I have a homebrew motor driven HCCT that I built but I wanted a Strobospark due to its portability.
I ordered and received my "new toy" about a week ago. Soon after it arrived, I realized that it wasn't the toy that I thought it would be. It turned out to be one of most useful tools that I own.
After using the CT-1, I was blown away by its ease of use. It is far superior to my homebrew HCCT, so much so that I am going to remove the HCCT from my work bench and part it out.
The price I paid for my CT-1 is best money that I have spent thus far on my Model T fetish.
I guess you can say that I am a happy with my purchase. To sum it up in one word....WOW!
I don't own one of those....yet, but everything else I ever got from John was of the utmost quality.
Our T club has one and it is a superbly useful tool. Amazing how small of a change makes a noticeable difference in coil performance.
Just a question, Would the price really be worth buying this tester if a guy like me has his coils done by Ron Patterson?
Will, Just a second question, do you know how to adjust coils.
There is a learning curve, you do not just plug the coils in the tester and adjust. It takes a little trial and error till you master these skills. Also parts are about $20 per coil or $37 per coil if you get the kit from one of our vendors.
I have a variable speed motor driven home built tester with a current and voltage meter and a spark ring. Also an RPM meter. There is a great improvement in performance of the T when the coils are properly adjusted.
Besides Will, how many coils are you talking about? Aside from the learning process mentioned there's the initial cost involved in buying the unit and the tools/parts needed. You're the only one who'll know if it pays to do it.
If you own one T and drive it only occasionally, then no, I doubt you would ever see a return on your investment. If you just want to learn a new skill and enjoy tinkering, then go for it. If you do some to sell, then you could make your money back in 15-20 coils.
One of the better ways to get a StroboSpark is for a local Model T Club members to get together and buy one. It keeps the individuals cost low and you still have the tool that can be easily passed around for everyone to use to maintain on their ignition coils.
Ron the Coilman
G'day,
I got one from John and it did not take long to find the fault with my coils and rectify the problems. My car now performs better than ever, and coils that were given to me as problem units and would not work properly have been fixed with new points and condensers, adjusted on the Strobospark and now working well. I now have a set for my '26 ute project and some spares. I also have the capacity now to manage my own repairs and maintenance keeping my cars performing well. Savings in fuel and wear and tear from poor performance will soon reimburse the cost of the Strobospark.
Peter
For me half of the fun of owning a T is having the ability (and the tools) to keep it running properly.
I realize that not everyone enjoys working on their T.
Lets face it, our Ts are really just toys.(I'll bet I opened a can a worms with that statement) The tools and accessories that we also own add to our playtime. I consider the Strobospark is a very nice addition to my toy chest.
Please allow me to clarify.
I did not consider the Strobospark as an investment when I chose to purchase one. I wanted one so I bought one and I’m happy with my purchase. If it does bring a good return that will just be icing on the cake.
If the primary concern is the return on your investment I don’t think a Model T is a prudent monetary investment choice in the first place.
I didn’t invest in an antique automobile, I bought a Model T.
My intent wasn’t to make a buck; my intent was to own the most fascinating car in the world (at least in my eyes.)
By the way, I own a set of Ron’s coils and they perform flawlessly. I started rebuilding coils for myself because I don’t think Ron should have all the fun. I guess this would be a good time to thank Ron for answering all of my stupid questions.
Knowledge is a wonderful thing.
A few weeks ago our 97 F150 started running just a tad bit rough while my wife was driving.
When she informed me about it she said “The truck isn’t running right, I guess you need to clean the timer or rebuild the coils”.
You gotta love that.
The more I understand the Model T, the more I enjoy my Liz.
And, There's money to be made by going to swap meets or auctions and picking up a bunch of coils at a low cost. Then go home, pick the tar out and replace the capacitors and put on new points. Test the unit with the strobospark and sell each coil for around $40.00 to $45.00 apiece. The worst part of the job isn't putting the new parts in, it's picking out the tar, but even that's not too bad . But if you've got a little bit of patience and your willing to sit still and spend some time on them it can be fairly lucrative. And the more competition that's created the better the chances are that you'll be able to make the people who do it alot think awhile before they raise their prices. Rebuilt coils for the right price at the right swap meets or sold on ebay should sell pretty quick. Heck, I think I talked myself into trying it. I'm retired and I like money.
Mr Mullis, I like the way you think. However, you might have to start working on more modern vehicles if your ever going to expect your wife to know how to diagnose issues when they arise.
