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Design by JOHN CLARKE
A high-energy
capacitor discharge
ignition system
This completely new capacitor discharge
ignition system has been designed from the
ground up to provide a high energy “multiple
spark discharge” to cope with engines which
have very high RPM rates. It is intended
particularly for use with two stroke engines,
high performance four strokes and older
vehicles.
18 Silicon Chip
Twenty or so years ago, Capacitor
Discharge Ignition (CDI) was the acknowledged solution for automotive
enthusiasts wanting a high energy
ignition circuit. CDI gave a really hot
spark which would fire virtually any
spark plug no matter how fouled or
grotty it was. Tens of thousands of enthusiasts installed them on their cars
and hence forward swore by them as
the greatest innovation system since
Karl Benz thought of the horseless
Fig.1: these three circuits show the three types of ignition circuit. Fig.1(a) is
the original points-based system. Fig.1(b) shows a typical CDI system which
uses a DC-to-DC inverter to charge a capacitor which typically has a value
of 1µF. Each time the switch points in the distributor open, it fires an SCR to
dump the capacitors’s charge into the coil primary winding. Fig.1(c) shows
the arrangement of our new CDI system. It has a DC-to-DC inverter with a
regulated 300V DC output which charges up a 1µF capacitor. Instead of using
an SCR to dump the capacitor’s charge into the coil, it uses a pair of Mosfets
which are depicted as S1, a single pole double throw switch.
carriage. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite
that good but you get the picture.
But there was another aspect of
CDI which wasn’t good and that was
“cross-fire”. Because the CDI spark
was so hot and more importantly,
because it had such a fast rise-time
of only a few microseconds, it often
fired the plugs in other cylinders.
This problem was most troublesome
in V8s, in some sixes and even some
four cylinder cars such as the aircooled VW which had the spark leads
running close and parallel right across
the engine fan housing.
Cross-fire is caused by the capacitance between adjacent spark plug
leads. The capacitance between the
leads causes the fast-rising voltage
from the coil to be coupled into the
adjacent leads and thereby can deliver
unwanted sparks in other cylinders.
Cross-fire can cause severe engine
damage and sounds similar to pinging.
Ultimately, CDI fell into disuse
for mainstream cars because of the
introduction of lean fuel mixtures in
an attempt to meet rising anti-pollution standards. The very fast and very
short spark of CDI wasn’t all that good
at igniting lean mixtures. Car manufacturers introduced transistor-assisted ignition with long spark durations
to ensure that lean mixtures did burn
properly. There was one CDI design
which attempted to overcome the lean
mixture drawback and that was the
so-called “multiple spark discharge”
system. However it was a complex
design which never really caught on.
These days, there is no modern car
with an engine management system
which uses CDI, to our knowledge.
Whether they are single coil, multi-coil or direct-fire systems, they are
all variants of the tried and true transistor assisted ignition (TAI) system.
So why design a new CDI?
At SILICON CHIP, we have tended
to disparage CDI systems for years,
knowing that our very popular
high-energy TAI system has a wellearned reputation for reliability. But
some readers were not about to be
put off. They wanted a CDI design
and they wanted it for a number of
reasons. They wanted them for twostroke and four-stroke motors on
motor bikes, outboards and Go-Karts.
And they wanted them for older cars
which don’t have lean mixtures and
which can be particularly hard, if not
impossible, to start when the ignition
system gets wet. Old Mini Coopers
and 850s are legendary in this regard.
Some readers also wanted a CDI for
racing applications where multiple
spark discharge systems still have a
keen following.
With all of these reasons being
cited, who were we to say that all
these people were wrong? So we went
back to the data books and put on our
thinking caps. A new CDI design had
to be a distinct improvement over the
20-year old designs which did have
their fair share of drawbacks. Like
what, for example?
First, many CDIs had very high
voltages applied to the ignition coil,
as much as 500V or 600V in some
cases. They did this to avoid the
inevitable fall-off in spark energy as
the engine RPM rose. This very high
coil voltage had the drawback of
often causing internal breakdown in
ignition coils, it made the cross-fire
problem significantly worse than it
would have been with a lower coil
voltage and it put considerably more
stress on the ignition leads. So design
Main Features
Suitable for 2-stroke, older 4-stroke and performance engines (racing).
Multiple spark output (see Table 1).
Operates on reluctor, points or Hall effect signals.
Two points inputs for twin coil engines.
Usable to beyond 1000 sparks/second (equals 15,000 rpm for a V8).
Regulated 300V supply for consistent spark energy.
High frequency operation eliminates audible oscillator noise.
Efficient circuitry for minimum heat generation.
Components rated to operate up to 100°C.
September 1997 19
Fig.2: the circuit of the
Multi-Spark CDI can be
split into two separate
sections, each using an
IR2155 self-oscillating
half bridge Mosfet
driver. IC1 and Mosfets
Q1 & Q2 comprise the
12V DC to 300V DC
inverter. IC2 and
Mosfets Q6 & Q7
charge and discharge
the dump capacitor via
the ignition coil
primary and provide
the multiple spark
feature.
