I'm not gonna muck up the "2GLIDFIS Transistor trick" thread with this, as it's way above my head.

I wanna know what I should know about ignition systems...

WTF is dwell? I thought that had something to do with points and was pretty much obsolete with the invention of electronic ignition systems.

What else should I know about ignition systems?

I know how they work and all... I just went to howstuffworks.com and pretty much already knew all that... What else do I need to know?

 

Dwell is a degree angle that the points are either open or closed, don't remember which one. My best guess is the angle in degrees that the points are closed, thus a measurement of spark duration. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will chime in and correct me.

Point application, for a rotory, is pre '81.

 

But in the thread, they're using a 1981+ dizzy (With J109 ignitors) to control a 2nd gen ignitor/coil unit... How can this have a dwell angle?

Also, Spark duration is instantanenous. This is the nature of inductive discharge... It's like the duration of a hand clap or camera flash. There is no such thing...

You can have rapid succession of flashes, but it's still just a succession, not a duration...

 

He asked what dwell was, not if he was using it or needed to be concerned about it. And he was correct that it is not used with electronic ignition systems.

You are correct about the spark being instantaneous, I improperly stated what dwell is in regards to spark. Dwell is a measurement, in degrees of a circle, that the points are closed, during which, spark occurs.

Like I said, somebody would correct me.

 

Spark occurs on opening of the points, right? So how does dwell affect it? So long as the points open at the right time, it should be all the same.