2007-01-16

DIY CDI Trigger Article

Extract of another SC article which deals with a simple programmable TCI with nearl the same trigger inp!t circ!its than "I#-C"I$ %ood for !s& the trigger circ!its are describted in more details than the "I#-C"I article$

DIY-CDI Trigger Systems based on a similar TCI

This Article shows a variety of trigger inputs.

The DIY-CDI will not only will work with traditional points but will also happily function with any type of trigger signal including those provided by factory and after-market reluctor, optical and all !ffect distributors" It will even interface with an !C# ignition output trigger, making it a universal fit for all single coil cars, motorcycles and go-karts" It$s the ideal upgrade for an old points ignition system or it can be used to replace a defective factory ignition module for as little as onefifth of the price" ain !eatures

%perates from points, reluctor, all !ffect and optical triggers, or &' signal from engine management computer &-(&' negative earth operation Two points debounce periods )pecial operation for poorly operating points %ptional inverted trigger signal operation Input triggers

The way in which points work is easy enough to understand but what$s all this about reluctor, optical and all !ffect sensors*

"eluctor# a reluctor trigger comprises a coil wound around an iron core" A ring magnet with small e+ternally protruding sections ,teeth- is installed on the distributor shaft" As each tooth of the magnet passes the sensor, a voltage is developed in the coil" These voltage spikes provide the timing signal" Incidentally, in place of the reluctor a magneto signal can be used as a suitable trigger signal for this pro.ect" $ptical# an optical trigger comprises a /!D and a phototransistor or photo diode" The pair is incorporated within a package that allows the light from the /!D to impinge on the photodetector" To switch the photodetector on and off an opa0ue vane passes between the /!D and its sensor" In addition to factory optical systems, this ignition caters fo commercial optical ignition triggers such as those from /umenition, 1iranha and Crane" %all &ffect# a all !ffect trigger is a semiconductor device that switches its output on or off, depending on the presence or absence of a magnetic field" 2enerally, the magnet is included within the sensor package and so the sensor is easily triggered by passing an iron vane through the provided gap" The all !ffect unit triggers when the iron vane is removed from the gap"

&C'# as described above, in single-coil cars with engine management, the !C# signals the ignition module when to switch off current to the coil" This signal is generally a &' s0uare wave"

(ew design features

1oints Debounce3 points debounce is needed because points tend not to open or close cleanly" 4hen closing, points can bounce back open, .ust as a hammer does when hitting a steel plate, and this can cause a series of rapid openings and closings" 4hen opening, the points can also bounce as the distributor cam wobbles, because of slight play in the distributor shaft" 5y setting the minimum spark duration at (ms, the coil will fire cleanly as the points first open" This provides the full spark duration and by this time the coil will have discharged" owever, if the coil is then allowed to charge up before the points close again, there can be a second spark produced if the points bounce upon closure" This second spark can produce ignition in one of the engine cylinders at the wrong time"

'oltage /evel )ense3 because of the large number of triggers that can be used, there is an option to change the voltage level sense that determines the firing point for ignition" 6or points, the firing point is always when the points .ust open, so in this case the voltage goes positive from 7' to (8'" 6or other sensors, the voltage sense may be different" 6or e+ample with the all !ffect or optical triggers, it depend on whether the ignition firing point occurs when the vane enters the sensor or leaves the sensor" )o at the firing point, the voltage could be going from 7' to a more positive voltage, or from the positive voltage to 7'" A simple .umper change selects the re0uired sense" Circuit description

IC( accepts its timing signal at the 957 input ,pin :-" The 957 input is protected from e+cess voltages by the 8"8k%hm resistor in series with this input" The protection resistor prevents e+cessive current flow in the clamping diodes that are internal to IC(" Clamping occurs when the voltage goes below 7' or if it goes above the &' supply ,ie, clamping to -7":' or ;&":'-" The (n6 capacitor at the 957 input shunts transient voltages and higher fre0uency signals, preventing false timing signals" The three inputs at 9A(, 9A< and 9A& ,pins (=, > ? &- are for the linking options" /ink /@( selects whether the firing edge for the 957 input is for a positive going voltage ,standard selection- or for a falling voltage ,inverted selection-A link /@> selects normal or points operation" Transistor B> provides a tachometer output and it is driven from the trigger input which also drives pin : ,95%- of IC(" B>$s collector is pulled up to (8' with a 8"8k%hm resistor when the transistor is off" The output at B>$s collector can be used to drive most tachometers" An impulse tachometer ,now very rare- re0uires a different connection and should operate when connected to the coil negative" 1ower for the circuit is derived from the ignition switch" This (8' supply is also directly used for other parts of the circuit" 6or e+ample, it is used for the points trigger circuit and the (77%hm base resistor for B("

