Chuck, lots of good things coming..neighbor says he's a Micro-c programmer and can write new software for the timer boards easily..just have to get together and show him circuits and expectations on performance.
Al, You know this thing works..thanks for the support! Charlie, we may have light at the end of the tunnel yet! I've never been so busy in my life etching boards and sending out kit parts! Whew! Should have started doing this last year! Maybe there wouldn't be so many long faces on this forum ....My job has been taking up all my free time but I will get back to all this and we'll make everyone happy eventually.

John

Hi Chuck,

All the values should be on the schematic. Don't you have the schematics?



John,

Thanks. I sure hope we can get the C source code when your neighbor get it done. Also ask him what compiler he will be using. It matters.

Hi John

Glad to see you're still hard at it. I tried to send you an e-mail yesterday and it got kicked back to me. Can you send me a PM to confirm your e-mail address.

Thanks

Al

Charlie..
The source code for any and all chips we write will always be available for anyone interested.. I fully intend to make sure this takes place. The neighbor has made his own subsystem internet streaming audio through a wireless system he built using pic chips. If he can do that, he says there is no reason he can't solve all of our problems and have us operating a commercial quality product with full software support! He proposed making a new timer board with new features also, similar to what we now have using the Micro-c compiler we now use to edit and compile the hex for programming. He's got so much equipment, it fills 2 of his 20x20 ft bedrooms! Programming is his speciality.. He designs embedded op systems for industry HVAC. The guy is like Einstein..I mentioned what I built and he already made improvements to it without even seeing the board! There'll be a version with switchable direct hall input for mechanical advance folks, and another standard timing board controlled ignition advance..He made one circuit last night and it works better than mine!
Hopefully this weekend I'll get together with him on the software glitch on the new timer. Thinking about all he said, it's a protection/filtering problem. The pic is being triggered by impulses in the regulator that we are using..the 78l05..needs alot of filtering to provide ripple free power before and after the trigger takes place so the pic runs at a constant frequency.. Made perfect sense to me! 2 tenths of a volt difference can change the freq. beyond tolerances designed to be used internal to the chip..Didn't give that much thought before, since I wasn't involved in the original design. Using internal speed of 4 mhz is better than 16 mhz external according to his theories. That's why the older timer worked better than the newest one. Who am I to argue that point? Always open for suggestions.

The control software that accesses the bootloader he says is fine, only changing a few internal values in the pic tables. All this should lead us to a better timer board. He also looked at my RCexl cdi and said it's a simple foolproof design, but draws way too much current at high speed..
His dad was a real electronic genius and I flew at my club field with him for years before he passed on.. Must have passed on the genius to the son.. he's just what we needed and always works for free!

John

Hi John,

Here is a couple of suggestions.


1) Start your thread. Call it John's CDI or something or better yet make your own web site.

2) Don't over complicate it. Its for model airplanes. no need for all sorts of fancy stuff.


Charlie

Like http://www.electronics.gompy.net

NOT like http://www.electronics.gompy.net

I think it's better todo nothing and let do John and Charlie the work.......

John

I totally agree with Charlie! I gave up trying to build my own for two reasons:

1. I converted to the DLE-30; it came with a CDI so why re-invent the wheel

2. This thread went in so many different directions it was difficult to keep up with. I am sure you could put together a much more user friendly site.

The only problem with starting your own thread or website is time. After two years of doldrums, my consulting business has gone off the charts and I have to turn down work. I can see that cutting into my flying time this summer. I know that you have been extremely busy as well.

On a separate issue, I am curious about the current draw on the RCexl. Let me share some info and maybe you can use it as a data point. I finally got to fly last week (although the field was a bit muddy). I had my Goldberg Sukhoi out. It is fitted with a DLE-30 engine and Power HD 9110 digital servos. I use a single A123 battery for receiver and ignition. The ignition is isolated using a TechAero IBEC regulating the voltage to the ignition to 5.0 volts.

After 4 flights of approx. 10 minutes each I checked the battery capacity and according to the CellPro 4S it was at 60% of the 2300 mAh rated capacity. This means that I must have averaged about 1.38 amps of current draw for each flight. If I assume that the receiver and servos were pulling about 1 amp, then the ignition was pulling about 380 mA on average. Does that sound about right to you?

Regards

Al

Hi Rob,

Glad to see you are still around. How have you been?

John,

I know you have a tried and true schematic that you have been using for a long time. I would use that and what ever timer board setup you want to use. The point is have one cdi schematic and one timer board schematic. that way everyone is on the same page and there is not several different schematics floating around.

Charlie

gr8flyer,

thanks for chiming in, i will wait tio hear whats new.

yes i have schematics, both johns and gompys. i even downloaded the "program file" and the "hex" files. not sure what to do with themYET nice to know folks havent given up


look at the schematics and you will see that capacitor voltages, transistor specs, resistor wattages etc are not documented. read my 1st post.

i am really looking forward to building this.

have agreat day- chuck

The timer board does have values. All resistors are 1/4 watt. Even 1/8 watt will work. as far as transistor spec. it gives the part number. google that and get a data sheet. Cap voltagegs 16v will work.

