I fix them!! They're a PIECE of Cake!! I'm an electronic GURU, I fix every thing electronic you can possibility imagine. I can go to Radio Shack and get most of the components I need to fix a CDI, that's how basic it is. Some of course I need to obtain, but MOUSER is there!
Don't need NO micro controller, op-amps. or integrated circuits to generate a 300V PULSE(One Shot), it OVERKILL. There is NO need for any DIGITAL upgrades for this function! ANALOG RULES and it is very easy to fix and modernize.

TTL 74121 with a 300volt output. Simple as that to me. Man I'm OLD School!! SORRY!

Like I said before "Engineering Hero's are a DIME a Dozen"

Did someone mention their favorite type of engine oil?

^. You can't beat analog hifi. I've still got a turntable and 2000 records!

And you've maintained your humor too!

It is a very large table...please, all be seated....

Motul 300v4t 15w50 - all the rest are goatpiss (especially Brad Penn)!!! :D

I'm reversing my gases just reading this thread!

Will that result in a colder than old-school-tech core?!?!?!

Uh oh, better not mention we've got an all electric air con system in prototype...

Air con is for sissies

Too late. sign me up. or send me details. or both.

Or for non-apes that have what it takes to make 911 a/c blow ballfreezingly cold! :D

PS - naturally aspirated 911s are for girly men!

What do you mean, you're the one getting 'blown'.....

^^^

"Getting" is the operative word, my friend (as opposed to "giving")!!!!

I'm all in for ingenuity. I missed the programmable timing bit. This is really useful at altitude, different fuel, compression etc.

A question: Do these hotted up CDIs cause more plug wear?

Jonny I like you more all the time. Analog HIFI!!! I have some tube amps too!!

Note, there is Porsche content and a relevant question coming, honest.

I too am an Alfa guy. In my 74 GTV I've owned for 20 years, I run points along with a beautifully overhauled SPICA pump (by Gary Martin in South Dakota; he also does nice Weber work). The car starts first time in any weather and has done numerous driving schools...meaning, you can drive the snot out of it all day and nothing bad ever happens to the points or ignition in general. I admit to enjoying the task of replacing the points (easiest to pull the distributor) and congratulating myself when my 16 thou. feeler guage adjustment yields the perfect reading on my old SnapOn dwell meter. In my previous GTV, when I was trying to make it idle like a modern car (I was young then) I had installed a Crane opitcal trigger kit, but am not sure what benefits it yielded. I do remember that it was comprised of cheesey components. I am no guru, maybe my celebration of Marelli points makes me even more old school than my learned Alfa colleague from Vermont?

The promised question(s)
1. I have an 82 SC purchased two years ago. I bought the car with the motor apart and rebuilt it. The car came with a black Permatune box; it seems to work fine. Is the Permatune a CDI system? I just looked at their website but it seems to have less info than it used to. Other than all the stuff written online about their unreliability**, was their something genuinely special about their technology that differentiates it from the likes of MSD or Jonny's offering? And did Ferdinand Porsche really design it (with Herr Theo Sturm) as PT claims?
2. Johnny says today's gasoline/petrol is better than that offered 30/40 years ago. That seems contrary to popular wisdom. I genuinely don't know, so my question is not designed to be rhetorical or disrespectful. I thought the alcohol-related ingredients were harmful to our cars, but is that just in terms of the harm they do to components and not to driveability itself. What's better now? The additives? Please enlighten me.

VFR, Thanks for opening this thread. Jonny, thanks for your civility. I enjoy learning about stuff, new and old.

John in CT

** There's a letter in the history file for my car, from the original owner (he owned it from 1982 to 2013) to the man at Permatune, complaining that his PT unit failed shortly after the warranty period expired. I'm not sure if any goodwill was offered, but the unit was indeed replaced another PT black box, and it is the one component of my car that I fear will leave me stranded one day. That may or may not happen, but gentlemen like Steve Weiner's opinions come from experience and matter to me. That's what drew me to this thread and the Streetfire thread which inspired it.