The supply is regulated to &' using >-terminal regulator 9!2(" This is a low-dropout device that continues to deliver &' even when its input is very close to &'" This is useful in our application, as we want a regulated &' supply to be maintained even when starting, when the voltage on the car battery can drop well below (8'" The regulator is also protected from transients with internal protection clamping" The (77C6 capacitors provide supply decoupling"

Trigger inputs

The !lectronic Ignition is configured for the appropriate trigger input during construction" The si+ possible input circuits ar shown in 6ig">"

Fig.3' the six inp!t trigger circ!its' (a) points triggering* (b) +all effect (and ,!menition) triggering* (c) triggering from an engine management mod!le* (d) rel!ctor pic-!p* (e) Crane optical pic-!p* and (f) .iranha optical pic-!p$

The points input shown in 6ig">,a- comprises a (77%hm &4 wirewound resistor connected to the (8' supply" The resistor provides a DwettingD current for the points to ensure there is a good contact between the two mating faces when they are closed" This wetting current is sufficient to keep the contacts clean burning off oil resides, for e+ample but not so high so a to damage them" The all !ffect input at 6ig">,b- uses a (77%hm supply resistor to the (8' rail to feed the all sensor" This resistor limits current into the unit should a transient on the supply go above its internal clamping diode level" The (k%hm resistor on the output pulls up the output voltage to &' when the internal open-collector transistor is off" The voltage is at 7' when the internal transistor is on" The same circuit can be used for the /umenition optical module"

The engine management input circuit is shown in 6ig">,c- and is 0uite simple its &' signal connects to the trigger section of the main circuit in 6ig"8" 9eluctor sensors produce an AC signal and so re0uire a more comple+ input circuit, see 6ig">,d-" In this case, transistor B< switches on or off, depending on whether the reluctor voltage is positive or negative" Initially with no reluctor voltage, transistor B< is switched on via current through '98 and the <Ek%hm resistor"

Fig.4: this oscilloscope /iew shows a rel!ctor signal (top) and the o!tp!t of the ignition coil& as meas!red at the collector of 01 (bottom)$ The rel!ctor signal has a larger /oltage exc!rsion than other trigger sensors and the negati/e-going edge triggers the firing of the coil$ The primar /oltage of the coil (lower trace) is clamped at aro!nd 1122 b the fo!r series 732 4ener diodes$

Fig.5: the ellow trace at top shows the rel!ctor signal& while the lower trace (bl!e) shows the base switching signal to transistor 01$ The coil fires each time the base /oltage goes to gro!nd$ 5ote that the period for which the base signal is positi/e (ie& 6ms) is the dwell time and this is the charge period for the coil (ie& when energ is being stored in the magnetic circ!it of the coil)$

The voltage applied to B<$s base is dependent on the (7k%hm resistor connecting to the top of the reluctor coil and the internal resistance of the reluctor" '98 is included to provide for a wide range of reluctor types" )ome reluctors have a relatively low resistance, while others have a higher resistance" In practice, '98 is ad.usted so that B< is .ust switched on when there is no signal from the reluctor" The (7k%hm resistor provides a load for the reluctor, while the <E7p6 capacitor filters any 96 or hash signal that may have been induced" The 8"8n6 capacitor ensures that B< 0uickly switches off when the reluctor signal goes negative" %ptical pickup circuits are provided for two different types of modules" %ne is for a module that has a common 7' supply connection Feg, Crane 6ig">,e-G and the other for a module that has a common positive supply Feg, 1iranha ,6ig">,f-G " In each case, current for the /!D is supplied via a (87%hm resistor and the photodiode and a 88k%hm resistor are connected in series with the &' supply"

Fig.6: at top is the signal at the trigger inp!t of the circ!it - ie& the signal that is monitored b the 670 inp!t of IC1 /ia the 2$2-8hm resistor$ This signal is t pical of a points& +all Effect and optical triggering$ The lower trace is the base dri/e to transistor 01$ This shows the 6ms dwell occ!rring 9!st before firing$

Fig.7: the top trace (in ellow) is a high 6.: signal (in this case& 6000 6.: for a ;c linder ;-stro-e engine)$ The lower trace (in bl!e) shows the res!lting switching signal fed to the coil$ 5ote how the dwell is now 1$<=ms instead of the standard 6ms& while the spard!ration is 1ms$

