Points ignition wiring question

dgc333 said
Capacitor has always been the correct electrical term for the device. Condenser is strictly an automotive term. Just like the correct electrical term for the coil is transformer. In electrical terms a coil is just a single winding of wire and is also used for noise suppresion where as a transformer has two or more sets of windings. In the case of the automotive transformer the primary windinds is low voltage high current that is transformed into high voltage low current in the secondaries.

The capacitor on the side of the coil connects to the positive terminal of the coil and is used for noise suppression back into the electrical system that can cause radio interference.

Dave your correct about the coil being a transformer. The term coil should only be used for an inductor but apparently the auto industry thought different. Although the term condenser is not just an automotive term even though I've also heard others say it is. It was used alot in the early days of electronics. I'm a amateur radio opperator and have previously owned books dating back to the early 1900's that called some condensers. It seems they called the smaller ones (1 pf through 1 mfd.??) capacitors and the larger ones (1 mfd. ?? up) condensers. The question marks are because I'm not really sure where the actual break was just that it was somewhere around that figure. When I went to college for electronics in the early 80's you got corrected real fast if you called one a condenser and you didn't ask why. Alot of the older hams I hear talk still call them condensers. Can't change old habits I guess.