WARNING!
This circuit produces 300V DC
which can give you
a nasty shock. Do
not touch any part
of the circuit while
it is operating.
aim number one was to set the coil
voltage to a much more moderate
level of about 300V.
Second, because the DC-DC inverters of the time used relatively slow
bipolar transistors (eg, 2N3055s), the
inverter frequency was typically only
2kHz. This typically sets an upper
limit on the maximum spark rate of
about 300 to 400 sparks per second, as
the inverter needs a couple of cycles
20 Silicon Chip
of operation after each discharge in
order to recharge the dump capacitor.
The 2kHz inverter operation was
quite audible too and could often
be heard through car radios. So the
new design would use Mosfets in the
inverter and would operate at above
20kHz to make it inaudible.
Third, CDIs used an SCR (silicon
controlled rectifier) to discharge the
dump capacitor and these are typical-
ly rated for an AC supply frequency
of 400Hz maximum. While the SCRs
will operate at higher frequencies,
it is an unspecified condition and
it ultimately also sets a limit on the
maximum spark rate. That effectively
rules out using an SCR in the new
design.
Fourth, and a rather serious drawback this one, some CDI systems
would not operate when the battery
was low. This meant that while the
battery might be able to slowly crank
the engine, the CDI’s inverter would
not start and hence there would be
no spark. In other words, just when
you most wanted the CDI to work, it
would not be on the job.
Another factor which limited the
inverter operating frequency was the
speed of the rectifier diodes. High
speed fast recovery diodes were expensive and so, even if the inverter
could have run much faster, the standard rectifier diodes could not have
handled the high frequency output.
Applications
While we have addressed all the
above disadvantages, the drawback
of potential cross-fire remains even
though we have reduced the high
voltage to 300V. Therefore, we do
not recommend using the system on
six cylinder and V8 engines unless
you can improve the lead dress of
the spark plug leads so that each
lead is more widely separated from
its neighbour.
Nor do we recommend using this
CDI on any car with an engine management computer. We take the attitude that the factory designed ignition
system will always be optimum for
the particular car.
On the other hand, if you have an
older car with factory electronic ignition there is no reason why this CDI
system should not be a satisfactory
substitute, particularly if the original
module has failed and is expensive
to replace.
The new CDI system can be connected to distributors with conventional points, Hall effect or reluctor
pickups. It is capable of operation
to very high engine speeds, much
higher than even racing engines. For
example, it can run as high as 30,000
RPM in a 4-cylinder engine. This figure is so high that it’s academic but it
does indicate that full spark energy is
maintained over the entire RPM range
of any practical engine.
All the other features of the new
design are summarised in the features
and specifications panels elsewhere
in this article. However, we do need
to explain one of the key features and
that is “multiple spark discharge”.
Multiple spark discharge
Whereas the original CDI designs
produced just one spark each time the
Fig.3: this is the primary coil voltage when producing four sparks (top
waveform). Note the 284V negative excursion for the first and third sparks
and the 292V positive excursion for the second spark. The lower trace is the
tachometer output signal which was used to trigger the oscilloscope.
Fig.4: the CDI produces very high spark rates. The top trace shows the voltage
measured at the source of Q6 when driving the ignition coil, while the lower
trace is the tachometer output which indicates that the rate is 1000 sparks/
second. Note that capacitor C2 charges up to the full 300V (308V shown) before
firing into the coil on the negative edge of the lower trace. This means that the
circuit can deliver the full spark energy even at this excessively high engine
speed.
points opened, the multi-spark discharge (MSD) CDI was able to produce
several sparks in quick succession
each time the points opened. Our new
design incorporates this feature and
produces up to 10 sparks each time a
spark plug is to be fired, depending on
the engine speed. This feature can be
disabled so that the CDI produces just
two sparks for each cylinder firing,
September 1997 21
Fig.5: the circuit caters for distributors with (a) points; (b) Hall
Effect sensors; or (c) reluctor pickups.
regardless of engine speed.
Now let us have a look at some of
the details of the new design. Fig.1(a)
shows the schematic diagram of the
conventional Kettering ignition system which has been used on cars for
over 60 years. It comprises an ignition
coil which has its primary winding
connected to the battery supply with
a switch at the negative side.
The switch can be a conventional
set of points or a switching transistor,
as used in most modern ignition systems. When the switch is closed, current builds up in the primary winding
with the ultimate value limited by the
internal resistance of the coil and a
ballast resistor, if used. This current
22 Silicon Chip
is usually around 3 to 5 amps.
When the switch opens, the resulting collapse of the coil’s magnetic
field causes the secondary winding
to produce a high voltage to fire the
spark plug. As the engine speed rises,
the current has less time to build up
in the coil primary and so inevitably
the spark energy is reduced. Modern
transistor assisted ignition systems
get around this problem by using
dwell exten
sion, lower inductance
coils or more than one ignition coil.
