Ad
related to: troubleshooting magneto ignition
Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Magneto components. Impulse coupling components. An ignition magneto (also called a high-tension magneto) is an older type of ignition system used in spark-ignition engines (such as petrol engines). It uses a magneto and a transformer to make pulses of high voltage for the spark plugs. The older term "high-tension" means "high-voltage". [1]
Use of such ignition magnetos for ignition is now limited mainly to engines without a low-voltage electrical system, such as lawnmowers and chainsaws, and to aircraft engines, in which keeping the ignition independent of the rest of the electrical system ensures that the engine continues running in the event of alternator or battery failure ...
These effects can largely be overcome using electronic ignition systems, where the contact breakers are retrofitted by a magnetic (Hall effect) or optical sensor device. However, because of their simplicity, and since contact breaker points gradually degrade instead of catastrophically failing, they are still used on aircraft engines.
Not all small engine ignition systems are CDI. Some engines like older Briggs and Stratton use magneto ignition. The entire ignition system, coil and points, are under the magnetized flywheel. Another sort of ignition system commonly used on small off-road motorcycles in the 1960s and 1970s was called Energy Transfer.
As batteries became more common in cars (due to the increased usage of electric starter motors), magneto systems were replaced by systems using an induction coil.The 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen and the 1908 Ford Model T used a trembler coil ignition system, whereby the trembler interrupted the current through the coil and caused a rapid series of sparks during each firing.
To avoid this problem one of the two magnetos used in a typical aero engine ignition system is fitted with an 'impulse coupling', this spring-loaded device delays the spark until top dead centre and also increases the rotational speed of the magneto to produce a stronger spark.
However, due to the greater number of turns of the secondary coil, the voltage is much higher, causing a larger spark at the ignitor or spark plug, meaning more assured ignition. Due to their reliability, magnetos are used as ignition systems on aircraft. They are also used on machinery that do not have a separate electric supply or battery.
Dual ignition provides two advantages: redundancy in the event of in-flight failure of one ignition system; and more efficient burning of the fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] In aircraft and gasoline-powered fire fighting equipment, redundancy is the prime consideration, but in other vehicles the main targets are ...
Ad
related to: troubleshooting magneto ignition