Ignitor Tester
 

Here's my latest project - an ignitor tester. Yea, I know...it's a bit of overkill, but I wanted to do it and now I have one and it'll be effortless to test ignitors from now on. I used an LED for the light, and they've been known to go bad from time to time, so I added a button to test it...that's the red button in the picture. The square gray button is for testing the ignitor. And the best part is...it works!

Rich

Very nice. A bit nicer than the one I got off ebay. Its functional but not as nice.

ignitor tester
 

Can you send me the schematic and parts list or post the info for others?
Dennis L. Cote

ditto

Very sweet. I picked up one from Kevin??? He is on the Listserv it is OK but not near as nice as what you have made.

The only thing needed now is a pulse generator so you can turn it on and watch the led blink.

Actually, I scrounged everything except the project box, the alligator clips, and the connector that connects to the small pins on the back side of the ignitor (I'm waiting for my spare distributor to get here so I can swipe this connector off of it). Everything else I had laying around here, so I could list al the parts I used, but I can't give you part numbers or anything.

The schematic is straight out of the factory service manual, except for the use of an LED instead of a lamp (which also required that I add a 220 ohm resistor to limit the current to the LED) and the LED test switch. I'll redraw it later to include these items. I'll also take another picture with the ignitor removed to show the metal plate that it attaches to, which is how the base of the ignitor gets grounded.

Rich

You know, I wish you hadn't said this...now I'll most likely do it! And I thought I was done.

But wait theres more.


Make the generator adjustable so that you can simulate an RPM increase. Got to do a through test you know.

Thanks a lot :eek:

I'll never be done...
Rich

How about a digital display to show the RPM as well? :p:

Looks nice. I am sure it will come in handy.

:rlaugh:

oh, and see if you can make it percolate in the morning. sweetass piece of work.

OK...here's the schematic. Sorry, this is the first time I've used this schematic drawing software, so it isn't the best. I've also attached a picture with the ignitor removed, showing the metal plate it's attached to.

Rich

power source
 

Rich:
Would this work using a 9v battery insted of the battery clips?
Seems like the signal from the pickup coil is very low V but the ignitor power may need 12V.
Did you tap the metal plate or use nuts underneath to attach it to the box and to attach the ignitor to the plate?
Is there a source for the small connectors on the back of the ignitor?
Dennis L. Cote

Hi Dennis - I really don't know if it would work with a 9v battery or not, but I'll try it this weekend. I've been wondering what's inside the ignitor. My guess is that it's a power MOSFET, but I don't know for sure.

Rich

ground
 

Will it be necessary to ground the - terminal of the inductive pickup connector?
I can use the connector block from my parts distributor, so I should have it finished tomorrow. When I got the LED from Radio Shack they said it should not need the 220 ohm resistor since the LED is rated for 12 volt use. Does this make sense or should I go back and get the resistor? It seems the pickup coils only put out a few milivolts. Will the ignitor be OK with a full 12 volts to trigger it?
Dennis L. Cote
I Hope to get this done soon so I can test the ignitors on the JY 12A I got last week. The trailing plugs look light chocolate brown while the leading pugs look black and fouled. I suspect it may have a bad leading ignitor

According to the factory service manual, the "-" terminal is left open...that's what I did. I forgot to respond to your question about the connector...I did what you're planning on doing, I used one off my spare distributor.

Yes, I can believe there are 12V LEDs. Mine are all very old and are rated at a much lower voltage. I've been out of the electronics tinkering hobby for a while.

I plan on testing it with a 9V battery later on.

Rich

Man, I forgot to answer your question about what the screws screw into...too much beer last night ;-)
I build golf clubs, and I used the epoxy that I use for glueing heads on shafts to epoxy nuts on the bottom side of thge plate.

Rich

connector for ignitor
 

The remaining issue is how to attach the ignitor connector so it will stay in place while ignitors are switched for testing.The circuit works! I* used the aluminum top for the project box and ran three wires to a ring terminal that is captured under one of the corner screws for the aluminum top.

Which connector? If you're talking about the small one that connects to the "+" terminal in the schematic, I'm going to glue mine.

Rich

completed tester
 

64mgb
I finished assembling the tester! I used JB weld to attach the plug for the ignitor +- to the inside of the box. This is the little white plastic connector from a spare distributor. When I tried to use a 9V battery before it was fully assembled the LED would test OK but the ignitor woul just give a dim glow. Upon retesting with a 9V after complete assembly it seems to work fine with a 9V. If others can confirm this the tester could be made more portable and self contained by installing a 9V battery internally. Great project!! This should be archived (stickied?) for others. Cost was less than $10.
wecycle

where can u get 1 of these testers and how much

Hmmm...possibly you didn't read the thread? Both testers discussed here were home built...details in the thread.

Rich

My car has been blowing through ignitors for a little while now so I finally built one of these testers for myself. I took a "minimalist" approach. No project box, no fancy connectors, no LED test branch in the circuit, I can simply cross ground and the "C" connector to test. :)