Fig.1(b) shows a typical CDI system
which uses a DC-to-DC inverter to
charge a capacitor which typically has
a value of 1µF. Each time the switch
points in the distributor open, it fires
an SCR to dump the capacitor’s charge
into the coil primary winding. The
poor old coil gets such a belt that it
produces a much higher voltage in the
secondary and fires the spark plug.
Fig.1(c) shows the arrangement of
our new CDI system. It has a DC-toDC inverter with a regulated 300V
DC output which charges up a 1µF
capacitor. Instead of using an SCR to
dump the capacitor’s charge into the
coil, it uses a pair of Mosfets which
are depicted as S1, a single pole
double throw switch. The capacitor
charges up via the coil to 300V when
S1 is in position A and discharges
through the coil when the switch is
in position B.
Thus each time a spark plug is to
be fired, two sparks are produced,
one with positive polarity and one
with negative polarity. With a simple change to the timing circuitry
controlling the two Mosfets, the CDI
can be made to produce more than
two sparks by repetitively charging
and discharging the dump capacitor
during each spark plug firing period.
The oscilloscope waveforms in
Fig.3 show the primary coil voltage
when producing four sparks (top
waveform). Note the 284V negative
excursion for the first and third sparks
and the 292V positive excursion for
the second spark. The lower trace is
the tachometer output signal which
was used to trigger the oscilloscope.
Table 1 shows the multi-spark
information for four, six and eight
cylinder engines. Here we show the
RPM versus the number of sparks
produced. As you can see, the number of sparks ranges from as many as
six sparks per firing at 600 RPM in a
4-cylinder engine down to two sparks
per firing at 15,000 RPM, again in a
4-cylinder engine.
Circuit description
Fig.2 shows the circuit diagram of
the Multi-Spark CDI. It can be split
into two separate sections, each using
an IR2155 self-oscillating half bridge
Mosfet driver. IC1 and Mosfets Q1 &
Q2 comprise the 12V DC to 300V DC
inverter. IC2 and Mosfets Q6 & Q7
charge and discharge the dump capacitor via the ignition coil primary and
provide the multiple spark feature.
IC1 oscillates at about 22kHz as set
by the 33kΩ resistor between pins 2
and 3 and the .001µF capacitor from
pin 3 to ground. Two complementa-
Table 1: RPM vs. Spark No. & Duration
No. of
Sparks
RPM
Spark Duration
(Crankshaft Degrees
4-Cylinder 4-Stroke Engines
600
6
8
900
6
13
1200
6
16
1500
6
20
2250
4
19
3000
4
25
4500
4
37
9000
2
21
2
36
15,000
6-Cylinder 4-Stroke Engines
Fig.6: these waveforms show the reluctor output (lower trace) and the resulting
source voltage of Q8 with no coil connected. Note that the coil fires on the
negative edge of the reluctor waveform.
ry outputs at pins 5 & 7 alternately
switch Mosfets Q1 & Q2 to drive the
centre-tapped primary winding of
transformer T1.
With Q1 on, the full 12VDC is applied to the top half of the transformer
primary winding. Because of the
transformer coupling to the second
primary winding, the lower half of
the transformer primary winding also
has 12V across it. Similarly, when Q2
turns on the 12V is also impressed
across the top primary winding. The
resulting waveform on the primary is
stepped up by the secondary winding.
Q1 & Q2 have internal avalanche
protection. Should the switch off
transient across them reach 60V,
the internal zener diode will safely
quench the spike voltage. The 10Ω
resistors in series with the gates of
the Mosfets are included to slow their
switching speed and thus reduce the
interference which would otherwise
be induced into the vehicle’s electrical system.
Two 10µF MKT capacitors are used
to decouple the DC supply to transformer T1. They effectively bypass
the supply lead inductance so that
the full 12V supply is delivered to
the transformer at the high switching
rate. Inductor L1 is connected in series with the supply to prevent 22kHz
switching currents from appearing on
the vehicle’s electrical supply. The
.01µF capacitor on the 12V input is
there for the same reason.
The stepped up secondary voltage
of T1 is full-wave rectified by high
speed diodes D2-D5 and the resulting 300V DC is filtered with a 1µF
275VAC capacitor.
Voltage feedback trickery
As described so far, the circuit does
not have any means of maintaining
a constant 300V DC output and so
variations in the battery voltage and
spark rate would inevitably cause the
high voltage DC output to vary over
a fairly wide range which would be
undesirable. However, the IR2155
Mosfet driver has no inbuilt means of
providing voltage regulation. Therefore, we have to trick the circuit into
maintaining a more or less constant
voltage.
The voltage feedback comprises
four 75V zener diodes ZD1-ZD4
which are connected in series so that
they begin to conduct at 300V. When
current flows through the zeners they
switch on transistor Q3 via a 10kΩ
base resistor.