Fig.8: this shows the points mode where the inp!t points signal at top is followed b the o!tp!t signal (lower trace)$ The debo!nce period is set at 2ms& as shown b the 2ms p!lses that follow the main p!lses$ Construction Depending on the type of trigger input, there are si+ different component layouts for the 1C board choose the one that is applicable to your car$s trigger sensor" 6or e+ample, if your car has reluctor distributor, follow the component layout of 6ig"H" If it has a all !ffect device or /umenition distributor ,same thing-, use the layout of 6ig"(7" B( is mounted at full lead length, with its metal flange toward the edge of the 1C board"

Fig.9: follow this parts la o!t diagram if o!r car>s distrib!tor has a rel!ctor pic-!p$

Fig.10: this is the la o!t to follow if the distrib!tor !ses a +all Effect de/ice or a ,!menition mod!le$ Ta-e care with component orientation d!ring assembl $

Fig.11: this is the points /ersion$ Sec!re the 1008hm 3? resistors to the board !sing silicone& to pre/ent them from /ibrating and fract!ring their leads and@or the solder 9oints$

Fig.12: the engine management trigger /ersion reA!ires no additional inp!t conditioning circ!itr $ In this case& the ECB trigger signal goes straight to pin 6 of IC1 /ia a 2$2-8hm resistor$

Fig.13: b!ild this /ersion if o!r distrib!tor has been fitted with a Crane optical pic-!p$

Fig.14: the .iranha optical pic-!p /ersion is similar to the Crane /ersion b!t note the different locations for the 22-8hm and 1208hm resistors$

Installation
Ie+t, set '9( fully anti-clockwise, then switch on the ignition and check that there is &' between pins & ? (< on the IC socket"

"eluctor settings
If you are using the reluctor circuit, ad.ust '98 fully clockwise and measure the voltage at pin : of IC(" If the voltage is close to 7', wind '98 anti-clockwise several turns until the voltage goes to &'" That done, wind it about two turns more anti-clockwise and leave '98 at this setting" If the voltage is &' when '98 is fully clockwise, rotate '98 fully anti-clockwise and start to wind it clockwise until the voltage goes to &' again" Then wind it two more turns clockwise" That done, switch off the ignition and connect B($s collector wire to the ignition coil$s negative"

Starting

Iow try to start the engine" If it doesn$t want to start, the sensor signal may be inverted" This can happen with all !ffect sensors and optical sensors if the output voltage goes low at the point of firing" In this case, change link /@( to the DinvertD position" The reluctor circuit is designed to fire the coil when its output voltage swings negative" If the engine doesn$t start and you are using a reluctor, try swapping the reluctor connections"

Converting !rom )oints To A %all &ffect Sensor

You can replace your e+isting points with a all !ffect sensor - but be warned, it takes 0uite a lot of precision workJ All the details are shown in 6ig"(8" 6irst, rotate your engine so that the rotor button in the distributor is facing the hightension outlet for cylinder number (" Also note the direction that the rotor button moves when the engine is turned in its correct direction" )et the timing mark on the flywheel to the number of degrees before Top Dead Centre specified in the workshop manual and indicated by the engine block timing marks" Iow place a mark on the edge of the distributor body to show where the timing mark on the rotor button arm is positioned" This sets the alignment for the all !ffect modification" The distributor can now be removed from the engine The all !ffect sensor is designed to be used with a rotating vane that passes through the gap incorporated in its housing" The all sensor is mounted on the distributor advance plate and secured using the rivets incorporated on its housing" The rotating vane needs to be made so that it spins with the distributor shaft and its vanes pass through the sensor gap" 6or this to happen, the rotating vane needs to be cup-shaped" The horiKontal face has a hole to allow it to be placed on the distributor shaft and locate with the rotor button" The vertical section needs to have slots cut in it to appropriately trigger the sensor" The number of slots on the vane e0uals the number of sparkplugs for which the distributor caters" )o a <-cylinder car with four spark plugs will use four slots" These slots need to be evenly spaced around the circumference of the rotating vane" It is essential to be accurate here, as a (L difference between slots represents 8L on the engine" A <-cylinder engine will have each slot positioned H7L apart" :-cyclinder and '= cars will re0uire slots spaced :7L and <&L apart, respectively"

This photo shows how the slotted +all Effect sensor is ri/etted to the /ac!!m ad/ance plate inside the distrib!tor$

