[Walt Fricke]

Working backward on the question of whether an HPV-1 (or later version, including the EFI one like TEC3) would fire a COP, I tried to get specs on the HPV-1 and later coils.

The following are listed as replacements for what certain GM motors used, and so will will plug into an HPV/TEC3 base:

Accel 140017
MSD 8224
ACDelco D555
Standard DR-39X
Wells C849.

The Accel spec is 0.5 ohms primary, 8.0K ohms secondary, 45KV spark, 75:1 turns ratio.

Same specs for MSD are 0.35/7.8K, 40K, 80:1, and 4.2 mH.

Wells: 0.2-0.7/6-11K.

Without looking at one, I think from something else that these are two wire coils, and use nominal 12V triggered supplies. The TEC3 manual asserts that its coil charging system is inductive, using long duration chargine, rather than capacitive, which uses short duration charging at higher than battery voltage.

The TEC3 manual shows the DFU units being protected by a 20A fuse, with a 12 gauge wire supplying one 3 coil/6 plug unit with its 12 volts. This is listed as a "full time 12V source (9 amps)." Each of those units also gets three additional wires, one for each coil. These wires are 18 gauge, and all three are bundled within a shield. They are denominated as "Ground Pulse" for their respective coils. These are "pull to ground" and the outputs float when the coils fire, with no connection to ground or power per the manual. And the DFU unit itself is separately grounded.

The TEC3 computer only gets a 2A fuse, and 20 gauge wire, suggesting one could not do away with the DFU base, just the coils that sit on it, if running COP off of it. Which would be the same as using an HPV-1, where all the brains and most of the adjustments are in the base plate.

Looks like actual specs for these COP units are hard to come by? But at least one works from a 12V 2 wire?

The nifty WeaponX units look like this might be a bit expensive, especially for twin plug systems, at $60 or so each? I didn't see any specs for them, though.

The TEC3 manual, by the way, shows how to use the coils in a non-waste spark configuration: Ground the unused plug wire terminal with a 16 gauge wire.

Walt