When transistor Q3 turns on, it
pulls pin 1 of IC1 from close to +12V
down to around +6V and this tricks
the IC into activating its internal
undervoltage cutout circuit (threshold +8.4V) which switches both pins
7 and 5 low. This stops the Mosfets
400
8
8
600
8
12
800
6
11
1000
6
14
1500
6
21
2000
4
16
3000
4
24
6000
2
14
10,000
2
22
8-Cylinder 4-Stroke Engines
300
14
11
450
12
13
600
10
15
750
10
18
1125
8
21
1500
8
20
2250
6
29
4500
4
32
7500
2
15
from driv
i ng transformer T1 and
this situation is maintained until
the zeners stop conducting; ie, when
the high voltage supply drops back
below 300V.
Transistor Q3 then switches off and
IC1 resumes normal operation. Thus,
the output voltage is stabilised at
300V while Q3 turns the oscillator on
and off at a rate dependent on the load
current drawn from the 300V supply
and the actual DC supply voltage.
Circuit feeds itself
Three 33kΩ resistors in series feed
current from the 300V output back to
the supply pins of IC1 and an internal
zener limits the resulting voltage to
September 1997 23
Here the new Multi-Spark CDI is shown mounted in the engine compartment
of a Mitsubishi Sigma. Note the long parallel run of the spark plug leads. We
suggest that the spacing between these leads should be increased to reduce any
possibility of cross-fire.
15V. With +15V present at pins 1 &
8 of IC1, diode D1 is reverse biased
and therefore the IC no longer draws
current from the +12V battery line.
The idea behind this to make sure
that the circuit will run even with
a very flat battery. Hence the circuit
will start with as little as 9V from the
battery and then will continue to run
even if the battery drops down to 5V.
This could make all the difference
when you have a sick battery which
can barely crank the engine over or if
you have to push start the car.
The 300V supply also feeds IC2,
the second IR2155. Note that IC2 is
connected to operate in a different
fashion to IC1. In this case, the drain
(D) of Q6 is connected to the 300V
supply which is at a much higher
potential than the +15V at pin 1 of
IC2. For Q6 to fully turn on, its gate
(G) must be raised above the drain by
several volts. This is achieved using
24 Silicon Chip
diode D6 and capacitor C1.
Initially, IC2 starts with a 15V
supply derived from the 300V rail,
as mentioned above. Q7 is the first to
be switched on and it pulls one side
of capacitor C1 low. C1 then charges
to the +15V supply via D6 and Q7.
When Q7 turns off and Q6 turns
on, Q6 pulls pin 6 of IC2 up to the
300V rail and so pin 8 is jacked up
above +300V by the 15V across C1.
C1 maintains the voltage between
pins 7 and 8 until next recharged via
D6 and Q7. (Note that pins 6, 7 & 8 of
the IR2155 are floating outputs which
can be shifted to 600V above the pin
4 ground).
C1 needs to be relatively large at
100µF since it can be called upon to
keep its charge for up to 100ms during slow cranking of the motor. The
totem-pole output of Mosfets Q6 and
Q7 drives the ignition coil primary via
the 1µF 275VAC capacitor C2.
Diode D7 is included to prevent
pin 6 from going much below the pin
4 ground while D7 itself is current
limited by the series 22Ω resistor. The
22kΩ resistor between pin 7 and the
source of Q6 ensures that this Mosfet
is held off when there is initially no
supply between pins 8 and 7. The
22Ω gate resistors slow the turn on
and turn off times for Q6 and Q7 to
limit transients when switching the
1µF 275VAC capacitor.
Multi-sparking
Pins 2 and 3 of IC2 are connected to
an assortment of resistors, diodes and
capacitors and these are instrumental
in providing the multi-spark operation. These components comprise
a timer and an astable (oscillator)
connection. The astable oscillator is
formed by the 180kΩ resistor at pin
2 and the .0047µF capacitor at pin 3.
The 10kΩ resistor between pin 3
and the .0047µF capacitor is there to
prevent excess current into this pin
when driven by the monostable part
of the circuit. The only other differ-
ence to the normal astable mode is the
addition of diode D11 and the 180kΩ
resistor in series. This ensures a
longer discharge time for the .0047µF
capacitor via one 180kΩ resistor and
a shorter charge time via both 180kΩ
resistors when D11 is forward biased.
Note that the .0047µF capacitor is
only tied to ground when transistor
Q4 is switched on via the trigger circuit from either points, Hall effect or
reluctor signals. Capacitor C3 is also
connected to the collector of Q4. Initially, when Q4 is off, C3 is discharged
and held at the pin 1 supply voltage
(+15V) via the 13kΩ resistor at Q4’s
collector and the 33kΩ resistor at
D10’s anode. This last resistor pulls
pin 3 well above the upper threshold
(2/3rds the pin 1 supply) via D10. Pin
2 goes low but the .0047µF capacitor
cannot be discharged and so IC2 does
not oscillate; so Q7 is off and Q6 is on
(if there is supply voltage across C1).
