Abstract: The timing of ignition pulses supplied to an engine is controlled in accordance with a plurality of different operating conditions of the engine to minimize undesirable exhaust pollutants. As the speed of the engine increases from a cranking speed toward an idling speed, the ignition pulses are produced in synchronism with reference timing signals indicating movement of a piston to a top dead center position in a combustion chamber, and upon further increases in engine speed the ignition pulses are produced in synchronism with advanced timing signals generated by an electronic advance means in accordance with the approximate instantaneous position of the piston in the combustion chamber and selected engine operating conditions. The control of the timing of the ignition pulses is transferred between the two different timing signals by a selector means operating in response to control signals indicative of engine speeds above or below a predetermined speed.

Abstract: An ignition system for a small internal combustion engine is energized by an alternator which is rotatably driven in association with the engine, and ignition pulses are supplied to the engine in timed relation with the movement of a plurality of different pistons in response to trigger signals generated by a trigger mechanism. The ignition pulses are produced by a capacitive discharge ignition circuit having a pulse transformer associated with each of the different pistons, and the energization of each pulse transformer is controlled by a corresponding switch which is actuated by a trigger signal generated in an associated trigger coil by the rotational movement of a magnetic trigger rotor driven in association with the engine. The trigger rotor carries magnetic means in association with an outer member of magnetically conductive material and having an eccentric configuration defining an intervening air gap with the trigger coil which varies with the movement of the trigger rotor.

Abstract: An electrical insulator for covering interconnected terminals of adjacent batteries includes a pair of terminal cover members each covering a battery post along with a portion of a conductor bolted to the battery posts and an intermediate cover member having an inverted trough-shaped configuration for receiving the length of the conductor extending between the pair of terminal covers and overlapping a portion of the terminal cover members, thereby enabling the length of the insulator to be adjusted to cover battery terminals interconnected with different lengths of conductors. The insulator is fastened to the battery connection by providing the intermediate cover with inwardly extending flanges and forming it from a resilient material so that it will yieldingly flex as it is placed into position, whereupon the flanges are resiliently urged beneath the interconnecting conductor to secure the insulator to the battery connection.