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From: Christopher.Albers(at)bubbs.biola.edu
>Installation appears
>simple, however there is some concern about the output and the need for
>a ballast resistor.
The near infinate dwell at low RPMs will overheat the coil without the
current limiting of the ballast resistor.
>The instructions with the Pertronix unit says that
>it "requires a coil with a minimum of 1.5 OHMS resistance across the
>"+" and "-" of the coil." What does this mean (Jarrid?)?
It means that high output coils (with low resistance primaries) will
pull too much current through the ignitors transistor, and overheat it,
The 1.5 ohms is just a rule of thumb. The measured DC resistance
has little to do with the actual current that the coil will consume, the
net inductance will determine that. Any normal duty 12v coil should
work OK provided a ballast resistor is used. Heavy duty coils will
likely also work, but may decrease the life of the module, particularly
at higher opperating temperatures.
>Can I use my stock Lucas coil, and if so, do I have to use a ballast?
> Can I use the stock ballast?
The lucas coil should be fine, and any ballast resistor over .5 ohms
should be OK too, provided that the added dwell doesnt cook the
ballast resistor. If the resistor is going to cook, it will do so at low
RPMs, where the average current is highest. If the resistor is too
high, the ignition may be weak during starting, unless you put
a wire from the starter relay coil to the coil + to bypass the ballast
during starting.
> I'd like to use a high output coil for normal driving
>and the stock Lucas for shows. What kind of high output coil should I
>buy? Pertronix says not to use an "HEI" type coil. Pertronix sells a
>40,000 volt coil. Should I just buy that, or are there higher output
>coils I can use? Jarrid, you're the expert.....
The lucas sport coil puts out 40kv, and can be ordered with internal
ballast resistor. This should work OK
Jarrid Gross
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