Here is a basic list of some of the terminology that I will use. There may be more later, and I will edit this list to add more as it comes up. If you don't understand a term, just ask and we can add it here with a brief explanation. None of this is listed alphabetically, but rather by groups of pertinence.
Steady-state- refers to a circuit that holds a constant voltage and a constant current output, no matter what it is driving. Mig welders work like this.
AC- alternating current
DC- direct current
Dielectric- any material that resists the flow of electricity, including air.
Voltage- electrical "pressure"
Current- the flow of electrons, in amps
Resistance- Anything that impedes the flow of electrons. Measured in ohms.
Impedance- Sometimes referred to as reluctance, but not often. It is a measurement of resistance from reactions of AC powered components, usually transformers of one sort or another.
Capacitance- The ability to store electrons, much like a balloon stores air. Measured in farads, but more commonly used sizes are measured in micro-farads.
Tuned circuit- When you join a capacitor to a transformer or coil, either series or parallel, you now have a circuit that is "tuned" to a specific AC frequency. At this frequency it will pass AC current readily, but the farther away from that frequency, it tends to block AC current flow.
Inductance- Current induced in the windings of a coil by a developing or collapsing magnetic field around that coil. This is the major principle by which our ignition coils convert low voltage to much higher voltages.
Kickback Inductance- The resultant current induced in the coil after the magnetic field has already built in the coil as current flows, and is now collapsing after the current has been turned off. Older point-type ignition systems actually used the kickback inductance to fire the plug! Modern CDI systems use the inductance (buildup) form of the magnetic field to fire the plug.
Power- The measure of the amount of force electricity can do, measured in watts. It is the product of voltage multiplied by current (amps). One volt pushing one amp of current produces one watt of power. Thus, 12 volts pushing 4 amps creates 48 watts of power. In a house, if you have a 120 watt light-bulb, it means there would be one amp flowing through it if it were powered with 120 volts.
CDI- Capacitive discharge ignition. Converts 12 volts into a higher voltage, stores it in a capacitor, then discharges it into the primary of a coil to give a stronger spark.
MSD, or msd- MSD is the brand name of a line of ignition, and other, products produced by ACC. "msd" refers to a multiple spark discharge ignition system. It is a derivative of the simpler capacitive discharge ignition by creating multiple sparks in a row for more complete combustion.
"Soup"- This term mostly refers to the mixture that enters the cylinder to be ignited by the spark plug, but it also includes several entities that affect spark requirements, like the air/fuel ratio, fuel quality/additives/octane rating, air quality, air density, air temp, fuel temp, completeness of atomization, compression pressure, cylinder temp, cylinder condition, shape of the combustion chamber and even the shape of the spark plug tip.
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