OK Paul
    It might be a few days. Don't forget the pulse length and voltage. I
    am not
    going to fly again until it is sorted. Local Mazda say that there
    has never
    been a failure of the igniters. I think the testers may have tried
    max and
    min voltages testing on my engine.

    Non Flying RV7 Ian.


    OK here is what it looks like down there.
    I'll need a needle scope prob to poke through the insulation.
    I'll give it a try after lunch.

     From the RX8 schematic it looks like a FET merely grounds
    the coil when it wants a spark. AKA low side switching.
    To check the avg current will require a major disassemble
    and a jumper so I ain't doing it :)

    Jim M, here are the schematics in case you don't already
    have them. Good start on figuring out the RX8 PCM schematic.

    Ian If I were you I would set it up on the bench and use
    an FET to fire it at 3000 PPM (6000 RPM) and measure the
    temp rise. Cars don't run 6000 RPM hour in and hour out.

    --
    Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.


Hi Paul,

    FYI, the RX8 coils fail frequently in racing (1 or more a race) but
I am not aware of any failing in street use - although they may and I
haven't heard of it.

Jim Mederer

Thanks Jim. I think we are seeing that too. We have a few years
with Chevy V8 LS1 coils and they seem to be fine.
Actully Denso made in China :)

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

Paul,

Thanks for your efforts, I will get the scope onto mine. The 11 volts is a
bit of a puzzle. I would have expected 14 volts. Maybe there is a ballast
resistor. Do you have the circuit diagram?  How is ppm calculated from rpm?
After reading Jim Mederer's email I am inclined to purchase a set of LSI
coils.

Ian Beadle


You are looking at the bottom of the coil so there
are drops.

Come to think of it I was wrong. Each rotor fires once per rev
so it is not 3000 ppm but 6000 pules per minute.

No circuit diagrams of the coils. Always a mystery
what exactly is in there.

Tracy has been flying LS1 coils for quite awhile.
So have some other people. No reported troubles so
far.

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

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