Must read Ignitech TCIP 4, Ca-Cycleworks exact-fit coils, Spark plug info

[avizpls]

Anyone have any success with this setup? I've gone through two Ignitech ignition units since installing these coils. Same failure mode each time.

I'm getting one of the ignitions replaced by our guy Chris (thanks for all your help along the ways) and he is also sending me a new set of coils. I REALLY hope I can run them with some confidence that maybe I got a bad coil somehow.....they measure well at 5.5 and 5.8Ohms

I put the stock coils back on, wired it all up and it seems to be working fine now. So I either have had 1 ignition fail on me randomly (but coincidentally right after i put the red coils in) and had a second one DOA....OR I had a bad coil in there which toasted the ignition units.

The spark from the CA coils was impressive and much stronger than stock.....but if it wont work with the ignitech, I cant make use of it!


UPDATE

this thread has gone onto page 8 at the time of this writing. We have covered a lot and it boils down to this:

The spark plugs used with the ignitech must be a resitor type plug. NGK has them marked with NGK R and there is an R int he part number. (full part number breakdown here partnumberkey.pdf

With these plugs and STOCK coils everything is fine. I am on a fine wire of trust in these units now, so until I have my dead (3 now) ignitech units repaired, I will not try to move on to using the ExactFit red coils. Once I am able to have a  backup ignitech on hand, I will try the red coils and see what happens.

So right now I cann confirm a
D8EA plugs with red coils kills ign in a matter of minutes (2 instances of this)
D8EA plugs with stock black coils kill ign in matter of hours (one instance of this)

DR8EA is good with stock coils. Red coil info to come later.

UPDATE 2

DR8EA plugs with the Ca-Cycleworks red coils seem to work well. I only rode about 100mi with them, but in all of my other failures, it happened within this timeframe. I will post here if it does eventually fail, but I think we're set now.

update3: plenty of time with the red coils now to say they are good to go with the ignitech, just use a R type plug.

[avizpls]

NOBODY here has seen this configuration successful?   

[avizpls]

how about tried and failed?

[ducatiz]

I have an Ignitech running on my 95 SS with dynas (from Chris several years ago).  No problems, the whole thing works well.  My TCIP4 unit is one of the older ones though..

[junior varsity]

Man, I wanted to chime in - "Hey, done it and had no problems!"  but...


... then I realized I have Dyna's that Chris used to sell on the Monster with the Ignitech. That said, the Ignitech did need to be replaced one time - unsure why.   Worked great since then.

The M900 "fixer-upper" I'm working on has a set of the ExactFit coils for it, but I haven't moved towards replacing the ignition boxes just yet - I've got a set of the DP 1.1 boxes for it, as well as the OEM units, and was going to see if all that would work out alright and save that money for another day.


Let me know what you end up learning though, I'm interested.

on a separate but related note - I don't see the ignitech listed on the CA-Cycleworks website any more?

[avizpls]

No you dont, and its not a separate note at all. They (Ignitech, not CA-Cycles) are just too much of a customer service headache. Very little support.  


In order to generate such a stronger spark, I think the newer coils must have a lower inductance since the DC ohms reading is the same.

This would allow them to charge much faster, requiring a shorter dwell time. I still had my dwell time set to long for the stock coils. When  I get spares of everything on hand, I am going to see just how long it takes for the coils to charge up. I will then set my Dwell accordingly and hope everything works!!

[junior varsity]

Did he decide to drop them?

I was dreaming of a future where I rigged up a motogadget and use the ignitech's tach-signal output to drive it

[ducatiz]

No you dont, and its not a separate note at all. They (Ignitech, no CA-Cycles) are just too much of a customer service headache. Very little support. 

yeah, they stink when it comes to dealing with them.  i don't know what the reason is, but they could sell those things like hotcakes if they'd fix their support.

partner with some american company so people have a local person to pregnant dog at.  the main reason i've seen people avoiding them is the support/cust service.

[junior varsity]

That's a real bummer.   (Wonder how hard it'd be to make a competing product 'round here: clone the basic tech and make your own software to accomplish the same and/or additional goals.)

[ducatiz]

That's a real bummer.   (Wonder how hard it'd be to make a competing product 'round here: clone the basic tech and make your own software to accomplish the same and/or additional goals.)

crack it open.

my gut feeling is that there is a 2716 eeprom inside and that's about it.  you wouldn't need more than that.

[junior varsity]

YOU crack it open.


i may very well source a 'spare' for such experimentation down the road - would love to put in the hands of the talented and say "i want it to do x,y,z - here's what it does now and here are the shortcomings i need 'fixed'".

[ducatiz]

YOU crack it open.


i may very well source a 'spare' for such experimentation down the road - would love to put in the hands of the talented and say "i want it to do x,y,z - here's what it does now and here are the shortcomings i need 'fixed'".

if you decide to do that, i'll split it with you.  i'd love for someone to make the same setup with a USB.  i have a feeling that 90% of it is epoxy fill.

[avizpls]

I have two units, fully functional except for the ch1 output. Ch2 is still good....



which makes them useless for my bike.....but still functional

[ducatiz]

I have two units, fully functional except for the ch1 output. Ch2 is still good....



which makes them useless for my bike.....but still functional

want to relinquish one for the betterment of humanity?

[avizpls]

Considering it. But I would be actively involved. The only thing I am really lacking right now is a microprocessor development platform.

It will depend on where I can get myself with these new coils Chris sent out. That will have to wait until after May 14th, when I will have a break in racing to take the bike out of commission.