Here's my problem. I've got a USB webcam which keeps losing communication with my PC. The USB cable is running alongside an AC power cable which is turning on and off repeatedly to turn a pump on and off. Each time the pump is turned on and off, the PC drops the webcam, and then reconnects. I am fairly certain that the USB cable is picking up electrical noise generated by the sudden rushes of current in the power cable. When the cables are seperated from eachother, the problem goes away. But I have no option but to keep the cables together.
What is the best way for me to suppress the noise in the USB signal? I have observed the USB signal on an oscilloscope, and it appers that every time the pump is turned on and off, there is a spike in the voltage.
So far I have tried installing a snubber across the live and neutral lines of the power cable, and I have also placed a toroid on the USB cable, but with no luck.
Any help is much appreciated. Thanks