i have been using mine on a weekly to daily basis for about ten years. it is most commonly used for assembly line or professional tune-up work and checks dwell, RPM and timing on two- or four-cycle engines and dynamic voltage to within a tenth of a volt. My dial-back light is a Ferret 86 model, bought for $299CDN+tx, regularly retails for $350-400 and is also rebranded by OTC and sold for around the same price. It cost more than fifty but less than eighty bucks. The pickup clips around any spot on the #1 plug wire, and has lasted a few years now. Then I bought one that is chrome, but with a more cast metal look with a black knob on the back that dials back. It was pretty maddening for a minute before I figured out what was going on! The problem was that while it had numbers displayed, and buttons that did stuff, it would only strobe at one speed, which would show the timing marks slipping backwards and forewards all over the scale as the occilations of the motor peaked and valleyed against the constant strobe of the broken light. I was told that "I think it works, you just have to re-splice the trigger wire because it got caught in the fan." I spliced it and it worked great, flashed a strobe, dialed back digitally, and everything. The second was a hand me down- in the digital dial back style described above. ![]() I lost hope and also lost the reciept, never did get it running. The adaptor and I never saw one for sale. The first was a chrome smooth look light it came with an alligator for the +side of battery and needed some sort of adaptor that plugged inbetween the light and the #1 sparkplug. ![]() I think you can learn from my experiences- three lights in order of purchase: Those lights with the built in tacho in them look really nice. Also helps in mapping out your timing curve if you so desire. That way you can check advance at cruise rpm etc. I would suggest that you get some sort of tacho though to get full advantage out of it. Looks rather odd, but works for me I guess. Makes it sort of fun running the rpm up on the carb with one hand, running the light with the other and then end up twisting the dial with my chin while watching the timing mark as can't operate the light and reach the dial with the same hand. Mine has the twist knob dial on the back. Most have an accuracy stated on them for you to at least shop by. Saw an article some time ago where some of the expensive name lights were no better than some of the more budget ones. Accuracy is down to the particular light specs. ![]() The lights work at whatever rpm you are running as long as hooked up correctly.
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