Here's a strange one. I've soldered together a magneto timing light with a 3,5 mm audio jack for a headphone and an NE555 IC in it that generates the sound. Naming that component indicates I know about this stuff, but I don't really... I just saw the layout somewhere and made it.
I leave the headphone out, as the sound annoys me, the light is good enough for me.
However, when the points of the Lucas SR1 open, I suddenly hear that annoying sound buzzing again. But from INSIDE the magneto!
So something is oscillating there and I wonder if that could do any damage? Doesn't feel right to me. If so, might someone over here be able to tell me how to prevent this?
Cheers,
Tim
As the SR1 is a rotating magnet mag...
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The voltage generated by…
The voltage generated by your buzz box is nowhere near enough to cause damage, i.e. break down the coil insulation or the condenser.
Is is perfectly normal for coils to generate an audible noise when excited with an ac waveform, as happens when the points are open with a buzz box connected. If it really annoys you, you could try changing the value of the oscillator capacitor in your buzz box to shift the frequency further away from the frequency of mechanical resonance of the magneto coil in order to reduce or eliminate the noise.
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Thanks both!
The buzz from the magneto itself isn't as annoying as the louder buzz from the headphones (even when I'm not wearing them). It just worried me a bit that I might be frying the magneto internals.
But if it can't do any harm, it's okay. I just leave the headphones out and the light buzz when the points open now doesn't worry me anymore.
Ta very much for the insight!
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... you could just use an ordinary timing light if you disconnect the points from the coil. I think.....
No idea about your buzzing though. I had one from the flasher unit on my Electra when there was a partial short in the stoplight feed where the wire had been trapped. No idea why and it took ages to find.