Capacitor discharge ignition system is an electronic device that stores an electrical charge over a capacitor charge. The capacitor simply charges and discharges within a fraction of time making it possible to create sparks are commonly found on motorbikes and scooters. Let we check some pros and cons of the CDI system in this article.
Advantages of the CDI system :
- Insensitive to electrical shunts resulting from spark plug fouling.
- It is suited to an application where insufficient dwell time is available because the capacitor can be fully charged in a very short time.
- Short transient response.
- A fast voltage rise and shorter spark duration.
Disadvantages of the CDI system :
- The spark is strong but short in order to 0.1 to 0.3 ms which leads to ignition failure during lean mixture operating conditions because of fast capacitive discharge.
- This system generates a huge electro-magnetic noise so CDI are rarely used by automobile manufacturers.