New electronic kit anyone?

[Rich_T]

New electronic kit.

I’ve been working on a high performance ignition for a customer for the last few weeks. This is very close to completion now and I’m wondering what sort of interest there would be from the general scootering fraternity. I have machined several sets over the initial order to trial the market.
The ignition is very unique in that offers way more power and functions than have ever been available off the shelf for Lambretta; nothing comes close to it.

There are some penalties and these are:
1. It is a generator ignition and therefore must operate with a battery.
2. The installation of the pick-up requires a modification to the mag flange, which may not suit some people or restorations.
3. Only GP crank tapers
4. Not compatible with current looms

If those changes are acceptable to you then this is a summary of the performance and benefits:
1. A genuine 180 watt 12VDC system (I mean REAL, not this kissing your sister 120 watts with a following breeze and 12k rpm cr*p. Big power from the “get go”, no flickering lights or horns)
2. External pick-up for precision timing not affected by heat, wasted sparks or hampered by sub-standard manufacture.
3. A proven flywheel that does not self-destruct, sheer rivets/keyway etc. not bodged, bolted or welded together.
4. Digital timing with auto advance and retard, integrated in CDI as standard.
5. “Plug and play” power valve control unit if you have one, or could be used for electronic power jet / special fuelling applications).
6. Easily adjustable ignition timing (without even removing the fan cowling)
7. Integrated analogue rev counter
8. Integrated low fuel warning light
9. Integrated digital display lap counter
10. Integrated water temp display (might be able to do cylinder head temp, but I haven’t experimented with that yet).
11. Options for water and air cooled engines
12. Full “off the shelf” package available including loom and brackets or bare essentials for DIY.
13. Full, explanatory build manual and dimensioned drawings
14. Extensive DIY options for self-builders
15. Fits series 1, 2 and 3 Lambretta

These are no idle estimates of what can be achieved or something in 12-18 months, current estimate is delivery in 2 weeks.

Now if you’re thinking, “Oh great it must be cheaper than an Indian flywheel magneto, I’ll bolt it on and away I go”, then this isn't for you. To achieve the same level of sophistication and functionality as this solution you’ll be in the 4 figures and a rats nest of wiring, fitting is quite involved and the level of experience required for a DIY-er is a lot higher than the norm.

Currently the kit starts at £68.60 for a DIY water cooled set up (this is supply of essential CNC parts only, the rest is down to you and the manual). Add to this Ebay CDI, rectifier bits etc. and you’d come in finished at about £162 (nearly half the price of a current performance ignition). An air cooled DIY version would come in around the £229.80 mark (including the Ebay donor parts).

If you want to buy a full kit “off the shelf” including all mounting brackets and loom; prices will realistically come in around £350 for an air cooled restoration specification to around £466 for the all singing all dancing every bell and whistle you can put in it. This is based on you buying donor electrics from Ebay between £95 - £140, you may get lucky and pick stuff up for half the price which will substantially reduce your overall budget. For comparison, top specification as a DIY build would come in around £275, this is for ALL the functionality you can get into an air cooled engine.

What is the difference between “Off the shelf” and DIY?
DIY means that the modification to the flywheel taper, mag housing, spacer, loom and mounting brackets is down to you. Only the manual, fan and stator will be supplied as these are complex precision parts and not an easy DIY modification. That said; with “Off the shelf” option all the modified parts are professionally machined, not bodged out with hand tools.

A full price matrix is in the manual however volume plays a very substantial role in production so part of this exercise is to discover how many people would be genuinely interested. What I’m interested to know is:

1. How many people are interested in DIY options?
2. How many people are interested in “Off the shelf”?
3. How many people don’t give a toss about Ebay and want to source the lot in one shot, checked and ready to go.

If there is enough interest I’ll publish further details and a short form manual can be down loaded from www.granturismo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

If you’re genuinely interested send me a PM of what you’re looking for and I’ll make a note.

If there is enough interest I may be able to engineer it into some of the troublesome vintage Vespa DC systems but this might be a bit more problematic, we’ll see how it goes with the Lambretta first. Depending on the response I'll put up pictures this weekend.

[RICSPEED]

diy sounds good ....though when you have some pics they may tempt me further

[nuttyboy]

any chance of a 12 volt kit for j range .

[mark]

sausage has done quite a few electronic 12v conversions for j range and vegas. if you want 12v points just get your existing stator rewound by the experts at west country windings.

this sounds very much like my dac electric system which is a yamaha dtr 125 3rm-30 model and it doesnt go wrong as its japanese, great job richard (yet again)

[Rich_T]

It isn't just a stator, it is a whole system. Right from the ignition switch to the tail light, the whole shebang.

I've just had it powered up on the bench, additional to the other features it also has a digital clock, volt metre and a lap counter memory (so not just one lap, all of them!). The instruments are also back lit.

I forgot to mention, if you're interested and mail me I also need to know:
Air cooled or water cooled?
Do you want instruments?
Power valve?

[Rich_T]

diy sounds good ....though when you have some pics they may tempt me further

Here you go, fan is coming later today, laser cutting arrived yesterday, then the slloy parts go off for anodising. Loom, electronics and instruments have been tested and work great so we are good to go for running next week.





Oddly enough, most interest is for water cooled engines (I didn't think there were that many out there). Probably because this system has the grunt to run the electric pumps properly.

[AUSSIE]

This kit sounds great.
Would it be possible to give a few more details on the air cooled diy kit? Like to know what mods need doing to the crank and what other parts need to be sourced (CDI, instruments, ignition key unit)
Thanks

[Rich_T]

There are no modifications to the crank or any other part of the bike except the mag housing.

You need to adjust the taper in the donor flywheel (requires lathe), cut a hole in the side of the mag housing (can be done with hand tools), assembly your loom.

The kit will run from a standard Lambretta ignition key although there is a slight alteration to the wiring which is fully explained in the manual.

All steps of the process are detailed and "off the shelf" options are available if a lathe is something that isn't in your garage.

Donor parts are all rifled from Aprilia RS125 (Rotax 122 variant NOT the 123). You will need donor CDI, coil, rectifier, stator windings, flywheel, clocks (if you want them), Rave unit (if you have a power valve or some electonic solenoid you want to operate), loom (for connectors only, so damaged looms are perfect and importantly very cheap!). Prices fluctuate on Ebay for these parts wildly, I recently picked up a full set for £45. A friend I know bought a loom and when it was delivered it came with ALL the electronics attached (so he got the entire set up for a tenner!). I put an estimate in the bill of materials of £95 so anything less than that and you're doing well.

The only things I do not detail on the manual is the exact wiring diagram I use for each of the three loom specifications and the dimensions of the mounting brackets and fan. You're welcome to have a shot yourself but that means you'll have to figure it all out yourself too.

I do give you a lot of very useful information in the manual about building looms from scratch but given that there is about 22m of 16.5 amp wiring in the loom, special tools required to disassembly the connectors, it is tested and properly sleeved I think the price for the "off the shelf" loom @ £77 is very good.

As you can see from the pics, the CNC work is done. It will be back from anodising in 5 days then the first kit should be running next weekend.

[Rich_T]

The fan has arrived and looking real nice, not long now.

[vegansydney]

New electronic kit anyone?

Yes.... but nearly half as much as much as I want a few of these