :D

[SewerBeing]

if it is EMI why not just put a metal shield or something between the computers and welders (in your cause put some metal in the ceiling). Should solve your problem.

Like:

Welder
Floor
Metal
Computers

[I.M.O.G.]

Is he having local computer problems or network/internet problems? Need a better description of what the user is trying to do when this happens, and what the computer does.

cat5 cable is a poor choice in many industrial environments, and fiber is often recommended for interference reasons.

[invisible hand]

appearently he looses all the information he currently has open, but not what is on the hard drive. The computer is just not able to run at the same time as the welders.

EDIT: no lasting internet or network problems. He would be entering data into excel or something similar i.e. packing slips #'s and arrival/depature times.

[I.M.O.G.]

Ok, I see.

He might want to try some sort of line conditioner or quality UPS to power the PC... I'm guessing its interference/power inconsistency.

Does it reboot when this happens?

[Foxie3a]

I agree with IMOG. It sounds like you might have all that stuff on the same line. :(

I kinda miss arc welding, I was getting good at it too.

I forget what voltage and amps I'd run at when I'd weld. I rememeber I kept changing something to 115-ish, I think that was amps. And volts were around 75?

Either way it takes A LOT OF POWER. Just imagen, it melts metal instantly just using electricity.

It sounds like the computer just isn't getting enough power, erases the ram a bit, undervolts a bit... Not good for the computer. So buy a quality UPS.

[invisible hand]

what is a line conditioner? What would installing one involve?

[Agent_Mull]

afaik a line conditioner is just a UPS that has line conditioning functions. You just plug in the conditioner into the wall, then plug the computer into the box and your set.

[I.M.O.G.]

Line Conditioner (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&oi=defmore&q=define:Line+conditioner)

I would expect that it is more likely that the interference is in the power lines, than traveling through the atmosphere and floor. Haven't ever worked with anything in industrial conditions however.

[Fast420A]

Monster Cable makes some REALLY nice ones now. They keep the voltage at 120 when receiving anywhere from 80 - 140 volts. Check out monstercable.com for more info and PM me if you need to get one, I sell them at my work.

[clash]

Lol, i remember this story from a instructor in college.... Yes, it's EMI

[Veland]

Well, the first radio transmitters were basically just arching electricity, so..

A metal case, grounded power and a UPS should solve it!

[diggingforgold]

wrap the case in some sort of protective shield, insulate the external cables, and hook it up to a UPS to ensure a steady stream of electricity.

[{PMS}fishy]

appearently he looses all the information he currently has open, but not what is on the hard drive. The computer is just not able to run at the same time as the welders.

EDIT: no lasting internet or network problems. He would be entering data into excel or something similar i.e. packing slips #'s and arrival/depature times.

What do you mean? Does the computer crash? Turn off? Whats happening?

EMI of that level would not cause a computer to turn off.

More than likley what is happening, is the draw of the welder, is causing a momentary sag in the power. This sag is then causing the computer to freeze/reboot/shutdown.

There are a few options.

Rewire the building, so the welder is not on the same circuit, and supply more amperage to both devices.

Get a line conditioner as mentioned.

Get a good UPS. Not a cheap POS one. You want a line interactive UPS that has both boost and trim capabilities.

I use to work for APC, trust me cheap UPSes are a waste, and MonsterPower (made my monster cable) sucks, big time.

Stick with APC or Belkin. Tripplite is alright.

[musk]

I work in a welding shop (20-30)machines. There is one computer that backs on to the shop floor. We hadd to put a good UPS on that machine or it would reboot, lockup, freeze ect. With the UPS its fine. The monitor still goes a bit wavey when we crank up some gear. Not sure exactly which machine does it though.

A good UPS should be sold with every computer IMO

musk

[PachManP]

yeah suggest a UPS...then suggest that the guy who uses the computer put one an Aluminum hat saying the problem is not with the comp but with the interference with his mind...

[KidJethro]

I earn my living as a welder/robot operator, 10 hours a day every day. I work for this company. (http://www.bubent.com) We have 2, 5-axis robotic MIG welders, 2 robotic TIG lathe welders, two CNC mandrel tube benders all on 440v 3 phase. (iirc) In addition, we have 6 conventional TIG welders, 8 conventional MIG welders, all 220v. as well as a fully equiped machine shop. All of this stuff is within a 50' radius of the shop office where the computer is. We get no interfearance or issues at all at anytime. Shop runs 18 hours a day. If EMI was an issue, we would have it..lol I'd almost bet money it's a power issue in this case.

[JCLW]

I'd say power issue. A power conditioner should do it. An isolation transformer on the branch circuits feeding the computers may help as well.

[invisible hand]

Yup, it looks like it was power issue. His shop guys traced the line. They move the computer and hooked it up to the front office power and everything is good.