Capacitor discharge ignition Capacitor discharge ignition Capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) or thyristor ignition is a type of automotive electronic ignition system which is widely used in outboard motors, motorcycles, lawn mowers, chainsaws, small engines, turbine-powered aircraft, and some cars. It was originally developed to overcome the long charging times associated with high inductance coils used in inductive discharge ignition (IDI) systems, making the ignition system more suitable for high engine speeds (for small engines, racing engines and rotary engines). The capacitive-discharge ignition uses capacitor discharge current to the coil to fire the spark plugs. The history of the capacitor discharge ignition system can
Saab Direct Ignition "IDM") which houses the ignition coils and electronics that measure cylinder ionization for use by the Trionic engine management system. Saab Direct Ignition Saab Direct Ignition is a capacitor discharge ignition developed by Saab Automobile, then known as Saab-Scania, and "Mecel AB" during the 1980s. It was first shown in 1985 and put into series production in the Saab 9000 in 1988. One of the first instances of using the system was for a Formula Three racing engine (on B202 basis) developed with the help of engine builder John Nicholson, first shown in the spring of 1985. The system has