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Capacitor discharge ignition (edit)
Revision as of 20:07, 27 November 2010
, 20:07, 27 November 2010no edit summary
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The first would be to develop another means of triggering the discharge of the capacitor to one discharge per power stroke by replacing the points with something else. This could be done magnetically or optically, but that would necessitate more electronics and an expensive distributor. The other option was to keep the points, as they were already in use and reliable, and find a way to overcome the 'points bounce' problem. This was accomplished in April 1962 by a Canadian, RCAF officer F.L. Winterburn working in his basement in Ottawa Ontario.[[Image: RCAF photo, Spring 1964 001.jpg|thumb|F.L. Winterburn]]The design used an inexpensive method that would only recognize the first opening of the points and ignore subsequent openings when the points bounced. | The first would be to develop another means of triggering the discharge of the capacitor to one discharge per power stroke by replacing the points with something else. This could be done magnetically or optically, but that would necessitate more electronics and an expensive distributor. The other option was to keep the points, as they were already in use and reliable, and find a way to overcome the 'points bounce' problem. This was accomplished in April 1962 by a Canadian, RCAF officer F.L. Winterburn working in his basement in Ottawa Ontario.[[Image: RCAF photo, Spring 1964 001.jpg|thumb|F.L. Winterburn]]The design used an inexpensive method that would only recognize the first opening of the points and ignore subsequent openings when the points bounced. | ||
A company was formed in Ottawa, Canada in early 1963 called Hyland Electronics building CD ignitions using the Winterburn design. It provided a 75 mJ spark at all engine speeds up to 5,000 rpm on an eight cylinder (10,000 rpm on a 4 cylinder) and consumed only 4 Amps at that speed. Dynamometer testing during 1963 and 1964 showed a minimum of 5% increase in horsepower with the system, with 10% the norm. One example, a Ford Falcon, had an increase in [[horsepower]] of 17%. Plug life was increased to at least 50,000 miles and point life was greatly extended from 8,000 miles to at least 60,000 miles. Point life became a factor of rubbing block wear and the life cycle of the spring with some lasting almost 100,000 miles. | A company was formed in Ottawa, Canada in early 1963 called Hyland Electronics building CD ignitions using the Winterburn design. It provided a 75 mJ spark at all engine speeds up to 5,000 rpm on an eight cylinder (10,000 rpm on a 4 cylinder) and consumed only 4 Amps at that speed. [[Dynamometer]] testing during 1963 and 1964 showed a minimum of 5% increase in horsepower with the system, with 10% the norm. One example, a Ford Falcon, had an increase in [[horsepower]] of 17%. Plug life was increased to at least 50,000 miles and point life was greatly extended from 8,000 miles to at least 60,000 miles. Point life became a factor of rubbing block wear and the life cycle of the spring with some lasting almost 100,000 miles. | ||
The Hyland unit was tolerant of varied points gaps. The system could be switched back to standard ignition by the simple swapping of two wires. The Hyland CD ignition was the first commercially produced CD ignition and retailed for $39.95 Canadian. The patents were applied for by Winterburn on September 23 1963 (United States patent# 3,564,581). The design was leaked to the United States in the summer of 1963 when Hyland exposed the design to a US company in an effort to expand sales. Afterward, numerous companies started building their own throughout the 1960s and 1970s without licence. | The Hyland unit was tolerant of varied points gaps. The system could be switched back to standard ignition by the simple swapping of two wires. The Hyland CD ignition was the first commercially produced CD ignition and retailed for $39.95 Canadian. The patents were applied for by Winterburn on September 23 1963 (United States patent# 3,564,581). The design was leaked to the United States in the summer of 1963 when Hyland exposed the design to a US company in an effort to expand sales. Afterward, numerous companies started building their own throughout the 1960s and 1970s without licence. | ||