Hi, is there anyone familiar with the " automotive timing light" which is used to check the rpm and dwell. Is it possible to convert the mechanical/analog one into a digital one and where can I source the high tension clamp for the spark plug cable. How to convert the strobe light to a super bright clear LED and the sensor for detecting the flywheel mark?
an LED will not flash bright or fast enugh for it to work... that is why they still make them the old fassion way. there are no mechanical parts in a timing light, just a big capacitor, 2 coils, some transistors and a xenon flashbulb i dont understand what the point of making a "digital" (i assume you mean solid state? the existing types are digital: the light is either on, or off) timing light would be, there would no advantage. the clamp is not high tension - it is an inductive pickup - it operates around 0.5v. you can make one by taking a split toroid and wraping 5 or 6 turns of wire around one half, and glueing both halves inside of a spring clamp. you can detect the pulse with a MOSFET... (just like they have been using since 1970)
You are half right, a LED is fast enough, but it would require a shitload of LED's or a 3-5W Luxeon to get usable light output, and you would still not get close to a xenon tube.
http://www.siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_104378/article.html This uses 15 white leds, though TBH I can't see why 6cd yellows wouldn't be as good (and a lot cheaper) in an auto application.
you can also push a LOT more current through the LEDs for a REALLY short period of time. Stuff like TV remotes push about 200 - 300 mA through the IR led, albeit for a period of less than a millisecond or two.
right - and a 5 watt luxeon pulsed at 50 watts would still take 100ms to reach full brightness, and another 100ms to die out - when you are looking at .1 degrees of timing this can be a problem a xenon flashbulb looks so much brighter because it is discharging all of its energy in .5 or so ms.
Are you sure? Of course an incandescent light will take time to reach full brightness and die out, but i thought LED's had no such delay. Are such properties mentioned in Lumiled's datasheets?
I don't know about Luxeons in particular, but standard leds have very low latency, or they wouldn't work in HF signalling applications. And you could dig up a HP patent, Now that's fast.
I understand the point you had derived but the the probelm back here is the avaiability of the toroidal core and the swg of the pickup coil and also the clamp. And also the calculations leading to the coil design which is not avaiable. If you show the calculations and the source for the parts I would be grateful.
Thank for your feedback as I also had the skeptical notions about using the LEDs but going thru' the silicon chip " automotive LED timing light" it is possible but I have to test it on loclly produced cars for confirmation.By the way the LEDs mentioned is of "super bright clear".
