I was thinking that all the ignition systems had a starting point. Even the magneto system we are moving away from began with an idea.
So I was wondering if there is an automotive or industrial distributor that fits in a Lycoming Magneto drive pad and mates the gear properly? Or one that can be modified to fit without too much work?
The mag drive turns 1:1 with the crankshaft, so a 4 cylinder distributor would work in a 4 cylinder Lycoming, sparking each cylinder in the "wasted spark" style.
The reason I ask, is because I recently rebuilt the distributor for my tractor that I use when mowing the runway. I installed a Pertronix igniter kit with industrial coil, and it works very well, firing the plugs even when the battery is so weak it will barely turn the engine.
For aircraft use, a distributor with a mechanical advance would replace an impulse coupled mag.
Cessna 195s and Republic Seabees came new with one mag and one distributor. My friend with a stock Seabee says his looks like a Ford truck distributor from the 1950s.
My Ironhead Sportster has the Dyna S ignition, which, like the Pertronix is a simple switch amplifier set that fires the 2 coils. It does not have a computer, uses a mechanical advance and is bone head simple.
This won't have the potential efficiency of the newer electronic ignitions, but maybe greater reliability due to low parts count, both mechanically and electronically?
So I was wondering if there is an automotive or industrial distributor that fits in a Lycoming Magneto drive pad and mates the gear properly? Or one that can be modified to fit without too much work?
The mag drive turns 1:1 with the crankshaft, so a 4 cylinder distributor would work in a 4 cylinder Lycoming, sparking each cylinder in the "wasted spark" style.
The reason I ask, is because I recently rebuilt the distributor for my tractor that I use when mowing the runway. I installed a Pertronix igniter kit with industrial coil, and it works very well, firing the plugs even when the battery is so weak it will barely turn the engine.
For aircraft use, a distributor with a mechanical advance would replace an impulse coupled mag.
Cessna 195s and Republic Seabees came new with one mag and one distributor. My friend with a stock Seabee says his looks like a Ford truck distributor from the 1950s.
My Ironhead Sportster has the Dyna S ignition, which, like the Pertronix is a simple switch amplifier set that fires the 2 coils. It does not have a computer, uses a mechanical advance and is bone head simple.
This won't have the potential efficiency of the newer electronic ignitions, but maybe greater reliability due to low parts count, both mechanically and electronically?
