Digital permanent dwell readout.

[matt167]

I got a spare arduino I haven’t used that I got for $1, and an idea to create a digital tune up gauge for my ‘51 Plymouth ( stock 6v + ground points ignition ). I have an idea to have arduino calculate the point dwell and report it on a screen. Thinking it could calculate the RPM and display a tach too. I have a Heathkit dwell tach for actual tuneups but it would be cool to see it all the time. As I understand it, Arduino is fast enough to monitor it and calculate it but the readout to the screen would be reported in a past tense so to speak, or after the next cycle has started it reports the change or lack of

 

[Mc Tool]

Woohoo! I say go for it Dude , last time I seen a Arduino it was getting chased by a hungry Valvoline

 

[Scott Danforth]

If you're into that, go for it. Me, I take one of my many dwell meters, set dwell while doing a spring service, then don't think about it again for a year

I normally set dwell while cranking as I am adjusting the points

 

[matt167]

I do the same. I just checked it Saturday and it was spot on still from last year. It is a 75 year old car with a 75 year old engine though, and it would show if anything happened inside the distributor

 

[Scott Danforth]

"The most common error of a smart engineer is to optimize a thing that should not exist."...... Elon Musk