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25th Anniversary Update !
THE INDIGO"SMART" ELECTRONIC IGNITION MODULE KIT HAS REVOLUTIONIZED ATOMIC 4IGNITION. UNFORTUNATELY, ONGOING PRICING PRESSURE FROM OUR SUPPLIERS HASNECESSITATED A SLIGHT INCREASE IN PRICE TO $265 (DELCO). ORDER NOW AND STARTENJOYING THE BENEFITS!
A better than ever DIYRetrofit Kit -
What is Dwell angle andwhy should I care?
Tired of burned or corroded points, bad condensers, poorstarting, idle speed too high--in general, an unreliable ignitionsystem? The Delco and Prestolite distributors supplied withAtomic 4 engines have been the source of countless ignition problems due to theuse a conventional breaker point system in a harsh marine environment. Untilnow, the only means of obtaining reliable operation was constant maintenanceand plenty of spare parts.
Well, Electronic Ignition just got a whole lot betterthan before with the introduction of the Indigo Electronics "SMART"Ignition Module. This new kit takes all of the tried and proven aspects of theoriginal Crane/FAST XR700 based system we have offered for 25 years andcomplements them with two new functions
Dwell AngleManagement and Current Limiting. The foundation of this newkit is the Crane/FAST XR3000 Module which was originally designed as ahigh performance version of the XR700 for high horsepower, high compression,high RPM automotive engines. It turns out that those same high performancefeatures play a key role in solving several ongoing issues that we continue tohave with the Atomic 4. Coil failures due to too much current and overheatingcan be eliminated with smaller Dwell angles and by limiting coil current. Atlow engine speeds, a minimum Dwell angle is all that is needed to generate agreat spark. At higher RPM, it is desirable to have a larger Dwell angle toallow the coil to become fully "saturated" for a great spark. And inall scenarios, coil current is limited to 4.5 amps. Both of these actions do anamazing job of significantly reducing coil operating temperature and thusextending coil life while producing an excellent spark. We have recently beentesting a new electric pump for FWC and have been running an XR3000 ignitionsystem with it to evaluate the pump under real world conditions. After a 14hour day of testing at 1440 RPM, the 1.4 Ohm coil is at less than 115F! Anadditional benefit of the current limiting function is that the featureautomatically stops coil current flow if the engine is not running. NO MOREBURNED UP COILS AND/OR MODULES IF YOU FORGET TO TURN OFF THE IGNITIONSWITCH! This new Module has another exciting feature in that it canfunction with many different coils with NO BALLAST RESISTORneeded! For a superb spark, the kit comes with a very low 1.4 Ohmprimary resistance Coil. This may sound outrageously low but with the CurrentLimiting and variable Dwell Angle features, it is pure genius. With the lowprimary resistance, there can be a controlled high in-rush of current whichsaturates the coil very quickly allowing for a great spark at all speeds. Iffor some reason you find that you have to install a different coil, most anycoil will work as long as the primary resistance is less than about 3.5 Ohms.The higher resistance will not harm any components but the spark quality willdeteriorate somewhat with increasing resistance. Realistically, the spark witha 2.5 Ohm coil will probably be better than what you have now.
Introducing the AT-4D andAT-4P Hi-Intensity Electronic Retrofit Kits fromIndigo Electronics. These kits have been expressly engineered toupgrade Delco and Prestolite distributors on Atomic 4 engines.Shown below is the complete kit and new breaker plate assembly for theDelco distributor.
A YouTube video of the installation process is available here:(Atomic 4 Electronic Ignition Installation - XR3000)This particular video is of a late model Atomic 4 with a Delco distributorwhich was already converted to a Pertronix ignition system. The overall processis the same is replacing a points type system. which show such a repair with a
At the heart of the system is a CraneCams/FAST Optical Trigger (LED and Photo Transistor), Shutter, andXR3000 Electronic Ignition Module which control the firing of theignition coil, replacing the conventional breaker points and condenser. Asthere are no rubbing parts to wear or electrical contacts making and breaking,the timing never changes once initially set and Dwell Angle is managed by theIgnition Module. Ignition problems are gone forever with only sparkplugsrequiring replacement as needed. Additionally, with the Optical Trigger design,the same higher voltage and more crisp spark is generated whether at crankingspeed or 3000 RPM. This is especially beneficial when starting and idling,leading to faster, easier starting and reduced idle speed. Other featuresinclude:
A Complete Retrofit Package Easy two-hour installationincludes:
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Upgrade from your Existing XR700 System - For theadded reliability and peace of mind that the XR3000 Module can bring toyour existing system, give us a call (800-428-8569) for special pricing forexisting customers. To make the Upgrade, it is simply a matter of plugging inthe new XR3000 Module and maybe replacing your existing coil (andeliminating any Ballast Resistor(s)).
Upgrade from your Existing IGNITOR(by Pertronix) System - For the added reliability and peace of mindthat the XR3000 Module can bring to your existing system, give us a call(800-428-8569) for special pricing for a retrofit kit to replace your Pertronixunit. Your existing coil, cap, rotor, sparkplug wires and sparkplugs are allcompatible with the XR3000 conversion. If you currently have a BallastResistor, it will no longer be needed.
How to distinguish a Delco distributor from aPrestolite? The Delco was applied after about 1969 and iseasy to recognize as the distributor cap is held on with two (2) screws. Thecap on the earlier Prestolite distributor is held on with two springclips.
Indigo Electronics, Inc.
105 Pipe Kiln CourtWilliamsburg, VA 23185