Good that you mentioned these "improvements". They can be verified by your
third party tester besides the so-called performance improvements, right? Hopefully,
they can provide complete test data for each of the "improvements" and how the
test was performed. We do want corroborated data for potential customers
besides hear-say data, right?

And what's with just a three years warranty? Most Pelican Parts mentioned rebuilders
warranty for five years. Given that this a "modern" CDI and so much more improved
from a reliability standpoint, a minimum warranty should be 10 years plus.
Besides, your customers will be paying 3-4 times the cost of a rebuilt. Many original
Bosch CDIs are still functional per the original design spec after 40+ years. Maybe
on second thought, you should provide a life time warranty. I've heard some rebuilders
even provide that.

Again, still waiting for all the independent test results. Any idea when this will be
available?

So happy you posted these photos. I used them in a post years ago to try to illustrate the difference between quality surface mount boards and the old stuff. You make a good point about shrinking that down to fit a Bosch size box. Of course these are designed for a broad spectrum of installations, so they did not design for a specific size.

Also Daytona used an extruded box to keep the price more reasonable.

Don't let some of these guys get under your skin. I had the same thing happen to me. I could look up the address to the thread here if anyone cares.

I was trying to research what new tech CDI to install in my 1973 RS tribute. I tested Bosch, MSD, and Daytona. I used a variable frequency square wave generator as a source of "spark" and used a spark tester that had a variable gap. I also have an inductive instrument that can read voltage. I used a stout power supply with an ammeter and voltmeter to keep track of voltage and current draw.

I am not an engineer, but know a bit about electronics.

I posted some of the results in the thread I started. I did get a lot of positive interest, AND I got the same 3 or 4 guys that have come up with some "INTERESTING" points of view. I was a bit baffled until a friend who I trust, and really knows his stuff PMed me to let me know the score on the "old Bosch is best guys", and not to take it personally. You are getting the same reaction........but I think others are more enlightened and curious about using new technology to make their cars run better.

I feel that with carbs, MFI, CIS in these old cars, a good CDI can make up for a lot of variation in AFR. I have a good AFR instrument in my car and can see the swings even with careful tuning. In my experience the performance difference between the Bosch and the Daytona-Sensors is huge. I am sure your unit will perform as well or better.

Plug and play and "Bosch" cosmetics are important and many will pay for that. Others want to be hands on and save money.

I have always been amazed by how popular MSD is in the Porsche world. Their designs are dated, many built overseas, and the company declared bankruptcy in 2013 and is now owned by investment bankers. I can't imagine they are in an environment that encourages innovation and new designs.


from Nov. 2013.
"Law360, Wilmington (November 20, 2013, 10:30 PM ET) -- Bankrupt auto parts maker MSD Performance Inc. announced Tuesday that it would sell itself as a going concern to Z Capital Partners LLC, having accepted the private equity firm's $78 million offer. The Texas-based parts maker, which had been aiming to sell itself through a Section 363 auction, tapped Z Capital as the winning bidder after the firm was the only party to submit a qualified offer by Monday's bid deadline, according to a notice filed in Delaware bankruptcy court. "

Your photo tells the story of what many of their products look like internally.

I hope this thread opens people's eyes to your product, Parts Klassik, Daytona Sensors, Crane and other modern CDI options.

PS MYSOCAL 911 will be asking you for independent test results in a post soon.....he did that to me!!!

Mr. Lague et al, what system would choose if you were on a tight budget? Hypothetically I'm talking about .... me....way too skint (British term for short-of-funds) for a $1500 system, lovely though it looks, but I would like a plan for if/when my Permatune takes a dump. Do you feel that Crane makes better stuff than MSD? If yes, is their technology better than MSD's or do you think they just make more reliable stuff? The MSD Streetfire which started this discussion is neat, mainly because it fits well in the allocated space, in addition to being reasonably priced. I guess its reliability remains to be seen. Thanks, John