camel electronic upgrade

Camel, Sahara, Kanguro, Coguaro
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huub
Posts: 194
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 15:11

camel electronic upgrade

Post by huub »

I have been running a SWF ignition on my 350 for a couple of years ,i had no isuues with it, great product.
Early attempts to fit one to my 500 camel were less convincing.
i recently got a new version of the SWF ignition for the camel , and that solved the roblem completely.
i fitted it, I have now a camel that starts first or second kick. idles smoothly at 1000 rpm , and revs without any flat spots.

at the same time i dumped the original 12/6 volt installation , fitted a old 350 stator i had lying around.
hooked that up to a modern ( aliexpress) 12 volt regulator and a 12 volt battery , so now i should have a reliable electrical system and a reliably starting camel.
that is the first time that happens in the 30 years i work on this bike :D

just to test i disconnected the battery with the engine running, the ignition keeps working off the generator if i disconnect the battery.
i would probably need to jump start it without a battery, worst case i can fit a condensator to buffer some power.
But i have only had a battery fail once on a trip, and trailered home most of my morini's at least once with failed original ignitions
buying a new battery is easier than finding a new pickup or transducer halfway a holiday in france.

The stator is from a pre electric start morini , so probably 90 watts, just to make sure the battery keeps its charge i fitted LED bulbs to the front and rear lights,that should safe 30 watts.
so now with the ignition consuming max 20 watt i now have more power to charge the battery than i had with the original ignition system and lights.
after owning the camel for quite a few years , i might actually start enjoying it 8)
George 350
Posts: 450
Joined: 16 Jun 2007 09:43
Location: Northampton

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by George 350 »

Hi Huub,
Can you give us an idea as to what this ignition costs?
Thanks, George
George
350 sport 1978, 350 Strada 1978
650 Norton 1967, 650 Kawasaki 1977 and 650 Enfield 2019
rossguzzi
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Jan 2019 14:21
Location: Perth W/Australia

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by rossguzzi »

Wow, I admire people that work on and understand electrics. I fail dismally at this.
It is one thing that worries me about riding the Camel. That one day the electrics will fail. Being in Australia, that can mean out of mobile phone range even 40kms east of my city of Perth.
I would be also very interested in any more details you could tell us about this setup.
As I am still very keen to install a starter motor on mine, converting to 12v would be necessary.
Well done.
huub
Posts: 194
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 15:11

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by huub »

I just contacted the builder, the ignition unit is 150 euro, but you will need coils .
the unit with a set of coils is 185 euro.
a programmable unit is also available for 200 euro.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N8Qnoe ... sp=sharing

this particular camel returned on a trailer twice from travels, after that the owner ( a good friend) gave up and moved on.
it ended up in the back of his shed, I bought it with a broken coil.
the 12 volt conversion was the easy bit , a old stator and a regulator was the only things needed.
i have been experimenting with a aprilia stator just to add electrical power and get rid of the 40 year old parts,
but failed to get a good charge , probably due to a different amount of magnets in the morini and aprilia rotor.

if you are happy with your current ignition setup but are worried about a breakdown, just bring the ignition system in your spare parts kit.
should be a good insurance your ignition does not break down , usually everything you bring spares for does not break down :-)
Kamel
Posts: 175
Joined: 10 Feb 2020 22:31
Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by Kamel »

Hi all, relative Morini newbie here. I have just finished (well almost) a Camel Mk2. Some pictures attached of my first run out on it. I've converted it to 12v and have modified an old Boyer Bransden E.I. to suite. It runs very well, but isn't the easiest thing to start, so I may be interested in this unit. I have a few questions though. Does it use individual coils or one dual coil, how do I order one, is there any warranty, is there a black box as well, or is it all under the pickup cover? I've searched the internet for SWF ignition and come up with nothing, which Is why I'm asking all these questions.

