There's no question that technology advances at an incredible rate. And it comes in both brand new parts and revised versions of tried and true classics. The trickledown from the high-levels of stock car racing allows the Saturday night racer to indirectly reap the benefits of many hours of R&D and engineering performed by the manufacturers and top-tier race teams. Recently, we ran across a pretty trick ignition box that fits this bill. When it comes to ignition boxes, Daytona Sensors has packed their CD-1 ignition system with loads of highly technical features for all forms of race and street performance.
Daytona Sensors' CD-1 ignition system is a capacitive discharge ignition system designed to work with four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines, and has programmable features for all kinds of racing as well as street applications, with both nitrous and boost options. The system has PC programmable advance features ranging from a simple rpm-based advance curve to a 3D timing map with boost proportional retard (although boost, nitrous, launch rpm, and some other features are not relevant in the circle track world).
Daytona Sensors' CD-1 ignition system boasts a 135 mJ spark energy output, yet draws less than 5 amps at 8,000 rpm. This patented design is rated for continuous operation at 8,500 rpm 85 degrees C (185 degrees F). If that isn't tough enough, the system is sealed, vibrationproof, waterproof and comes with a 12-pin Deutsch connector used for signal connections. A benefit of being waterproof is that you can clean your race car without having to remove the ignition system. Daytona Sensors uses fully encapsulated construction with surface mount electronics.
The rev limiter is easily adjustable in 100-rpm increments from 3,000 to 10,900 rpm. Simply set each of the two knobs, add 1,000 rpm, and the limiter is set. The basic functions of this box can be used by simply wiring the box into your race car with 6 wires—power, ground, ignition switch, tach lead, and two distributor connections. Simply remove the wires you aren't using, insert the supplied plugs to keep the connector waterproof, and you're ready to go.
The system has one general-purpose input and two general-purpose input/output terminals. Inputs can be programmed for high gear retard, burnout rpm limit, vehicle speed sensor, and throttle position sensor (along with a bunch of other stuff circle track racers usually don't use), and everything can be data logged. The built-in data logging capability has 16 MB DataFLASH memory, which holds a lot of data.
Follow along as we install Daytona Sensors' CD-1 ignition system into an Open Wheel Modified.