When Q4 switches on, the anode of
D10 is pulled low via C3. Thus, the
33kΩ resistor is effectively out of the
oscillation circuit and so the .0047µF
capacitor is charged and discharged
via the components at pin 2 as previously discussed. Q6 and Q7 now
switch on and off alternately, so the
coil is fired repetitively via C2.
C3 charges via the 33kΩ resistor
and when this voltage reaches the
upper threshold of pin 3’s input,
D10 conducts and stops IC2 from
oscillating again. The circuit thus
remains with Q6 on and Q7 off until
triggered again. Note that, at high
RPM, Q4 is off for less time than it
takes C3 to recharge via the 33kΩ resistor and switch off IC2’s oscillation.
The instant this transistor switches
off, IC2 stops oscillating since C3 is
immediately pulled high. This is a
fail-safe condition to prevent sparks
designated for one cylinder from
accidentally firing the next cylinder
in sequence.
The trigger circuit also drives transistor Q5 to provide a low voltage
(+12V) tacho
meter output. This is
necessary since a tacho connected to
the coil would otherwise give false
readings.
Fig.4 shows some more waveforms
which demonstrate the circuit performance. The top trace shows the
voltage measured at the source of Q6
when driving the ignition coil while
the lower trace is the tachometer
output which indicates that the input
Parts List For Multiple Spark CDI
1 PC board, code 05309971, 112
x 144mm
1 diecast case, 171 x 121 x 55mm
1 ETD29 ferrite transformer (T1)
assembly (Philips 2 x 4312
020 3750 2 3C85 cores, 1 x
4322 021 3438 1 former, 2 x
4322 021 3437 1 clips.)
1 Neosid iron powdered core
17-732-22 (L1)
2 cord grip grommets
1 solder lug
6 3mm x 15mm screws, nuts &
star washers
5 TO-220 style insulating bushes
6 TO-220 insulating washers
1 2m length of red and black
automotive wire
1 1.5m length of 0.63mm
enamelled copper wire
1 22m length of 0.25mm
enamelled copper wire
1 140mm length of 0.8mm tinned
copper wire
1 400mm length of 1mm
enamelled copper wire
6 PC stakes
Semiconductors
2 IR2155 self-oscillating half
bridge drivers (IC1,IC2)
2 MTP3055E TO-220 14A 60V
N-channel Mosfets (Q1,Q2)
2 IRF822 TO-220 2A 500V
N-channel Mosfets or
equivalent (Q6,Q7)
3 BC337 NPN transistors
(Q3-Q5)
5 1N914 signal diodes
(D1,D8-D11)
6 1N4936 fast recovery 500V
1.5A diodes (D2-D5,D6,D7)
4 75V 1W zener diodes
(ZD1-ZD4)
1 S14K 275VAC MOV (MOV1)
Capacitors
2 100µF 16VW electrolytic
(-40°C to 105°C rated; Hitano
EHR series or equivalent)
2 10µF 63V or 100V MKT (Philips
373 21106 or equivalent)
2 1µF 275VAC MKP X2 (Philips
336 20105 or equivalent)
spark rate is at 1kHz (60,000 rpm).
Note that capacitor C2 charges up to
the full 300V (308V shown) before
1 0.47µF 63V MKT polyester
(C3); or 1 x 0.15µF MKT
polyester (C3); or 1 x 0.12µF
MKT polyester (C3)
1 0.1µF 63V MKT polyester
1 .01µF MKT polyester
1 .0047µF 63V MKT polyester
1 .001µF 63V MKT polyester
Resistors (0.25W 1%)
2 680kΩ
1 13kΩ
2 180kΩ
4 10kΩ
2 56kΩ
1 2.2kΩ
6 33kΩ 1W 5% 2 220Ω
2 33kΩ
3 22Ω
1 22kΩ
2 10Ω
Miscellaneous
Automotive connectors, eyelets for
coil connection, cable ties, solder,
etc.
Reluctor trigger circuit
1 5.1V 400mW zener diode (ZD5)
1 1N914 signal diode (D12)
1 .0022µF 63V MKT polyester
capacitor
1 470pF 63V MKT polyester
capacitor (or 100°C rated
ceramic)
2 47kΩ 0.25W 1% resistor
2 10kΩ 0.25W 1% resistor
1 390Ω 1W 5% resistor
2 PC stakes
Points trigger circuit
1 1N914 signal diode (D12)
1 1N914 signal diode (D13)
(optional; see text)
1 .01µF MKT polyester capacitor
1 47Ω 5W resistor
1 47Ω 5W resistor
(optional; see text)
2 PC stakes
Hall effect trigger circuit
1 Bosch rotating vane assembly
to suit distributor
1 Siemens HKZ101 Hall sensor
(Jaycar Electronics)
1 1N914 signal diode (D12)
1 820Ω 0.25W 5% resistor
1 100Ω 0.25W 1% resistor
3 PC stakes
firing into the coil on the negative
edge of the lower trace. This means
that the circuit can deliver the full
September 1997 25
Reluctor Pickup
Fig.7: this component overlay for the PC board includes the trigger input circuitry for a reluctor distributor.
spark energy, even at this excessively
high rpm.
