Ignition coil charge time

[Steve=Ravet%Prj=Eng%PCPD=Hou at bangate.compaq.com]

Bill Lewis <wrl at access.digex.net> Wrote:
| So here's a new question.  Since the traditional battery, points, 
| and coil
| has managed to run fine for nearly 100 years, exactly what is the 
| motivation
| for some company like Chrysler to use a multiple coil 
| distributorless ignition.
| They're certainly not doing it to get more performance out of a 
| minivan.  Are
| the three ignition coils cheaper than a distributor?  Are the 
| high tension side
| voltages so high these days that the distributor cap would need 
| to be too large
| in diameter?

The higher voltages are one reason, but a larger distributer like used in HEI 
would solve that problem.  I think the main reason is increased reliability.  
My '78 monte carlo has HEI ignition, and in 17 years has never needed anything 
done other than timing.  The original electronics have never failed.  I hate 
to think how many point gaps I would have gone through in that time.  :-)

On to another question:  In a wasted spark system do both plugs fire from one 
coil discharge?  It has been my experience (with fluorescent lights, that is, 
not ignition systems) that you need one coil for each spark gap.  Otherwise, 
only one or the other will arc, and you don't know which one.  Assuming the 
gaps are similar, that is.  It seems like you would need one coil per plug, or 
maybe a dual output coil.

any comments?

--steve