jeb@eisx.UUCP (Jim Beckman) (01/08/85)
<> I'd like to contribute to the discussion of eliminating distributors via use of multiple coils, etc. I have in my garage a car with a four cylinder engine with multiple coils and no distributor in the high-voltage circuit. Each cylinder has its own coil. Spark timing is provided by a transducer which senses crankshaft rotation. The ignition is powered by magneto. Recognize the car? It's a Ford Model T, circa 1916. Each spark plug has its own coil, with an electro-mechanical vibrator on top to interrupt the low-voltage current and generate a spark. The timer is a little round thing on the front of the engine. The crankshaft turns an arm with a roller that completes the circuit to each coil in turn. Spark timing is, of course, completely controllable - just move the spark lever on the steering column. Since spark generation is not dependent on breaker points opening in a distributor, it is possible to turn the engine over by hand (crank) with the ignition off until one piston is just past TDC with gas in the cylinder. The driver can then step into the car and flip on the ignition - the charge in the cylinder fires and the engine starts. Jim Beckman AT&T-ISL, South Plainfield, NJ eisx!jeb