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To pick up on Richard’s post … the Atwater – Kent timer has always been a mystery to me. They work great and make a hot spark, but just how the points do the job on a battery ignition system is a mystery. The points are not operated by the normal cam. The points stay open so no current flows regardless of the rotational position of the crankshaft. no fear of draining your battery when you stop the motor. How do the points operate, you ask.. there is a “trick” mechanism in the timer that cocks a tiny hammer that when released bumps the points closed for just the tiniest instant of a milli second. Hard to believe but the only time that current flows is during that tiny milli second. So all the requisite charging and dis-charging of coil and capacitor happens then… those little electrons are really speedy!
Joe B
To help understand .. the points are not on a normal breaker arm. The movable point is on the end of a flexible strip of spring steel.