This is the best look you're going to get at a commercial CDI. It is one of the older CH units. All of the EXcel units are encapsulated in epoxy and you can't see anything.
Note that the step-up transformer is wound on a bobbin as opposed to a toroid. Also the 0.47 uF discharge capacitor should be rated at a minimum 400 volts and preferably 600 volts. Good luck!

Al

Nice photo of my work bench too!!!!! Capt,n

Yes..380 mah is about right for that ignition..mine draws about 150 at idle and about 200-250 at top rpm.

John

Hi Charlie..
You are absolutely right...as I see it, my ignition board will remain the same. I want to use a small timer board like the 2nd last one we all experimented with. It works well with Nyemi's hex file so why not use it. About the only deviation from standard will be to include the extra hole on my board to switch the resistor from negative to positive for those who will use mechanical advance for timing. I will annotate all changes as I prepare the final board..as it is now, it is easy to unsolder one leg of the resistor and poke it into another hole. Nuff said.

I just got a shipment of new toroid cores..from Amidon Associates on Ebay. The part number for them is T50-6 color coded yellow.
A buck apiece. Someone could probably find them cheaper but I just wanted to see if they were indeed what I was buying before from Ferroxcube and they are. Started winding the next set of ten toroids today so I can send them out to whoever needs one already wound with feedback and primary winding all done, ready to solder to the boards. I am also looking into a commercial company to etch the boards for me.. getting lazy I guess...no it's more like I don't have the spare time with my job now.
Being a motorcycle mechanic and with summer coming, the shop sure is busy!

Glad to see everyone is still interested. I never quit on these, but am to the point that we need the info all in one place, so yes, maybe a new thread or site. Let's see what the future holds with my programmer and fixes to the existing board first.

John

Hi Gr..
The yellow code of T50-6 means “Iron Powder Cores”, not ferrite. You cannot use it in HV converter as a transformer

"I am also looking into a commercial company to etch the boards for me"

maybe you could look here .... http://www.futurlec.com.au/PCBService.jsp

also have components etc.

Hello Iura..
Are there any other numbers you have that are ferrite for the same size? I wound the first toroid with a T50-6 core and it is working so far... Didn't see any measurable drop in the output voltage.. getting 360-380 volts output at the capacitor for discharge.. Hmmm..
I know ferrite is the preferred material..just thought I'd try these. Size is .500 OD .300 ID and .190 thick...same size as I used before.

John

And it was yellow color coded toroid? The best way I think is to use the E-core from the old comp. power module (standby transformer without rewinding)

I'll try one of the e-cores transformers also... the reason I use the ferrite toroids is because they are very small and light. I also ordered the ferrite toroid cores from the same company. I have many types here and all work about the same for me. The e-core you mentioned in an old computer power supply..where is it? inside the power supply cage or on the mother board? I've taken alot of the toroids off the mother boards and all of those have been working great for me. Most of those were light blue in color..not sure of the mix for the cores. I only had one that didn't work and the secondary windings got shorted to the core because of a knot in the wire somewhere. I cut off all the wire and started over and it's in use now as a test board in my plane.
I'd like to make a combo board with cdi & timer in a square configuration.. started to make one and lost interest for some reason. I need an aluminum box of some sort to encase the boards together when finished for RFI protection. I have an old CH unit with cdi board and a modelectric coil inside that I just repaired and that works great..The scr went bad so I replaced it with an EC103d .8 amp and it's 100% functional.. Wish I had some of the Synchro-Spark timers..they worked well for me for many years. This is whay I got into making the timers in the first place..making replacements.

John

This one named EE-19 core and placed in power supply module. You only need ATX named module, this is old generation of power supplys. Most of transformers calculated as 220V input and ~8V output with 27-30KHz frequency to supply 5V stabilizer in standby mode. You can use it as a HV transformer in a very good project http://www.dos4ever.com/flyback/flyback.html

I have a few power supplies here that have that exact ecore in them.. thanks for the info!!!!
I'll be winding a few to see how they compare to a toroid core. All we need now is a simple way to make ignition coils and we are set.

John

Iura, I know you made an ignition coil on your own. Is there a link for a bobbin to wind our own ignition coils? I have seen coils with 4 seperate spools on one bobbin. This is what I am looking for and can't find them.

John

Hi gr!
Sorry for delay, I was busy and can’t answer you. It’s not too difficult to make the ignition coil by yourself. So, what materials do we need: flyback transformer from old TV set with 12-15 inch screen (it’s enough, I mean the size of transformer), rod ferrite core. First we need to rebuild the flyback transformer and carefully take off the secondary winding as it is. It will be the secondary winding of our ignition coil. Put ~10 times winding on the rod ferrite core with the wire of ~1mm size: it will be primary core. The size of rod is not critical. Put the primary core in the secondary and clamp it. Don’t forget about good isolation between primary and the secondary windings. So put this all in epoxy and coil is ready! Only one limitation: epoxy is not so good isolation material and input HV tension must be not more 250V.
This pics is not my project, I tacked it from internet, but the idea is the same. Sorry for my English.
BR Iura.

Looks interesting....please keep the photos coming on how this is all done. Thanks Capt,n

This is only final pic. The max. RPM it was tested ~7200. Working good