Excellent explanation! That makes perfect sense.
I hate to mix apples and oranges but one reason I thought of this device was I was wondering if it may work on a car. However after you explained how the module works, I doubt that it would. You mentioned that if you connect it to 12 volts it will fry the module. So in a small engine, the coil is energized by an magnet in the flywheel, every time the flywheel passes the coil. Where as on a car, the coil is powered by battery voltage. Correct?
Are you familiar with wasted spark ignition systems?
My Trabant uses 2 sets of points and two ignition coils. One set for each cylinder.
My Citroen 2CV also has a 2 cylinder engine (but a four stroker) and uses a wasted spark ignition system. I have an ignition coil from a Harley Davidson on my 2CV with two plug wire outputs.
I wondered if this type of system would work on a 2 stroke engine and after doing some research it has been used on other 2 cylinder 2 stroke engines.
I was not happy with the aftermarket electronic ignition systems on the market.
First of all, the points lobe is oblong instead of square like most points system so when the plastic ring slides over the points lobe "easily", the coils fires after top dead center so in order to get the timing closer to TDC, the ring has to be forced onto the lobe.
Also the circuitry is mounted on the board which means if you accidentally touch something with a screwdriver with the ignition switches on it will short something out. Well guess what, I shorted out one of the transistors doing just that. My mistake but the components are vulnerable.
Then there is cost. Shipping from Germany is quite expensive. A replacement unit would cost around US$ 170. That's including 30 Euros for shipping. You can buy a Hot Spark ignition system + free shipping just for what it costs in shipping from Germany.
So I decided to build a better mousetrap. I used a Hot Spark system for a VW Type 1 and I am firing both coils simultaneously.
Here is a video in the testing phase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvllaO908p8
I'm in the process of refining the system. So this is not the final result.
One of the biggest challenges was trying to figure out where the transistor was located in the module in order to just get the engine started and running. I painted some reference marks above the magnets. Using a timing light shows the magnets are positioned at the leading and trailing edges of the module. Then through trial and error finally got it the ignition spot on.
My only concern is these Hot Spark systems are finicky. The instructions says anything above 13.7 volts will cause the module to overheat. So they recommend a ballast resistor to drop the voltage if this is the case. And also not to use low resistance ignition coils. So there has to be some tests conducted to make sure the module is compatible with the coils.
My concern is will firing two coils simultaneously cause the module to fail? I'm keeping the breaker points in the trunk and will be prepared to throw it back on in case the system fails.
The Petronix Ignitor does not seem to care. My suspicion is the Pertronix Ignitor has a built in regulator to avoid spikes. That may explain why a Petronix system sells for twice as much as the Hot Spark systems.
Any thoughts on this welcome!