One of the experimental methods I used in the past to explore the effects
of various dwell times was to use offset electrodes. This concept is
hard
to explain in writing. The basic idea is that as the electrodes at one
side
of the rotor are coming into alignment, the electrodes at the other side
are just separating. The result is that the dwell is zero. I found
this actually was helpful with the particular gap system I was using.
Without the offset the coil drew about 16amps input. With the offset in
place, the coil drew 13amps. To create this offset, the electrode at one
side is moved by a distance of 2X the electrode dia., in a radial
direction.
Only the fixed (non-rotating) electrode is moved, not the spinning ones
on the rotor. The spinning rotor electrodes are kept at positions 180
degrees opposed as is normal. But the fixed electrodes are no longer
placed at exactly 180 degrees opposed. In any case this method is
good for creating a zero-mechanical dwell system without the need
for a large electrode disc. The electrodes tend to wear quickly however
because of the sparking at the electrode edges. I simply ground the
electrodes back to shape every so often and continued the research.
Quenching remained at the 3rd notch because the spark simply
stretched at the electrodes. Secondary streamer lengths remained
the same in these tests.
John