Charles & Peggy Robinson wrote:
>
> Electronic ignition triggering gives you a cleaner spark pulse than
> a points ignition. IOW, there's more energy in the electronically
> triggered pulse than if you use points. When you make and break a set
> of ignition points you get arcing at the contact surfaces. This arcing
> messes up the rise and fall time of the ignition pulse. IOW, both the
> on and off dwell times vary and there's a measurable amount of energy
> lost. That's one reason electronic ignitions took ove; there was less
> arcing at the low current draws. If you look at yur automotive
> history, you'll see that the points-controlled transistor ignitions got
> better gas mileage than points-only ignitions. That means a better spark.
>
> I rest my case,
I use the Lumenition Optronic system in the Cooper S. I like the results
so much, I'm planning to do the same for the MGB-based Victor TF.
Since Minis have the distributor right behind the grill, water
contamination is a real problem during a rainstorm or when navigating
deep puddles. Some Mini-owners try to solve this by using plastic
shields over the distributor or by using the old rubber-glove and
elastic bands trick. Since I installed the Lumenition system, the
problem has disappeared, without the glove or the shield; petrol mileage
has improved measurably and it runs more smoothly. A Lumenition system
can cost a number of hundreds of dollars, but I have managed to nick a
number of them off eBay, including one buy of a good-condition MGB
distributor and three Lumenition modules for a very low bid. I had
inadvertently killed my Module by allowing a hot wire to touch the
ground position. The first one of the eBay modules has worked fine, so I
don't know if the other two are good or not. The Victor is in the
body-repair shop at Stephens Brothers Racing, so I plan to install the
Lumenition system when I get it back.
In case anybody didn't know, the Optronic system uses a light-source and
sensor, along with a beam-chopper, to regulate the ignition pulse.
-Rock http://www.rocky-frisco.com
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