Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdcad.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!phil From: phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: eliminating distributors Message-ID: <458@amdcad.UUCP> Date: Mon, 31-Dec-84 00:13:33 EST Article-I.D.: amdcad.458 Posted: Mon Dec 31 00:13:33 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 31-Dec-84 07:35:14 EST Distribution: net Organization: AMDCAD, Sunnyvale, CA Lines: 34 Many years ago I eliminated the points on my car with an electronic ignition and have had trouble free service from that part of the system ever since. Yesterday my car wouldn't start and it took me an hour to figure out that dew had shorted out my distributor. It would be quite easy to get rid of the distributor with four ignition coils and a little electronics which could not fail in the way I experienced yesterday. It would also eliminate the need to check and change the rotor. The problem of course is expense. Existing ignition coils are expensive. But so was computing power. Semiconductors have changed the way modern engines are controlled. Semiconductors can change the way engines obtain spark. Part of the reason for the cost of ignition coils is the need to step up from 12v to 12,000v. But with modern electronics and power transistors it would be easy to drive a coil with 1,000v. Then the ignition coil would only need to step up by a factor of 12. Anyway, I hope an automotive engineer (if beer makers are on the net, why isn't GM, Ford, or Chrysler?) will read this and think about it. Maybe I should talk to our product planning people about such an IC... -- AMD assumes no responsibility for anything I may say here. Phil Ngai (408) 749-5790 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPA