Fried electronics

[rusty-bretta]

Hi, 12v dc BGM stator and cdi with original electronic flywheel.. running sweet.. today stops on tick over el pronto. Obvious electric issue... usual check list leads me to the Cdi and to test the stator... removing the rubber cover on the cdi it is absolutely honking, a real acrid smell... no obvious melt down. Check the stator...all good.. Pick up is 115 and LT Coil is good... no spark from pick up despite good readings. Now, the question is what caused the failure... was it a faulty cdi which has fried (..causing a smell you can't get out of your nostrils) the pick up or, the other way around. All the earth are good... I don't want to replace all the fried parts for it happen again... anyone else been down this road?

[coaster]

How do you know that the pickup isn't working when your CDI is obviously kaput? I have had many CDI failures including 2 Ducatti units that literally blew a chunk out of the plastic casing when the capacitor failed big time. In my case the fault was eventually traced to a short between the 12 DC from my battery to the green ignition wire. This fault also destroyed 3 Indian CDI's but they failed silently with no external signs. The Ducattis started emitting a hi-pitched whistle which increased in volume before a loud 'pop' and a puff of odious smoke

Having said that, the pickups have resistors inside in parallel with the coils and it is their resistance which your are reading, not that of the 2 small coils that generate the trigger pulse so resistance is not a totally foolproof indicator of health.