Best bits

[MK Monty]

So what are we all using of the famous Mr Tambs offerings?
Im Full Wassel DC stator and want to keep that so don't need the Intelli converter its more moving away from Pick up and LT coils. I understand I can opt for the external pickup, do I have to replace my flywheel or can I drill and tap a fixing for the magnate? I like the idea of a switch to go back to standard as a roadside fix.
2nd coil/CDI any with a form of retard? seen mention of a DC one? and ones with flashing lights with suggestions that he has some that give a better spark at low revs eg kicking it off. Basically asking what you are using as apposed to what the latest offering is. I know he has lots of offerings and everything is better newer than the last, whats working or any thing else that will get me back to scootering as had my fill of no spark wont start spend a fortune

[Paul_from_Thornbury]

My Series 3 RT195 is running an external pick up with one of his original DC CDI set ups. I have removed the standard CDI and have a LUKAS DC CDI from Reedspeed in there as a back up that I fitted for Euro rally to Spain. The scooter is still AC but both are powered by a battery that is being trickle charged from a Rectifier with a DC output, being DC supplied gives a much better spark through the rev range. That is the only purpose of the battery to run the CDI's. The DC CDI transforms the engine at low revs in town. I just have to switch a few wires to alternate between the TAMBS/LUKAS CDI and the Internal/External pick up. I'll get around to full DC at some point.
I was running a Agusto 7000 retard unit, but the external pick up does not work with it, Anthony advised at the time only the Krytonic retard units were compatible. I just run at a static 17 deg BTDC now. Starts first or second kick every time.
My Winter model is standard CDI/Pick Up set up at the moment, I've bought the external pick up, and just need to order the new series 2 bracket/CDI set up from Anthony. This is already running full Wassell DC conversion with a battery, and I've run the DC supply wire ready to feed the CDI.

[MK Monty]

Ok the DC CDI route sounds good BUT does it need to take its feed from the battery? Yes I have one but what happens if say your battery is flat No start? I isolate my battery to stop draining and it’s wired in via the light switch key, off to kill ( how do you kill yours) 2nd start 3lights via stator or battery, that supply’s gauges digi speedo etc

[Paul_from_Thornbury]

Because the DC CDI's will continually draw current, I put a switch in to stop that flow.
The LUKAS CDI uses the green kill wire too, so that kills the engine, then turn off the switch supplying the CDI.
The Tambs CDI, I turn off that isolating switch to kill the engine.
Doesn't need the battery supply, but I believe Anthony says the DC supply is the best option for max spark at kick start. It can be connected to your Stator supply via your Wassell.

[rossclark]

I've often thought that the LTC and Pick up must still be 'operating' even if you're switched over to the external pick up. This leads me to think that they could fail in the same way as usual but if you were using the external one you might not be aware until you tried to flip it over, rendering their use as a 'back up' somewhat precarious...

Might they not be even more likely to fail if there is no 'load' i.e. they are isolated when using the external pick up?

[HxPaul]

2 of my scooters run AC.I have a Lukas cdi and external pick-up on one,the cdi takes its power from the voltage regulator.On the other I have one of Anthony Tambs cdi's and an external pick-up.The cdi takes its power from the regulator and runs like the Lukas. Both cut out the LT coil on the stator plate.If your worried about the LT coil on the stator plate packing up without you knowing,you could always use the LT coil on the stator plate and swap over to the external pick-up if it packs up.

[MK Monty]

Have I got this right
The external pickup as I see it does away with problems like air gap and can be adjusted from outside so Pro's you can revert with a switch or visa vesa but I take your point re it may not work when you need it. Cons it wont work with a retard unit like the Augusto so back to static
Anthony does an AC and a DC CDI or is this a coil? it gets it voltage from your lighting coils and is fired by the pickup?
None of his units gives retard timing?
I thought someone was going to replace the Pickup and LT coil with an extra lighting coil to give a bit more power. I heard this talked about someplace but that seems to have ended. Seems the gogical way to go.

[HxPaul]

Point 1.Does do away with the problem of air gap and can be adjusted without taking the flywheel off.
point 2.All I can say is,I ordered a cdi,so as far as I'm concerned that is what it is.It does get its power from the lighting coils and is fired by the pick-up.
point 3.I dont know if any of his units give a retard timing.
point 4.I have no idea.

[Paul_from_Thornbury]

To try and answer some of the points raised here, from my reading of posts and comms with AT.