Disabling multi-spark operation
If you wish, the multi-spark feature
can be easily disabled by (1) removing
C3, D10, D11, the two 180kΩ resistors
and the 33kΩ and 13kΩ resistors; and
(2) installing a 180kΩ resistor in place
of the 33kΩ resistor and a link in place
of D10. This causes IC2 to produce a
single 0.5ms pulse to switch on Q7.
This fires the coil in one direction
when Q7 switches on and in the other
direction when Q6 switches on.
A Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV1) is
connected across the coil to quench
the high voltage transient which will
occur if the coil is left open circuit
on the secondary. Leaving the coil
output open circuit can cause it to
break down internally and this quickly
leads to failure. In addition, there is
provision on the PC board to use two
1µF capacitors to drive the coil. Two
26 Silicon Chip
680kΩ resistors are connected in series
across C2 to discharge it should the
coil become disconnected from the
circuit. This im
proves safety since
a 1µF capacitor charged to 300V can
produce a nasty shock.
Trigger circuits
Fig.5 shows the alternative circuits
provided for points, Hall effect and reluctor triggering. These are all included on the PC board. The points circuit
is easy enough and we have provided
for distributors which have one or
two sets of points. Both pairs of points
have a 47Ω 5W resistor to provide a
“wetting current”. This current keeps
the points clean and thereby provides
more reliable operation. Diode D12 or
D13 feeds the respective points signal
into transistor Q4.
The two-points facility provides for
twin-cylinder engines with two coils
or for rotary engines which have two
plugs per chamber.
The Hall effect circuit has power
supplied via a 100Ω resistor. The 820Ω
resistor is the pullup for the internal
open collector transistor. Diode D12
supplies the high-going signal to Q4.
The reluctor circuit comprises a
10kΩ load across the pickup coil together with a 470pF noise suppression
capacitor. Transistor Q8 is biased on
using a 5.1V zener diode. The circuit
is designed to trigger after the reluctor
signal goes negative. The .0022µF capacitor is used to speed up the switch
off action of Q8 while the 10kΩ pullup
resistor on Q8’s collector provides the
signal to Q4 via diode D12.
Fig.6 shows the reluctor output
(lower trace) and the resulting source
voltage of Q8 with no coil connected.
Note that the coil fires on the negative
edge of the reluctor waveform.
Construction
The Multi-Spark Capacitor Discharge Ignition is constructed on a PC
Table 2: Capacitor Codes
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
Value
IEC Code EIA Code
1µF
1u0 105
0.47µF 470nF 474
0.15µF 129nF 154
0.12µF 120nF 124
0.1µF
100nF 104
0.01µF 10nF 103
0.0047µF 4n7 472
.0022µF 2n2 222
.001µF 1n0 102
470pF
470p 471
board which is coded 05309971 and
measures 112 x 144mm. It is housed
in a diecast case measuring 171 x 121
x 55mm.
Begin assembly by checking the
PC board against the published pattern. There should not be any shorts
or breaks between tracks. Make any
repairs as necessary. Note that the PC
board requires two semicircular cutouts on the sides to fit into the recommended case. The corners should also
be rounded off and small notches are
need to give clearance for the vertical
channels in the diecast case.
Make sure the PC board fits into the
case before starting assembly. Other
types of diecast cases with multiple
integral ribs on the sides cannot be
used since the Mosfets need to be
Hall Effect Pickup
Fig.8: this diagram shows the trigger components for a Hall effect distributor.
Conventional Points Pickup
Fig.9: the trigger components for a conventional points distributor.
Table 3: Resistor Colour Codes
❏
No.
Value
4-Band Code (1%)
5-Band Code (1%)
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
2
2
2
2
6
2
1
1
6
1
1
1
2
1
3
2
680kΩ
180kΩ
56kΩ
47kΩ
33kΩ
33kΩ
22kΩ
13kΩ
10kΩ
2.2kΩ
820Ω
390Ω
220Ω
100Ω
22Ω
10Ω
blue grey yellow brown
brown grey yellow brown
green blue orange brown
yellow violet orange brown
orange orange orange brown
orange orange orange brown
red red orange brown
brown orange orange brown
brown black orange brown
red red red brown
grey red brown brown
orange white brown brown
red red brown brown
brown black brown brown
red red black brown
brown black black brown
blue grey black orange brown
brown grey black orange brown
green blue black red brown
yellow violet black red brown
orange orange black red brown
orange orange black red brown
red red black red brown
brown orange black red brown
brown black black red brown
red red black brown brown
grey red black black brown
orange white black black brown
red red black black brown
brown black black black brown
red red black gold brown
brown black black gold brown
September 1997 27
Winding the coil & mounting
the power transistors
Fig.10: here are the winding details for the bobbin
of transformer T1. Note that the primary
windings are bifilar; ie, they are wound together.
bolted to a flat surface.
