I have recently designed several circuits for the University of Toledo's Formula SAE racecar (http://top.eng.utoledo.edu/~sae/). The car is often welded on - primarily tig and wire-feed welding. I just realized that it would be great if the circuits could be designed such that they would not have to be removed whenever welding is done. One of the circuits is not easily removable because it cannot have breakaway connectors: the solid-state power distribution box.

Is it too much effort (or impossible) to design for this?

Of course none of the circuits are powered while the welding takes place, and I will assume that the welder doesn't accidently make contact with any signal wires.

I am not sure exactly how to characterize the problems that will be encountered - I assume large HF electrical fields from tig welding and large ground and power line spikes due to high currents.

The 8051-based dashboard has input protection consisting of 1k series resistors clamped to VCC and GND with 1A schottkys. Will this protection do anything against welding transients?

- Lee