TOPIC:

1978 KZ650B2!!!
Had points, installed DynaIII ignition. DynaIII ignition uses an 'exciter' box. The box doesn't anymore. Put points back on and bike runs again. Looking at Z1 Enterprises site and notice Dyna S ignition does not have the 'exciter' box. Hummm. Could I put back on the pickup plate electronics from the DynaIII and use it like that without the 'exciter' box. That is what the Dyna S looks like to me, just the pickup plate without the 'exciter'
Thought all this talk about exciters would get me excited. :o(

Thanks for the advice,

Terry!

I would shoot an e-mail to Dyna and ask. They can tell you how to do it without blowing the thing up.

My aftermarket CDI uses points, so it is certainly easy to do that. However, the input signal from a magnetic sensor is very different than points. I'd wager a buffer circuit of some kind would be needed to condition the signal if points were substituted for a mag sensor.

No, the Dyna-S is all contained on the plate, the Dyna-III needs the ignition box. Be sure power is getting from 12v to your Dyna-III. The IDC power splice can cause problems. Also look at your pickup plate for bad solder connections. I had a 5 yr old Dyna-III I sent back for warranty when they had 5 yr warranty years ago, and that's the fix they did. Also had the power splice problem many years after that.

Thanks for the info. I figured that was what it was. Seems like too much current would be going through the point plate thingy without the exciter/ignition box. Anyway, the problem with the box is an internal short of some type. When it's hooked up and turned on, it's drawing enough current to make the wires hot. The battery voltage drops way too much (down to about 4v) and I get no spark at the plugs. Doesn't look like the box is meant to be taken apart. All the internal junk is sealed up. So, I don't think trying to repair it is a viable option. Even if I did get lucky, I'm not sure Id trust it's dependability if I wanted to take the bike on the road. So, it's either come up with the funds for a Dyna S (unlikely) or come up with the funds for new points and condernsor. The ones on it right now have seen much better days. But, they do work enough to run the engine and verify everything else is working still.
Thanks,
Terry!
PS. This is a great example of why it is usually a good idea to keep parts you take off a bike. Instead of throwing the original point plate and assorted parts in the thrash thinking, "Hey, I've got electronic ignition now." I collected them and put them away. If I hadn't done that I'd be in a more difficult spot with all this, considering my finds are limited.