Last year I decided to build my own HCCT (thanks again to Gay for sharing the plans). I am nowhere near recovering the costs of materials, etc., but I sure learned a lot about fabrication, tolerances, assembly, and inventiveness:
I have also gone from understanding nothing about coils to being able to repair and adjust them to work as intended (thanks Ron for making the DVDs and your other help):
Will I ever come out ahead? Financially no, but in other areas, I am already miles ahead of where I was.
Happy tinkering, everyone.
Joe
G'day
Michael, I too love my toys and the pleasure they bring.
Joseph,
I like your home brew HCCT, it looks much better than the one that I built. I agree that you will probably never recover the cost but you'll never loose the experience.
I had a nagging question about my HCCT that got answered when I bought my Strobospark. Why 16 sparks??? I understood that in actual use the coil would fire four times per timer segment. The question was "shouldn't I be concerned about only the first spark and not sparks 22.5, 45 and 67.5 degrees of crank rotation per timer segment?" "wouldn't the points behave a little differently AFTER they started vibrating?"
I bought my Strobospark for a completely different reason, portability.
I called Fun Projects to make sure they had one in stock. John assured me that they did and I committed to the purchase. He also took the time to explain a few things about setting up coils. He used the phrase "first spark" which grabbed my attention. It turns out that the Strobospark simulates "only" first sparks. My question which I had not asked got answered anyway. "YES" there is a difference between the sparks.
The coil behaves a little differently on the "first spark" because the coil points are completely relaxed.
When my "new toy" arrived, I had a couple of "new rebuild" coils ready. I was astonished at how quickly I was able to adjust them. Everything that I had gleened from Ron, John
and others, suddenly fell into place.
I do not know with you - but I hate when hobby activities should be break even or cost should be recovered.
Hey - this is a hobby. It's fine if you can earn a penny in delivering some rebuilt coils, but better when they come afterwards and thank you for bringing them a brand new car (as this is what happen when rebuild coils are put in an old Ford :-)
Where do one find plans to build your own HCCT?
Scott
There's a plan in this thread: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/80257/93054.html?1243210077
Original HCCT meters used a large format iron vane type movement.
If you are building an HCCT keep your eyes peeled on eBay for a large format iron vane ac ammeter. Don't pay much attention to the scale range because a new scale can be made and windings rewound to the 0-2 amp range you need for a HCCT. It is usually best to ask Bob Cascisa before buying because he can identify the correct type. Bob Cascisa is rebuilding old and new large format scale meters for HCCT's and does a beautiful job of cosmetic, electrical and calibration.
Here is a photo of a meter found on eBay and reworked for use on a HCCT.
Ron the Coilman
I don't think it's a money making deal. It depends on your ability / finances / the "I want it factor". Joe (and possibly Mike), built their own probably for the joy of doing and accomplishing something. If you can help someone else, fine. If you can make a little dough, fine. For somebody like Will, who's looking to buy a unit and depending on the stuff I mentioned above it's a straight layout of cash for as little as 4 coils.
A word of caution with regard to picking out large meters for re-calibration and use on HCCT. There are a few large format ammeters that were made that do not start at zero. These have a bias built into them so that they have a range of say 5-25 amps or something on that order. These generally are very difficult to re-calibrate to a 0-2 amp scale. Just make sure the scale on the unit you get actually starts at zero and it should be possible to re-calibrate it to 0-2 amps. I learned that one the hard way.
Please don't misunderstand: I think the StroboSpark is a fabulous piece of electrical engineering and production and a wonderful unit. And if I understand correctly, it can tell you more about a coil than a HCCT. But like Charlie said, I wanted to try my hand at building one so that I could better understand what was going on and to challenge myself to see if I could do it. Everyone will have different reasons for buying or building or sending out for someone else to do. Diversity is good.
I bought one too, but I have not yet learned the secret of adjusting for those three hard to get sparks, although I know John well enough to firmly believe that if he says it can be done, there is a way to do it.
So far, I have only checked about 40 coils and only found 4 with a good capacitor, a test that is difficult to perform with the HCCT.
John is right. A meter that does not start at zero would be difficult to re-scale. The geometry of the iron vanes is skewed. Most of the time, DC meters are not suitable for conversion as well. AC Ammeters and most AC voltmeters can be converted. There are a lot of variables. Feel free to contact me ... advice is always free .
Be_Zero_Be
This is a 2.5 - 5.0 Amp Meter.