020915tirlok

In the Workshop with Tirlok

tinmoorthy

Tirlok was my mechanic for a long time. When he told that the "coil" had become "weak", I wouldn't agree. The coil appeared solid and strong. What he perhaps meant was that the insulation was failing. I asked naively - what could I do with the rejected coil? Tirlok said you could make a gas lighter. How?? After several sittings with him I have managed to collect and collate the following information

As usual the recipe comes with a disclaimer. While I have seen the prescription works, there is no guarantee. The role of the author here is that of a reporter. He can not be held responsible for damages -- primary or secondary. Further high voltages are spoken about. You are well advised to take a second if not a third opinion..

How to make an electric gas lighter? -- at almost no expense!

You will need, Tirlok says :

One scooter spark plug coil, new or old does not matter, but it shall at least remotely be functional

One Bell Push

One Resistor 30Kilo ohms, Wattage immaterial

One capacitor 0.5 micro Farad or better but rated for 400 Volts

One diode 1N 4007 or equivalent or better, current rating immaterial, a peak inverse voltage (piv) of some 300 is the target

One 5 ampere three pin plug

One meter twin conductor electrical cord, current rating immaterial but it shall match the decor of the kitchen

High tension cable, metal tubing to negotiate a discharge

Drilling Machine, Screw Driver set, Pliers

One metal box to house the above stuff

Lots of patience

A left over coil can be used as a high voltage transformer. The high voltage referred to here is of the order of 25,000 Volts. Enough to leap few millimeters of air gap. Enough to generate a spark to light your gas stove

Because [Extra] High Voltages are involved the construction practice does not suit the uninitiated. If you are not sure, take professional help. Earthing the metal body is a safety precaution. In fact the device will not function unless earthed [and so long you do not change the schema]

As you would notice the capacitor gets charged through the 30K resistor to the peak voltage of the supply -- that could be about 300 Volts, on a 220 Volts supply line. The charged capacitor acts as a battery for the operation of the gas lighter. In point of fact the capacitor remains charged -- always. Even after you remove the lighter from the supply. Or when by chance there has been a power breakdown. Thus one spark will be available as standing by for a reasonable duration under normal circumstances

The High tension is lead to the tip of the lighter through the HT cable that comes along with the coil transformer. You may need only a few inches. Let the entire selected length be covered by a metal tube outside. The metal tube itself shall be mechanically secured to the metal housing of the entire device and be grounded. At the far end where the conductor inside the HT Cable suddenly faces air, across which is also the surrounding wall of the covering metal tube, any high potential appearing (on the conductor) will find easy to leap to the tube ground

When the Bell push is operated the charged capacitor discharges through the primary winding of the coil. Though not ideally matched, still some current flows through the coil. By transformer action, a high output voltage is induced. By choosing a suitable gap in the air at the tip of the lighter, the spark may be made to appear anywhere you like. Nonetheless keep the length of the high tension cable as short as possible

The coil comes with its own high tension cable, we said. You need to use that and nothing else. Because the cable has good insulating properties. The tension generated is good enough to energize a spark plug. But that is needed only when you need to pilot the spark inside an internal combustion engine. When you need just a spark you can do away with the spark plug and the associated maintenance (Aren't you happy?)

To generate a spark -- remember, a clean bright metal tube neatly hugging the high tension cable is the prescription. Make shift compromises can not be suggested -- because it concerns safety. Varieties of sockets are available -- you may examine if one would fit in to your needs. Also they come with neatly engineered terminals on which you could wire a solid ground. Remember to ground the metal chassis as well.

Testing : No testing shall commence until the cable is surrounded by the metal sleeve and means for the gap discharge has been engineered. The metal case must have been grounded. Power wiring shall reference to the green ground of the house wiring -- that is to say, the neutral is ignored, by design. There is no need to provide a switch for the device. It does not make sense. Even when the power is removed be warned -- the lighter is always armed. Always discharge the capacitor first and ground all the metal parts one by one before working inside

Well, that was the recipe from Tirlok for making a gas lighter. How good it is? I have one that has been lasting for more than a decade, now, without any problem. Typically the design is an over kill. Because the transformer is meant for producing millions of sparks even in a short run of an internal combustion engine. However much you may attempt, it is difficult to produce a few thousand discharges even, over a few years lighting only gas. But then we are only discovering an application for a thrown out sparking coil!

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