Just a "so I can know" question

[turbojonn]

Im hooking up my dyna s ignition and its weird to me that the signal wire carries 12v for most of its revolution. It (they) only turn off for a small part of the cranks rotation? Are the coils actually capaciters?

[JTGS850GL]

No, the coils are actually inductors arranged in a transformer Primary/Secondary configuration with a metallic core. 12V is applied to one side of the coil while the other side is switched from open to ground. At a specific time of ignition the switched side of the coil is grounded and then opened again. Braking the ground on the primary is when the spark occurs in the secondary due to the field in the primary coil collapsing. The collapsing field in the primary produces a large magnetic field that induces current in the secondary thus producing a high voltage potential and ultimately produces the spark. This occurs when the voltage threshold exceeds the air gap impedance at the spark plug.

Here's a pic to show how it works:

[Steve]

Believe it or not, the older systems with points do exactly the same thing.

In fact, your electronic ignition is pretty much the same thing, except the points have been replaced by a box full of transistors that Suzuki calls an "ignitor". There are a couple of advantages with the electronic setup: 1. No mechanical wear that requires periodic adjustment. 2. The transistors can interrupt the circuit (which is what fires the plugs) for a VERY short time and then turn on and start conducting again (which is what saturates the coils with a magnetic field) sooner, which gives a better spark.

The little magnet on the crank spins past the sensor, which tells the 'brain' that it just saw the magnet go by, so it will turn the current off,then back on to start the cycle again.

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