Fig.7 shows the component overlay
for the PC board with trigger input circuitry for a reluctor distributor. Fig.8
shows the different trigger components for a Hall effect distributor while
Fig.9 shows the trigger components
for a conventional points distributor.
You can start the board assembly by
inserting the PC stakes at the external
wiring connection points and then
installing the wire links. Note that
there are two links that run beneath
the inverter transformer (T1). This
done, install the resistors and use the
colour code table and your multimeter
to check each value.
When inserting the diodes and
zeners, take care with their orientation
and be sure to place each type in the
correct position. Install the ICs and
transistors, taking care to orient them
as shown. The Mosfets are oriented
with their metal flanges towards the
edge of the PC board and are seated
as far down on the board as they will
go. Be sure to install the correct type
in each location.
The capacitors can be installed
next. The accompanying table shows
the value codes which will be printed
on each component. The electrolytic
capacitors must be oriented with the
correct polarity. Once the capacitors
are in, install the varistor (MOV1).
The battery input filter toroid core
(L1) is wound with 12 turns of 1mm
enamelled copper wire. Ensure that
the wire ends are stripped of insulation before soldering it into place. The
28 Silicon Chip
Fig.11: the four Mosfets are mounted on the side
of the case, using an insulating washer and an
insulating bush.
toroid is affixed to the PC board using
a screw and nut with an insulating
bush to locate the screw and protect
the winding.
Winding the transformer
Transformer T1 is wound as shown
in the diagram of Fig.10. Start by
terminating the 0.25mm enamelled
Fig.12: this is how the Siemens Hall
sensor should be installed to provide
reliable triggering. The vane needs to
penetrate the sensor by between 8mm
and 11.5mm. The triggering point is
between 0.1mm and 1.8mm from the
centre line of the unit.
copper wire on pin 7 as shown. Neatly wind on 360 turns and insulate
between each winding layer with insulation tape. Terminate the winding
on pin 8.
The primary windings are wound
together (bifilar) side-by-side. Termi
nate the 0.63mm enamelled copper
wires at pins 2 and 4 as shown, then
wind on 13 turns and terminate on
pins 11 and 9 respectively. Check that
pin 2 connects to pin 11 and pin 4
connects to pin 9, using a multimeter
on the “Ohms” range. Finish the windings with a layer of insulation tape.
The ferrite cores are inserted into
the bobbin and secured with the clips
or a cable tie. Insert and solder the
transformer into the PC board with
the orientation shown in Fig.7.
Next, insert the PC board into the
case and mark the positions for the
Mosfet mounting holes on the side
panel. Remove the PC board and drill
out these holes and two holes at each
end for the cord grip grommets. Also
drill a hole for the earth lug screw.
The holes for the Mosfet mounting
must be deburred with a larger drill
to prevent punch-through of the insulating washer.
Attach the PC board to the case
with the supplied screws and secure
each Mosfet to the case with a screw,
nut, insulating washer and insulating
bush. Fig.11 shows the details. If you
use a mica washer apply a smear of
heatsink compound to the mating surfaces before assembly. Silicone rubber
washers do not require heatsink com-
Installation
If you are using the existing points
or a reluctor distributor, the CDI unit
can be installed into the vehicle. Be
sure to locate the CDI case in a position where air flows over it and make
sure it is away from the exhaust side
of the engine. It can be secured to the
engine bay with self-tapping screws
into the two diagonally opposite exter
nal securing points on the case.
Alternatively, you could use brackets. Wire up the positive connection to
the positive 12V ignition, the negative
wire to the chassis and the trigger
input to the points or reluctor. The
ignition coil requires a connection to
both sides of the primary. Disconnect
any other wires that are part of the
original ignition system.
Note that the reluctor coil requires
the correct polarity connection in
order to give the correct spark timing.
This is best determined by testing the
engine. If it does not fire, reverse the
reluctor leads and try again.
You may find that with the CDI
installed, the spark timing is little
advanced, due to its fast rise time. If
so, you may need to retard the static
timing slightly to prevent pinging or
a slightly rough idle.
When starting an engine fitted with
this CDI, it is a good idea to turn on
the ignition for one or two seconds
before cranking the engine. This will
give the circuit time to generate the
300VDC and fully charge the 100µF
supply capacitor for IC1.
If you are going to install the CDI
on an engine with two coils and two
sets of points, you can use the trigger
circuit with the two points facility.
The CDI can then drive both coils in
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pound. Use two washers each for Q6
and Q7. Check that the metal tabs of
the Mosfets are indeed isolated from
the case by measuring the resistance
with a multimeter.
Finally, attach the wires for the
supply, trigger input and coil output
and secure them with the cordgrip
grommet. The earth connection goes
to a solder lug which is secured to
the case.
You can test that the inverter operates by connecting the circuit to a
12V 3A power supply. The voltage
between the tab of Q6 and the case
should be about 300V. Take care,
however, since this voltage can cause
a severe electric shock.
