Mark said: (quoted from post at 18:02:37 11/06/09) You fellers have convinced me of one thing:
I should have been Talk Show host.....hehehe!
This subject has created one of the most lively and well behaved discussions I have had the privilege to follow.
For starters....I know it will work if between the coil and distributor because that is how I wired it up!!!!!!
But then I got worried that I had done it wrong and so I came back to ask again.
So, without further adieu I will ask this question:
Just what does the ballast resistor do in the first place, requiring it in the circuit? You see, in my uneducated mind, I thought that the 12 volts being sent to the coil....and then I assume coming out of the coil....was too high for the points (burn them). So, the ballast resistor is added to step the voltage down in order to save the points. See how dumb I am?
So, if you folks can explain to me why the resistor is there to begin with...which should explain why (it goes before or after the coil) and will allow me to sleep better tonight;)!
Scotty, no I haven"t touched the alternator yet. Me and that red tractor are taking a break from each other for a few days.
Actually, Mark, the coil doesn't give a rat's patotie about the voltage applied, what it cares about is the current thru it (energy= 1/2 L X I*2). The ballast resistor would best be described as a 'current limiting' resistor than as a '12v to 6v converting' resistor. Another observation for the doubting Thomases: When you buy a "true 12v coil", the resistance is built-in.....now, think about where that is in the primary circuit with the points and condenser.
Now, I brought all this up, just because I hate to see 'stuff' propagated that truly has no scientific/engineering basis, but 'it has just always been that way'. Same goes for 'don't sit that battery on concrete or the ground, or it will suck the juice out of it", or 'observe the coil polarity or else you lose 25%, 45%, pick your own % of the voltage/energy (pick that too)'. For myself, all of mine have the ballast between the ign switch and the coil. Why? Because the wiring is much shorter & neater that way. I observe convention with coil polarity, too. Why? Because that's the way they came from the factory. I also keep "stock" size tires on all my tractors and other vehicles, too. I like "original". I just don't like stuff done for all the wrong reasons. Take the front mount Ford distributors....when those tractors are switched to neg ground (usually due to 12v alternators), they have virtually no choice but to have a POS spark vs the original NEG spark polarity. If they could reverse the wires on that coil, they could gain the 'thermionic emission' benefit of a neg spark, but due to the internal primary/secondary coil connections (which they can not change), at the same time lose about 200volts of spark voltage, as result of add/subtract of primary/secondary voltage. So, what do ya want extra 200v or neg polarity? Neither matter.
As gentleman John T said, "God Bless yall here regardles of your opinions on this, its a fun discussion I thoroughlly enjoyed among great friends and other fine gents " AND I thoroughly second that! Some of such forum discussions turn to personal attacks and just plain nasty, and that this hasn't done so is a real attribute to this bunch of red power gentlemen!
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