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Piezo-Electric ignition

While driving home last evening I had a thought cross my mind about models and ignition systems. The lighter on our boiler at home is a pretty coventional piezo crystal (used to have loads of this stuff in the 1960's when Mullards used to make ultrasonic cleaners, they also used EL34 valves in the amplifer stages so they were quite popular!) so I reasoned that it might be possible to construct a Wico EK type of mag with a piece of this stuff and a lump hitting it to produce a spark.

Not as easy as that of course, but does anyone have any relevant info on how many times the stuff will produce a spark ?

For those who don't know the properties of the crystal, it expands and contracts if a voltage is applied across two planes, which was why it was used in the ultrasonic cleaners, an amplified signal was applied across a bank of crystals at a high frequency.

In reverse, if you compress it quickly, it gives out a high voltage, hence its use in expensive lighters and central heating boiler pilot light igniters, and cooker hobs and...

Just a thought and better than the weather.... Kind regards,

Peter

Peter Forbes Prepair Ltd Luton, UK email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk home: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

Reply to
Prepair Ltd
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As a starter it wear rate would be quite rapid I would think.

Martin P

Reply to
Campingstoveman

I can't get a piezo cooker-lighter to last more than about a year and I've noticed that performance of the crystal is worse in damp weather. Do they break down? by fatigue perhaps. regards

Reply to
Roland and Celia Craven

There is no wear as such, you just squeeze the thing, but again I have no definite data on how long they work for.

We have an ultrasonic cleaner that's 14 years old and it still works OK.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:

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Reply to
Peter A Forbes

Some time aback I found a US web site that had info on how to build a replica of an ignitor for some of the American horizontal stationary engines using a standard piezo striker that would typically be used in a Propane bar-b-cue.

My experience with these strikers is limited to making a potato cannon out of PVC tubing. They produce a reasonably good spark and has given much pleasure to the son shooting potatoes all over the place.

Apparently for stationary engine use they work quite well if the engine speed is kept low as would be the case with an idling hit and miss engine.

A search on Google would probably turn it up.

Best regards,

Chris Kessell

Reply to
Chris

Piezo ignition is used on some model engines which I think have been mentioned on this NG before. They were on sale at the Lister-Petter rally. These are however 'demonstration' models, designed to be started up and run for a few minutes only to amaze and entertain your friends.

Reply to
Nick Highfield

Epson inkjet printheads are not exactly noted for their longevity, but there again, I suppose the piezo bits do a hell of a lot of twitching to print each page... dunno really

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- snipped-for-privacy@boltblue.com John Lloyd - Cymru/Wales

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Reply to
John.LloydUNSPAM

I have thought about this before...the main reason I came up with that the idea won't work on 'normal' engines is that the spark cannot be created under any great pressure. Might work on an early hot tube engine (with correspondingly low BMEP) but anything with a compression ratio over about

5:1 would destroy the magic ;-)

Regards

Dan

Reply to
Dan Howden

Hi Peter et al This was the subject of a long thread on the ATIS group a year or two ago. (or more? Time flies!) Someone put up drawings, specs, and I think he produced them for Wico EK conversions. Think it was one of the Aussies. AFAIK seemed successful, will ask again on ATIS.

JW² Norton AntiVirus 2003 installed

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Reply to
Jack Watson

Here is a link to what I was talking about.

Not a lot of info but a start.

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Chris Kessell

Reply to
Chris

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