1/ Yes using the external pick up and a DC CDI and relying on the internal parts as a back-up is risky. The LT coils fail mainly due to vibration so this can occur whether its being used or not as the power source for the CDI. Same answer for Pick Up, this can fail at any time. I would not rely on the internal items as a back up, I would have spares of the DC CDI and External Pick Up. Both can be changed with ease, no flywheel removals and in case of pick up and LT coil, soldering iron etc.
2/ The DC packages are a CDI and Coil packaged together on a mounting plate.
3/ None of his units currently offer retard, he did do them, but I believe he withdrew this due to integration issues with different stators.
4/ I believe he developing a new stator with the LT coil removed for an extra lighting coil and the standard pick Up replaced by a digital Pick Up.

[Fast n Furious]

The basic difference between AC and DC Cdi's.......
Both need to charge the internal discharge capacitor to about 200 Volts.

The AC type gets this charging voltage from the poorly assembled and fragile LT coil on the stator plate. You can check this voltage with a multimeter set to the 200Vac range with one lead to earth and the other on the green ignition wire. You should see around 60v at tickover which makes a weak spark to around 200V when revved out, which makes a good spark (not that you will be able to see this of course)

A DC Cdi needs a 12V DC supply. Internally within this CDi the 12V is fed into an electronic inverter, which converts the 12V supply to the required 200V capacitance discharge voltage. The advantage here is that the 200V capacitor discharge voltage is uniform regardless of engine speed making the scoot easy peasy to start, firm regular tickover and resistant to plug fouling. The easiest way to acquire the 12V supply is from the sidelight (rear tail lamp) circuit. Positions 2 and 3 on the key make this line live. Positions 1 and 0 kill it.
There is one caveat here. Position -1 also turns the ignition on but.......... how many of us actually use our parking lights?
By connecting the green ignition wire of the harness to the red wire of the stator, key positions 0 and -1 act as an ignition pickup kill switch. So, if left with the parking lights on, there would be power supplied to the CDi unit but the pickup would remain connected to ground and so the engine will not start. The constant power drain consumed by the CDi in this key position -1 quiescent state, would only be around 2.5Watts. So no big deal really.

But my scoot doesn't have a battery or a battery tray and I don't want to retrofit one..........
This is where the LUkAS style (other brands are available ) comes into play as a compromise between the two. In this case, the CDI derives its power from the low voltage, AC lighting coils. This voltage is rectified and regulated within the CDi before it is sent to the internal 12/200V inverter circuitry. On some machines, a problem can arise where switching the main lights on can kill the ignition on tickover and this is usually due to iffy stator coils or weak magnets on the flywheel.

If AC derived Cdi was better than DC then all modern road bikes would have it. Very few do.

[MK Monty]

Thanks fast and furious. I like the idea of DC always have so I will look at one of these. I will look at the external pickup at a later date.

[holty]

ive got a wassel on my lambretta and fitted a battery, I have a tambs external pickup and a dc cdi/coil which I run on the lighting circuit as fast and furious suggested,via a relay. I needed a battery regardless as I run an electric waterpump as mine is liquid cooled, I don't have an ordinary coil fitted and don't use the internal pickup or coil, easy to start and runs great, I have a spare pickup which I must remember to put in my tool box, great system would highly recommend, I have fitted quite a few for friends.

[MK Monty]

Holty.
This is the bit that's confusing me, Do you have to turn your lights on to start. I have the wassel and start all OFF then when running turn on my lights that turn on digital speedo egt etc. In this case the power to start is coming from the Stator lighting coils, what's the relay for? water pump or to disconnect the battery?
Of course I can turn the lights on before I start as they are powered off the battery, always gets comments from the traditional crowd.

[holty]

Holty.
This is the bit that's confusing me, Do you have to turn your lights on to start. I have the wassel and start all OFF then when running turn on my lights that turn on digital speedo egt etc. In this case the power to start is coming from the Stator lighting coils, what's the relay for? water pump or to disconnect the battery?
Of course I can turn the lights on before I start as they are powered off the battery, always gets comments from the traditional crowd.

I have everything running on the lighting circuit, if I don't turn the lights on I have no power to my ignition or my water pump, I added a relay as I didn't want to overload the ignition switch, you will not need one as is my pump that has a large draw on the power. if you have a wassel you should be full dc and everything should run from the battery, the tambs ignition should still be switched though, running the ignition from the battery will give a better spark when starting up.

[MK Monty]

Bear with me Holty that all sounds great, how do you kill the motor.

[MK Monty]

Bear with me Holty that all sounds great, how do you kill the motor.