Trying to make a moped ignition coil tester

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,893
There may be some problems putting 120 volts into a 12volt input winding.
You start low. You are not putting 120 VAC into a 12 V coil. Still have no clue where that dimmer went to, then too my organizational skill have gone downhill. :) The merit to the dimmer is the sharp cutoff of the waveform.

Ron
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,744
If the situation is an engine not starting, then a "good/bad" check could be useful, except if the result is "bad", because such a simple tester will probably not provide the "WHY" information. BUT it will tell me that the fault is not a lack of fuel or compression.
 

debe

Joined Sep 21, 2010
1,419
What is it between pin 4 and +12V a diode or LED?
If its diode what type?
Also the diode between pin 6 and 7.
They are common type 1A 400V diodes. Also the 12V power is for vehicle ign systems. Small engine coils use 8V.
 
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debe

Joined Sep 21, 2010
1,419
These testers are & can only show that a coil is either not giving a spark or weak yellow spark. What you are looking for is a good sharp snappy blue spark, any thing else is either not going to ignite the fuel or not properly. The why information on most small engines is inmaterial these days, as the ignition systems dont use points. The coils are eitherCDI or Transistor trigered with an internaly epoxied circuit. so if they fail a test then they are just throw away.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,744
Oh Wow!! Now the need is clear. One note of concern! Adding that diode to protect the switch contacts will certainly also affect the performance of the coil a fair amount, since it damps the ringing. But it seems to me that the resistance test is still needed, although certainly the spark test is the final check.
 
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