I have been working on a personal project for a while and have been swamped with ideas and don't really know electronics well enough to decidedly use one or another.
I got some free disposable cameras and reclaimed the photo flash capcitors out of them to use for boosting the ignition power in a project car (91 Camaro). My desire is to create a plasma arc across a spark gap of about .08in.
My original intent was to use a small inverter to power a step-up transformer to bring voltage up to 250-300V pulsed full wave dc, obviously using a rectifier. Then to use that voltage to directly charge a capacitor bank that would dump across the spark gap when the stock ignition would strike it's spark. I want to "size" the caps right so that they are quick to charge (within micro-seconds) and still discharge over a few degrees of rotation in the motor.
I wanted to use a magnetic inductive pickup coil (like a timing light's inductive pickup) to trigger an OFF switch so that the charging circuit would not be connected at the time the caps are discharging. I don't want to use a mechanical solution because anything mechanical I seriously doubt will endure operating 63 times per second (engine running 7500 RPM). That leaves .016 seconds firing TDC to firing TDC, which will have to include both discharge and recharge.
I want to use a toroid coil for the inductive pickup and was just thinking of using a "secondary winding" to continue the OFF position after the high voltage has passed and if the caps are still discharging.
I am not schooled in electronics design so please bare with me. I want to make a unit for each plug similar to a coil-on-plug type ignition, with the high voltage from the distributor going to one end. With everything inside the unit, from toroid to caps and exiting the other end and going to the spark plug. No grounds in the unit or grounded to the engine at all until it reaches the base of the plug. The only power in would be a 12v connector or a 250-300V connector and the spark from the distributor.
Anyone have any ideas to a better option? Or a circuit that I can use to shut off the charging circuit at the time the high voltage spike hits the plugs?
Thanks for the patience
Leon
I got some free disposable cameras and reclaimed the photo flash capcitors out of them to use for boosting the ignition power in a project car (91 Camaro). My desire is to create a plasma arc across a spark gap of about .08in.
My original intent was to use a small inverter to power a step-up transformer to bring voltage up to 250-300V pulsed full wave dc, obviously using a rectifier. Then to use that voltage to directly charge a capacitor bank that would dump across the spark gap when the stock ignition would strike it's spark. I want to "size" the caps right so that they are quick to charge (within micro-seconds) and still discharge over a few degrees of rotation in the motor.
I wanted to use a magnetic inductive pickup coil (like a timing light's inductive pickup) to trigger an OFF switch so that the charging circuit would not be connected at the time the caps are discharging. I don't want to use a mechanical solution because anything mechanical I seriously doubt will endure operating 63 times per second (engine running 7500 RPM). That leaves .016 seconds firing TDC to firing TDC, which will have to include both discharge and recharge.
I want to use a toroid coil for the inductive pickup and was just thinking of using a "secondary winding" to continue the OFF position after the high voltage has passed and if the caps are still discharging.
I am not schooled in electronics design so please bare with me. I want to make a unit for each plug similar to a coil-on-plug type ignition, with the high voltage from the distributor going to one end. With everything inside the unit, from toroid to caps and exiting the other end and going to the spark plug. No grounds in the unit or grounded to the engine at all until it reaches the base of the plug. The only power in would be a 12v connector or a 250-300V connector and the spark from the distributor.
Anyone have any ideas to a better option? Or a circuit that I can use to shut off the charging circuit at the time the high voltage spike hits the plugs?
Thanks for the patience
Leon