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RE: Pertronix perplexia

To: "Jim Altman" <jaltman@altlaw.com>
Subject: RE: Pertronix perplexia
From: "Chris Lillja" <Chris_Lillja@Pupress.Princeton.Edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:35:34 EST
Cc: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Organization: Princeton University Press
> Impedance is the measurement of resistance in an ac circuit.

Impedance is the measurement of resistance in ANY circuit -- COMPLEX 
IMPEDANCE is the measure of impedance in an AC circuit ---

--- the impedance of a speaker over a frequency range is a good 
example, however...

Your ignition coil does not operate on AC. It is simply rapidly 
switched DC... when current is switched off, the field collapses and 
and a high voltage pulse occurs in the secondary....

Check out http://www.vtr.org/maintain/ignition.html....

The switching transistor in the Pertronix is designed to operate with 
a coil with a primary impedance of a certain range. If the coil's 
impedance is too low, too much current flows through the switching 
transistor exceeding its heat dissipation rating....result: one 
cooked transistor... one dead Pertronix..... 

I learned this from converting my Norton to Boyer EI... 'ya gotta use 
the right coils or the thing just gets too hot and dies......

This was also discussed in the Pertronix documentation when I 
intalled it on my 4A....

"Still ride in triumph over all mischance..." - Shakespeare

Chris Lillja
TR4A
Norton Commando
Spit MKIV

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