Fig.15: these diagrams and the accompan ing photos show how to replace the points with a +all Effect sensor and ma-e the rotating /ane assembl $ 5ote that the slots in the /ane m!st

be acc!ratel positioned - see text$

a*ing The Dis*

Making the disk is easier if you can start off with something that is already preformed" 4e used the tin-plated backing from a high power potentiometer" A suitable one is the Naycar 91->HE& (&4 potentiometer" This provides us with a cup that is <7mm in diameter" All that is re0uired is to drill out a hole in the top for the distributor shaft and cut the slots in the side" ounting The Sensor

4hen this has been done, the alsensor can be mounted on the distributor advance plate" The sensor needs to be located so that the centre of its slot is 87mm away from the centre of the distributor shaft" This will allow the <7mm diameter cup to spin without fouling the all sensor"

Drill the two holes in the distributor advance plate and countersink the holes on the underside of the plate" This will allow space for the rivets in the all sensor to be peened over" 5efore riveting, check that the all !ffect wires do not foul agains the points cam ,this happened in the distributor we were modifyingJ-" To prevent this, the wires were passed under the all sensor by filing a small channel beneath the sensor, so that the wires could be fed through to the other side" The wires were then fed through a grommet in the distributor$s body" "otating +ane The rotating vane should be placed over the distributor shaft and should sit on the top of the points camshaft" Check that there is sufficient clearance between the vanes and all sensor gap" If the cup needs to be higher than this, it can be placed over the rotor button shaft" In this case, the rotating vane must be electrically connected to the distributor shaft to prevent static build up which may damage the all sensor" A small piece of tinplate soldered to the vane and bent so it passes up inside the rotor button to make contact with the distributor shaft is suitable" 4hen the all !ffect sensor has been mounted, place the rotating cup over the distributor shaft and hold it in place with the rotor button" Check that the vane spins freely through the all sensor slot"

The rotor b!tton assembl fits o/er the distrib!tor>s camshaft& with the /anes passing thro!gh the +all Effect sensor$

Iow you are ready to align the disk" 9otate the rotor button to the alignment marks set previously" 9emember, these indicate the centre position of the rotor button at Iumber ( cylinder timing" Move the rotating vane relative to the rotor button so that the gap is .ust leaving the centre of the all !ffect sensor" Iote that you must be turning the distributor in the direction that it travels when installed in the car" Mark the position on the rotating vane and rotor button using a marking pen ,do not use a scriber on the rotor button or the high tension voltage may travel down this-" 4e soldered in a couple of 1C stakes inserted into holes drilled in the top of the vane, to align the vane position OPQ these keyed into the locating slot in the rotor button"

,lueing The +ane

6inally, the rotating vane can be glued to the bottom of the rotor button using high-temperature epo+y resin" 4e used N5 4eld epo+y steel resin, a 8-part epo+y" This is suitable for temperatures of up to 8:7LC" The 0uick-setting version can be used for temperatures up to (&7LC" )arts -ist - Trigger Systems Semiconductors ( MN (77(8, 5#H<(1 T%-8(= high-voltage Darlington transistor ,B(-

8 5C>>E I1I transistors ,B8,B>( /M8H<7CT-& low-dropout &' regulator < E&' >4 Kener diodes ,RD(-RD<Capacitors > (77C6 (:' 1C electrolytic ( (7C6 (:' 1C electrolytic ( (77n6 M@T polyester ( (7n6 M@T polyester ( (n6 M@T polyester 8 >>p6 ceramic "esistors ./.012 345 ( (77k%hmA ( ("=k%hm 8 <Ek%hmA ( <E7%hm 8 8"8k%hmA ( (77%hm&4

)oints version
( (77%hm &4 resistor

"eluctor +ersion
( 5C>>E I1I transistor ,B<( 8"8n6 M@T polyester capacitor ( <E7p6 ceramic capacitor ( (77k%hm top-ad.ust multi-turn trimpot ,'98( <Ek%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor 8 (7k%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor ( (k%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor ( 1C stake

%all &ffect +ersion

( all !ffect sensor ,Naycar RD-(H77- or /umenition module ( rotating vane using a (&4 power potentiometer backing ,eg, Naycar 91->HE& - not re0uired for /umenition module( small 0uantity of high-temperature epo+y ,eg, N5 4eld !po+y )teel 9esin( (k%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor ( (77%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor 8 1C stakes

$ptical )ic*up +ersion

( optical pickup ,1iranha, Crane, etc( 88k%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor ( (87%hm 7"8&4 (S resistor 8 1C stakes

iscellaneous Angle brackets for mounting, automotive connectors, self-tapping screws etc"

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