Here is a company (AEM) pretty much making
 what I had in mind (I think). Two capacitors.

 http://www.aempower.com/ViewCategory.aspx?CategoryID=78

 The only drawback is it need a conventional battery and alternator.

 Thanks Larry.

--------------------------------------------------

I called AEM and it does not fire more than once past 3000 RPM according to
the electronic tech guy. He kept saying there was not enough time but he was
incorrect about that in a rotary.
I don't think they designed it for a rotary where the rotor is moving one
third as fast as the shaft.

Back to square one. IMHO AEM like MSD do not understand the rotary.
The expansion cycle in a piston engine takes place much faster than in a
rotary. 90 degrees instead of 270 degrees. It also happens at one end of the
combustion chamber while the combustion chamber in a rotary moves past the
spark plugs. I also think Mazda is missing a bet on this. We have got to
think outside the piston engine ignition box.

IMHO We want
the spark plugs to continue to fire for as long as the unburned and burning
mixture is still present moving past the plugs. That takes
8.3 ms at six thousand RPM cruise RPM. See chart 2. Much much more at lower
RPM where Mazda is most concerned with emissions and fuel burn (BSFC).

A capacitor discharge ignition system is very good at firing spark plugs
fouled with 100 LL but it only fires for .2 ms. Even an inductive system
(Chevy LS1 coil) or stock Mazda ignition only fires for about .8 ms.

 IMHO NO WHERE LONG ENOUGH FOR WHAT THE ROTARY NEEDS!

 IMHO the rotary needs an ignition system to fire for 8.3 ms or 300
degrees.

This is why I am doing a m.s.d. ignition system with several pre-charged
capacitors fired in rapid sequence by a cheap single chip computer.
It will be designed to work up to 7500 RPM in a rotary.

Initial proposed ignition software strategy is: Start a 16 bit counter with
input from an oscillator (say 10,000 hertz or cycles per second) when the
e-shaft trigger pulses. Stop the counter when it pulses again.
Read the number in the counter and restart the counter.

That number will be inversely proportional to the RPM.
Big number low RPM. Small number high RPM. Divide the number by 360 and that
result will be the number of counts per degree of e-shaft rotation. Use that
count number to fire the plugs at 20 degrees BTDC and once every 10 degrees
there after for five or six times. Thats it.

This is the range of rotor positions I intend repeatedly firing the spark
plug. Mostly the leading plug (lower plug) as one does not want to risk
igniting the mixture in the following chamber.

I hope this is a break through in improving the BSFC of the rotary engine. I
think it is worth a try.

Paul Lamar


We have a long duration ac discharge ignition system that will stay lit for
however many degrees of rotation you desire.  You can call me at
240-460-8744.

Joe Anderson  www.combined-ts.com


I just got off the phone with MSD. I sent them what I had. They are
willing to listen.

Tell us more about how it works Joe so I can share it with everybody.
Unless of course you want to keep it a secret. How did you hear about us?

Paul Lamar