[Mgs] Fw: Re: Mode of failure for ignition coil

The Roxter rocknatural at gmail.com
Sun Sep 14 16:30:00 MDT 2008


David Breneman wrote:
> --- On Sun, 9/14/08, Paul Hunt <paul.hunt1 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>   
>> If flicking the points open shows no spark then either the
>> condenser *is* shorted, or there is no 12v feed through the
>> coil. 
>>     
>
> My understanding is that in a circuit like this, the condenser
> is there to prevent arcing at the contacts.  The condenser takes
> over the load from the air gap.  I was looking at this in
> bright daylight, so if there was a small spark I would not have
> seen it. 
I was taught in electronics school that the condenser is required to create a "tank" circuit, not just for arcing control. The combination of a capacitor and a coil creates the storage of the energy that provides the spark when the circuit is interrupted.

-The Roxter
--


More information about the Mgs mailing list