The Ford Barn - View Single Post

rotorwrench · 03-28-2020, 10:32 AM

The coils changed at least 4 times during the evolution of the helmet type distributor production. It's hard to say how many other designs were tried during that period. They were all a bit different and certainly different than the can type coils. The back flow of energy from the collapsing field was what they were trying to control the best they knew how. The amount of back flow energy is what they chose the capacity of the condenser to meet. While other condenser capacities will work, they wanted to tune it to the system for best efficiency or at least as good as they could get it.

Anyone designing a cap to work needs to do the same thing. I always wondered if those guys had an oscilloscope. Those things were just starting to become a tool after 1931 so it was relatively new technology back then.

03-28-2020, 10:32 AM	#25
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,447	Re: Need for early condensers? The coils changed at least 4 times during the evolution of the helmet type distributor production. It's hard to say how many other designs were tried during that period. They were all a bit different and certainly different than the can type coils. The back flow of energy from the collapsing field was what they were trying to control the best they knew how. The amount of back flow energy is what they chose the capacity of the condenser to meet. While other condenser capacities will work, they wanted to tune it to the system for best efficiency or at least as good as they could get it. Anyone designing a cap to work needs to do the same thing. I always wondered if those guys had an oscilloscope. Those things were just starting to become a tool after 1931 so it was relatively new technology back then.