SpudFiles

Ok, I'm bored and I just bought the ignition coil for my upcoming hybrid project. However, I have not yet obtained a camera capacitor. So, I was thinking about hooking a piezo grill sparker (the kind with the red button) to the coil to make a big spark. My questions are-

#1- Is it safe to do this/ if yes, what precautions should be taken.

#2- What would be the best way to do this (all I want is a spark, MS paint diagram would be helpful)

also, I have included a diagram of how I think I will do it, correct me if I'm wrong.

edit- speleng/ more info

You will be fine an ignition coil is just coil windings that increase the voltage. I like your sparks .

I don't get what ignition coils do I would think that they would make weaken the voltage.

They are coil windings basically. I really don;t get them either but the coil windings induct more voltage or something. They are in ratios like 1:100 that means you put in one volt and get out 100 volts. The hundred is how many windings per a certain length. (I think)

no one has answered my questions, is this safe to do???

Yes you will be safe.

Just one question- WHY?!!?!?

The piezo is already a *very* high voltage, more than enough to trigger any spudgun. Pumping it through a lage ratio transformer probably won't even work due to internal arcing and weak ass current, let alone be redundant. I doubt there would be any safety issues, but it's pretty high on my futilitiometer

Ok, i tried this, it failed, so I hooked it up to a 12v battery, the only spark was between the two halfs of the neg. wire just before I crossed them.

the grill igniter is fine by itself. why cant u get a flash circuit. all i do is go to my local drug store and ask for old disposable cameras then they give me about 20 every time. i use the capacitors as a power source for my grenade fuses.

It can't work.

The ignition coil is meant to deal with 12V in and about 30k out. A piezo is already about 30kv, it'll just go straight through the coil insulation.

Hotwired wrote:It can't work.

The ignition coil is meant to deal with 12V in and about 30k out. A piezo is already about 30kv, it'll just go straight through the coil insulation.

True, but due to the extra thick insulation it can handle a bit more then 12V input.
People have used 300V camera flashes through a ignition coil for the ultimate sparks.

Ok, i tried this, it failed, so I hooked it up to a 12v battery, the only spark was between the two halfs of the neg. wire just before I crossed them. Sad

I can explain that:
Coils only work with alternating current (or single pulses like from camera capacitors). Batteries always give direct current. So even if it would work, it would only spark on connecting or disconnecting the battery.
The spark you got when connecting the battery is just because of the high amps going through.

You won't be able to push more than 300,000 volts out of a typical ignition coil without frying it. Even if your piezo DID have enough current to make an ignition coil work, it would just arc straight through the insulation, being that you'll be getting 1,000,000+ volts on the secondary side. Also, being you didn't bother to find the +/- terminals on your piezo you probably just fried your coil for good.

_Fnord wrote: Also, being you didn't bother to find the +/- terminals on your piezo you probably just fried your coil for good.

?

Mark,
If you hook a battery or other energy source up to the coil the wrong way (with the positive lead hooked up where the negative should be, etc.), you'll destroy the coil. Or at least, that's what happened to me every time.

ok, how can i tell if I did ruin the coil?

Also, I'm getting a few old cameras from the store near my house, I'll use a capacitor from one of them (that is of the coil isn't fried)