Atom Red Ignition Module

[dave-bernard]

how about mounting on the block and run a wire . then easy to test and change ??????

[bwanadon]

dave-bernard wrote:

how about mounting on the block and run a wire . then easy to test and change ??????

I could. I have no spark where it sits now. It needs to have lots of slack in the wire to accommodate the rotation of the mag plate if I do this. Would be a good test though.

Spark plug gap. Do the plugs need to be gapped smaller? Seems like I saw that in a video somewhere.

Kawas are big chips, really tough to get in. I put the coil setting ring on and there is no room. If I turn them sideways maybe. Would require a bracket.

[joesnuffy]

I just saw your post sorry for not getting back sooner I have been installing a boat lift and wiring it.

I mount them in the area where the points/condenser use to be not up high like you have them but if flywheel clears them I guess its o.k.. You might have to drill out the circle a bit on the kaw module to get screw through but it looks like you got the screw through. You will also need to bend the metal tang up for the wire if mounting down low.

On the red atom instructions it said to shorten the gap I can’t remember how much but it was like 5 thousandths smaller than normal gap.

I hope you did get them to work. Sometimes you have to swap the coil wires around meaning put the small ground wire of coil to module and the normal small wire that goes to points to ground if it happens to be a positive grounded engine. Looking at your pictures that would be swapping the small green wire and small black wire around. Meaning you would be putting small green wire to ground and small black wire to module. Normally evinrudes and johnsons with original coils you don’t but your coils look like replacements.

If memory serves me correctly I think you can spin the flywheel backwards and if it sparks then you know wires have to be reversed. The flywheel does have to spin quicker to get spark with modules than with points I normally use a rope to test.

Hope you got it going,
Joe

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.

[joesnuffy]

Sorry for not getting back with you sooner. I have been putting in a boat lift and wiring it. I hope this is not a duplicate post I posted earlier and it disappeared.

I normally mount the modules down lower where points and condensers were. I normally have to bend the metal tang for the wire up to get them to fit. But if your flywheel clears them they probably should be o.k. up high.

I noticed in your pics you have replacement coils. The small green and small black wire might have to be reversed to get spark if they are positive grounding coils. Meaning you would put the small green wire to ground and small black wire to the module. If memory serves me correctly you can spin the flywheel using rope clockwise like normal if no spark spin it backwards with rope if spark green and black wire must be reversed to fire clockwise.

The flywheel has to be spun quicker to get spark with modules I use a rope. The spark plug gap I believe is like 5 thousandths less than normal for red atoms but they will fire at normal gap.

Hope you got it going.

Joe

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.

1 user thanked author for this post.

bwanadon

[Mumbles]

Dang, don’t spin your motor backwards with the gearcase on or you will be replacing your impeller before you know it, if it has a rubber vane impeller.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Mumbles.

[joesnuffy]

I just do it once or twice to see if plugs fire but your right it will damage impeller if done a lot. I didn’t think once or twice would damage it? Mumbles knows way more than me I guess switching the wires is better than turning it backwards a couple times just to be safe.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.

[bwanadon]

Well, here is an ugly update. I could not get the Kawasaki modules to work. I soldered the wire right to the tang and may have overheated the module. Zero spark. In order to get them under the flywheel I modified the mag plate so they would fit. Wait it gets worse. I then bought some Nova II chips. Put those in (I know the may not last) and at this point I’m just looking for a spark. Nope, nothing, nada zippo.

Sooooo, I went back to points. It gets even worse. The “modified” mag plate was rendered inoperable by my obsession to keep the modules under the flywheel (no regrets on that, they need to be under the flywheel). Good news was I found an NOS mag plate for $42 on Ebay. I put the 6hp Johnson back to stock and finally got good spark on both cylinders.

I feel like I’ve been kicked in the knackers a good one but some good has come out of this. I have had the mag plate on and off soooo many time I can do it blindfolded. I made a tool (cut an extension) so I can use a socket in my drill and spin the motor effortlessly. I can stand at the back of the motor and see spark while spinning the motor with the drill. My 62 yo shoulder is thankful. I also took a few online free electronics mini courses and have a good grasp on the workings of a magneto.

I hate Chinese condensers and will build a condenser checker soon.

Thank you Joe. I had thought about reversing the wires but at that point I was done with it.

[Mumbles]

Did you try reversing the wires on the Novas? They hook up the same as the Atoms and if they don’t work one way, they work the other way.

[joesnuffy]

You can reverse the Nova’s wire leads as Mumbles said also.

I hate to hear you have had such a time.

I have used the Nova’s also I got a pair here in st pete on my 5.5hp 1960 Johnson that I converted some years back before I found out about the Kawasaki Chips. I have noticed that if it has new coils and new plug wires on it which in your picture yours looks like new coils that I have not lost a nova module using new style coils and plug wires. I think it may have to do with the way they make them now possibly less voltage spikes or maybe older coils might have small breaks in some of the coils wiring or if running old spark plug wires you can get arching which might kill a module. I am not saying everyone should to get nova modules because I don’t think their reliable based off other peoples feedback here I am just saying what I have seen on my engines when I am running new coils and plug wires.

I have soldered the lead wires on the Nova chips but you have to have really good soldering skills and you clean the tangs with emory cloth down until you see copper then use a really good electronic flux and just enough heat to melt solder quickly. I do not recommend this for most people the biggest reason is you can wreck the module and will never get spark and you can’t send it back to amazon if you solder it.

I have home made modules in my some of my motors in Tennessee that are from the 50’s and 60s with the old OMC coils still in them and have not lost a module in those motors since building the modules.

I do think that when points are set and timed as they should be they work great normally when I time a set of points on an OMC motor I can spin the flywheel by hand and get spark on the plugs. Here is a video of timing the points for an OMC. A guy here in the club makes the timing tool. I have one I purchased from him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNK2TEeQQv0

As far as condensers go I have a Stevens 75 ignition tester and I of the condensers I have tested if the OMC condensers with red paper caps are in a motor everyone I have tested for breakdown and leakage has not passed. If they have the new black plastic top and are genuine OMC condensers they pass.

I hope that helps,
Joe

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by joesnuffy.

[bwanadon]

I bought the timing tool and the setting ring. They work awesome. I don’t use feeler gages to set points anymore. If you don’t won these tools buy them!

I took a butt whipping on this project. May look at it again this winter. I hate losing. Looking at making my own chips. Dunno. I have a bunch of projects to do. May just move on from this.

My soldering skills are marginal btw. Much improved after watching the video here though. Oh and I got a motor to spark a 1/4″ That was huge for me. So not all bad. Learned a lot.

Thanks all.
Bwana Don

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