Re: Ignition Analyzer?

[frankr]

quote Buccaneer:

I can remember my uncle, forty some years ago, testing
small engine / lawnmower coils by hooking up a car
battery to the primary terminal and working the points
manually, noting whether or not the spark plug would “spark”,
but I’m a little / lot hesitant doing that with 77 year old
obsolete coil. 😮
Frank, what are you calling a “buzz box”, and how would
one use it? Do you mean like a Model T Ford buzz box?
Thanks.

Coil testers, in general speaking, do more or less what your uncle did. That is hook up a 6V battery to the coil and make and break the connection. The tester reads the amperage required through the primary to make it spark. So, with that little bit of information it is easy to dream up some way of doing that. Yes, a T Model works that way—I think. I’d have to refresh my memory on that. That was before my time.

Back in the day, we used an Eiseman coil tester that consisted of an electric motor with a cam on the shaft that opened and closed a set of regular automotive points. That make and break was sent to the coil primary. Stevens testers used a 6V car radio vibrator to provide the make and break. Merc-o-tronic, maybe the same, but I don’t know.