Dan,
Good solid information as usual.
> FWIW, on page 67 there is a very clear photo of a ceramic ballast resistor
> mounted on the bulkhead next to the ignition coil. The photo is clear enough
> that I can trace the wiring and can confirm that it is indeed a ballast
> resistor, <snip>
I'm gonna guess Triumph probably used the ceramic resistor for one model
year--'72(?). Before that there was none, after that they found they
could save money by incorporating the resistance wire in the harness.
What you say about internal "resistance" vs. external "resistor" makes
sense. My next question: Even though they operate differently, are both
systems meant to keep the coil from overheating when the engine is not
running, and with the ignition switch in the "ON" position?
I can see where the 6v. coil, when briefly over-voltaged during
starting, would provide a hotter spark. I guess what all this really
boils down to is, if you want to run a stock 6v. coil, you'll reap the
benefits of the hotter spark at start-up. If you want a hotter spark
of the Lucas Sport Coil all the time, bypass the external resistor to
avoid double resistance. At the bottom of the Preference List is
bypassing the external resistor and using a normal 12v. coil--you get
neither the benefit of the hotter starting spark, nor a hotter spark
during the normal run phase.
Thanks for the more detailed explanation.
Charlie B.
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