Quick COP question

Will be ordering a MS for my T5/240 build soon. Quick question: Do ME7 COP on a T5 have the igniter circuit built into the coil or will I need 5 coil drivers in the MS unit? They have four pin plugs so I guess it's on board igniters/amplifiers, but I also know that some coils can have two earths rather than a signal and feedback.


I'm a little fuzzy on this stuff as I haven't played with MS for about 10 years.

The four-pin ME7 coils have built in power transistors. The two-pin 960 coils do not.

These are 4 pin, so am I correct in thinking the stock MS2 will have the spark outputs and I don't need the coil drivers?

It's just a signal output from MS, yes?

Correct. You can use the example under "Logic Level 3-wire" here: http://www.msextra.com/doc/pdf/html/MS2V357_Hardware-3.4.pdf/MS2V357_Hardware-3.4-85.html

I can't speak to the number of spark outputs on an MS2 though. I know it has at least four, but I'm not sure if it has any more...

Thank you Karl- much appreciated. MS2 can have up to 6 coil outputs, I think.

The MS2 firmware and the MS2 daughter card and standard V3 circuit board support one ignition output. MS2Extra firmware with modifications to the MS2 daughter card and mother board will support up to 6 logic level ignition outputs. I prefer the solution using the tc4427 drivers. jbperf makes or used to make a nice 4 channel add-in card incorporating the tc4427 which is much easier than trying to use the proto area on the MS3 board. The add-in card also had room for 4 injector drivers if you are doing sequential fuel (B4154T5 = GDI??).

Remember that with the MSExtra firmware, ignition outputs A, B, C D correspond to the engine firing order, not the cylinder #. So on a 4 cylinder with 1, 3, 4, 2 firing order the connections are A - 1, B - 3, C - 4 D - 2. Same with the injector outputs if you are doing sequential fuel. Messes me up every time!

I'm using the Volvo coils so won't need drivers. Have just discovered and will be ordering this as soon as I have saved enough pennies: http://wwwefignition.com

The TC4427 drivers are not for switching the ignition coil current. The output of the TC4427 is still a logic level signal (0 - 5 v) used to switch your smart coil. If you read the ignition section in the MS2Extra hardware manual they will discuss some of the benefits of the TC4427. One benefit is that it acts as a buffer between the MS2 daughtercard and the outside world. Something goes bad on your outside wiring its much better to damage the TC4427 than your daughter card and I expect that the TC4427 is already more tolerant of bad stuff because 'that is what it does'. The dual driver chip is cheap, about $1.50 so $3.00 for a 4 cyl; but, you don't need to use it if you don't want to.