September 1997 29
Fig.13: use this
circuit to provide a
tacho signal if your
car has an impulse
tachometer.
Fig.14: this is the full-size etching pattern for the PC board.
parallel. Both coils will then fire simultaneously when each set of points
open. This is more or less standard
practice with racing rotaries.
If you do want to fire two coils simultaneously, you will probably need
to add an extra 1µF 275VAC capacitor
(C2). There is provision for this on
30 Silicon Chip
the PC board.
Hall effect trigger
While many readers will wish to
use their original points/distributor
setup in their initial installation, a
Hall effect distributor is a much better
proposition. A Hall effect pickup does
not suffer from any wear and tear and
is unaffected by dirt. The Hall sensor
recommended is the Siemens HKZ101
available from Jaycar Electronics.
You must also obtain a rotating vane
assembly to suit your distributor.
These are available from automotive
aftermarket retailers selling Bosch
ignition systems. Make sure that you
have one of these before purchasing
the Hall sensor.
Fig.12 shows how the Siemens Hall
sensor should be installed to provide
reliable triggering. The vane needs to
penetrate the sensor by between 8mm
and 11.5mm. The triggering point is
between 0.1mm and 1.8mm from the
centre line of the unit.
To install the sensor, first remove
the distributor from the vehicle. To do
this, rotate the engine until cylinder
number 1 is at the firing point; this
is indicated when the rotor button
is aligned with the number 1 spark
plug lead. With the distributor out of
the engine, find the position where
the points just open for the number
1 cylinder and mark the position on
the distributor where the centre of the
rotor is now positioned. This is the
point where the Hall effect sensor’s
output should go high.
Next, remove the rotor, points and
capacitor plus ancillary components.
The Hall sensor should be mounted
near where the points were located
so that there is sufficient lead length
to exit from the distributor. The exact
location for the Hall sensor is deter
mined as follows.
Fit the vane assembly to the distributor and align the rotor with the
marked firing point. The Hall sensor
should now be positioned so that the
leading edge of one of the metal vanes
is about halfway through the slot.
You will have to know the distributor
rotation direction. Mark the position
for the sensor, taking care to ensure
that the vane will pass through the
gap without fouling.
Note that Fig.12 shows the configuration for a clockwise rotating
distributor. Anticlockwise rotating
distributors are timed as the vane
enters the Hall sensor from the other
side.
A suitable mounting plate can now
be made to fit the Hall sensor onto the
distributor advance plate. The mounting plate must be elevated so that the
vane penetrates the Hall sensor by
8-11.5mm. The Hall sensor is riveted
The Multi-Spark Capacitor Discharge Ignition system is housed in a diecast box
which provides adequate heatsinking for the four Mosfets.
to the adaptor plate through 3.5mm
holes which are countersunk beneath
the plate. The adaptor plate can then
be secured to the advance plate using
machine screws, nuts and washers.
Try to take advantage of existing holes
left where the points were mounted.
The leads from the Hall sensor
should pass through the existing
points lead grommet. Check that the
vanes pass through the gap in the
sensor without fouling and that the
lead dress allows for full movement
of the distributor advance plate.
Specifications
Spark energy ��������������������������������������� 45mJ
Number of sparks per firing ����������������� Minimum of 2, (see Table 1)
Spark separation ��������������������������������� 0.5ms for the first 2 sparks then
0.66ms, 0.34ms, 0.66ms, etc
Spark duration ������������������������������������� About 200µs per spark
Multiple spark duration ������������������������ 2 sparks 500µs; 4 sparks 1.3ms; 6
sparks 2.2ms; 8 sparks 3.1ms; 10
(add 200µs for last spark)
sparks 4.1ms; 12 sparks 5ms; 14
sparks 6ms
Reluctor circuit sensitivity �������������������� 400mV RMS
Inverter operating frequency ��������������� 22kHz
Operating voltage �������������������������������� Down to 5V (requires a minimum of
9V to start circuit)
Now reinstall the distributor in
the engine, with the rotor pointing
towards the number 1 cylinder firing
point. Do a static timing check, with
the engine set to fire when the vane
is central to the Hall sensor.
Connect the Hall sensor leads to the
CDI unit using suitable automotive
connectors. Start the engine and use
a timing light to set the spark timing.
Tachometer connection
The tachometer output signal is a
12V square wave which should be
sufficient to trigger most electronic
tachometers. For example, the tacho
meter featured in the August 1991
issue can be directly triggered without
modification. If the signal does not
work with your tacho, it may be an
impulse type which requires a high
voltage. The circuit shown in Fig.13
should solve this problem.
As shown, this uses the primary
of a 2851 240VAC to 12VAC mains
transformer to produce a high voltage pulse when switched via transistors Q1 & Q2. The coil voltage
is limited by the .033µF capacitor
connected between collector and
SC
emitter of Q2.
September 1997 31
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