Re: ....and now ..stop

["Paul Hunt" <paul.hunt1@blueyonder.co.uk>]

That's rather a sweeping statement.

For a start the question was about Lumenition, not Mallory Unilite.
Secondly the suppliers instructions *should* always be followed.  Thirdly,
if the Unilite can't drive a *12v coil without* adding a ballast resistance
and without damaging the electronics, I would seriously question the design
and engineering of the Unilite module.  Points, Petronix, Optronic, and
Lumenition are all capable of driving a 12v coil without adding a ballast
resistor, just as they are perfectly capable of driving a 6v coil *with* the
original harness ballast.  Fourthly, just what *is* the difference,
electrically, between a 6v coil with OE external ballast, and a 12v coil
without ballast, that a 12v coil needs to have an *additional* ballast for a
Unilite?  The PDF states that if a ballast isn't used there will be too much
current flowing through the coil and this will destroy the module.  But the
current flowing through an OE 12v coil without ballast is the same as that
flowing through an OE 6v coil in series with the harness ballast.  I suspect
the Unilite instructions refer to using one of their coils, which may well
be of an equivalent resistance to the OE 6v, or could well be one of the
very low resistance types I mentioned.  Using one of these on a *chrome
bumper* car i.e. one without OE harness ballast will indeed pass too much
current and so overheat the coil as well as possibly damage the trigger,
which includes burning the points out if that is what is fitted.

Finally you refer to a length of resistance wire contained within the
harness, and this was used on all rubber bumper cars, with points, 45DE4
electronic, and 45DM4 electronic ignition.  You also mention a 'metal
resistor thing', but this was only ever used on the 45DE4 type as a dropper
resistor for the distributor electronics, it was not in series with the
coil.  The harness resistance is about 1.5 ohms, as is the 6v coil, which
together are the same as a 12v coil (*without* additional resistance) at
about 3 ohms.

PaulH.

----- Original Message ----- 
... You need a ballast resistor. This
document tells why.

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