Subject: A good ignition system
From: rotaryeng
Date: 6/30/2014, 5:35 PM
To: AA-1-Me



Klaus told me any good ignition system can start paper on fire.

Here is a video.

Paul Lamar


Hi Paul, Can your new ignition system work on a radial?? I've a
warner 7 cyl that needs help.

cheers,

Russ Ward

Yes.

What is the firing order?

You will need 7 Lamar photo interrupter triggers and a small disk
fastened to the crank shaft with holes in it. One photo interrupter
trigger for each cylinder. Then you will need 14 Lamar ignition
system on plug units. One for each plug. Gets expensive but highly
redundant and reliably.


Or you can build simple distributors out of plastic tubing with one
Lamar ignition system on plug for each of the two groups of plugs.

These would replace the mags and work like them. We are building
something like that for the Chev small block using a stock Chev
distributor.

This is the cheap way to go if you can machine parts. You would be
making two 7 cylinder distributor caps out of large dia. PVC pipe.

It can also be done with a micro computer which would be cheaper in
terms of trigger hardware but requires some programing. Are you
willing to learn BASIC?

I can give you guidance and help.

Basically the ignition program is the LED blink program with a few
changes. Don't get over whelmed by the Arm BASIC manual. You will be
using only about 5% of it. Learn just the instructions you need to do
what you are doing and ignore the rest.

It is very similar to QB and that I can email you. It will run on
Windows XP or Windows 7. You can use that to become familiar with the
BASIC language.

You would still need 14 Lamar ignition system on plug units. About
$2800.

What sounds the best to you?


Paul Lamar



Hi Paul

Firing order is 1,3,5,7,2,4,6

Yes, I can learn Basic. I wrote fortrand, Pl/1 and Cobol for a few
years, then Assembler, the Pl/.SQL for many years...

cheers,

Russ

No computer.

I have given this a lot of thought. The best way to serve 14 spark
plugs is the same way they do it with magnetos. Basically we design a
distributor that fits the magneto mounts and has a disk with holes in
it just like the Lamar Instruments Modified Chevy distributor except
with only 7 spark outlets. Two distributors with two Lamar Instrument
ignition systems.


Paul Lamar

Hi Paul,

That sounds great.. A previous post mentioned the FAA would never allow an electronic fuel injection system. The new Rotax 912is has electronic fuel injection running at 70psi and is now undergoing FAA certification..
cheers,

Russ Ward


The Lycoming has been "undergoing FAA certification" for about 5 years :)
Mistral also tried for years.

Any stock Mazda rotary copy would pass certification in a heart beat with an aircraft carb and
aircraft magnetos. The copy depends on a paper trail from the mine to the air
on all the parts. "Paper" is the key word. Some of my professional airline aircraft mechanics
friends have a phrase for it. "I pencil whipped it".

To give you an example lets say you had a 50 cent capacitor in the EFI made by brand X.
If you change to brand Y in theory you need to re-certify the entire EFI.

The Europeans have an out. They can get European certification and
then enjoy reciprocity with the US FAA.

Canada certified the Orenda Chev V8 after it failed US certification several
times. It was a Canadian project so there was "extra economic incentive" in Canada.

However it failed in  the  US market place. Nobody wanted to pay $100,000  with
a TBO of only 1200 hours for what amounted to a glorified Chev big block despite
major changes to almost everything including the crankshaft and the cooling system.

http://www.rotaryeng.net/DS-smith-art.pdf

Paul Lamar



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