Electronic Ignition

Since the introduction of the internal combustion engine, engineers and entrepreneurs alike have searched for ways to squeeze more horsepower from each gallon of fuel.

- Rob Mark

Despite those efforts, the traditional two-magneto system that provides the spark for combustion in an aircraft piston engine has remained essentially unchanged since World War II. In pairs, magnetos have proved reliable when properly maintained. As mechanical devices, however, their disadvantage is many moving parts subject to failure, made worse when an engine is exposed to a wide variety of temperatures.

The simplest electronic ignition system consists of a coil pack, an ignition controller, a wiring harness, a manifold absolute pressure sensor to gauge the strength of the vacuum inside the intake manifold and a mag timing housing, which replaces a traditional magneto, to couple the ignition to the engine.