Cheers,

Kamel
Attachments
First run out.
First run out.
First run out.1.JPG (377.46 KiB) Viewed 7753 times
First run out..JPG
First run out..JPG (281.32 KiB) Viewed 7753 times
rossguzzi
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Jan 2019 14:21
Location: Perth W/Australia

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by rossguzzi »

huub wrote:I just contacted the builder, the ignition unit is 150 euro, but you will need coils .
the unit with a set of coils is 185 euro.
a programmable unit is also available for 200 euro.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N8Qnoe ... sp=sharing

this particular camel returned on a trailer twice from travels, after that the owner ( a good friend) gave up and moved on.
it ended up in the back of his shed, I bought it with a broken coil.
the 12 volt conversion was the easy bit , a old stator and a regulator was the only things needed.
i have been experimenting with a aprilia stator just to add electrical power and get rid of the 40 year old parts,
but failed to get a good charge , probably due to a different amount of magnets in the morini and aprilia rotor.

if you are happy with your current ignition setup but are worried about a breakdown, just bring the ignition system in your spare parts kit.
should be a good insurance your ignition does not break down , usually everything you bring spares for does not break down :-)
I dont really know what I have. There is some wires cut going into the coils, but they work. Here are pics of my coils and transducer. Are these stock ?
Keeping a spare setup is possible, I guess.
Attachments
camel transducer.jpg
camel transducer.jpg (92.96 KiB) Viewed 7751 times
camel coils.jpg
camel coils.jpg (104.1 KiB) Viewed 7751 times
George 350
Posts: 450
Joined: 16 Jun 2007 09:43
Location: Northampton

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by George 350 »

Ross,

It looks like you have the NLM ignition, well, at least the bit that replaces the 'transducers' of the original.
Your pick-up could be standard or NLM as the parts are interchangeable.
Next time you have the cover off the pick up, pop a picture on here and you will soon be told what you have.

Regards,
George
George
350 sport 1978, 350 Strada 1978
650 Norton 1967, 650 Kawasaki 1977 and 650 Enfield 2019
julianharty
Posts: 478
Joined: 15 May 2016 16:34
Location: High Wycombe
Location: High Wycombe Area (Bucks)

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by julianharty »

Huub,
Do you have contact details for your SWF ignition please? or is it simply by email to mail@swf-ignitionsystems.nl

Their website does not seem to have any information at all. I've found viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4620 is it the same system you're still using and presumably still reliable 3+ years on?

Thank you

Julian
rossguzzi
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Jan 2019 14:21
Location: Perth W/Australia

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by rossguzzi »

Sorry for the derail.
Mine has a red pickup.
So is the NLM transducer a reliable unit ?
George 350
Posts: 450
Joined: 16 Jun 2007 09:43
Location: Northampton

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by George 350 »

Hi Ross,
NLM unit has been reliable for me over the last 3-4 years. Just watch out for the bracket holding the plastic box trying to eat through the fuel tank - that is what it tried to do on my 350.
After 42 years with a Morini, I have only once been stranded due to ignition (a couple of 1 cylinder rides back home though) and the cause of that was the ignition switch filled with water. As Huub says, when you go on a trip, the thing that goes wrong is the one you haven't got a spare for.
Regards, George.
George
350 sport 1978, 350 Strada 1978
650 Norton 1967, 650 Kawasaki 1977 and 650 Enfield 2019
huub
Posts: 194
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 15:11

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by huub »

julianharty wrote:Huub,
Do you have contact details for your SWF ignition please? or is it simply by email to mail@swf-ignitionsystems.nl

Their website does not seem to have any information at all. I've found viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4620 is it the same system you're still using and presumably still reliable 3+ years on?

Thank you

Julian
the unit in my 350 morini still works perfectly.
it is just the pcb at the place of the old pickup, and a couple of coils.
the new one has different settings, the 500 was hard to start with the 350 ignition
mail@swf-ignitionsystems.nl should work , let me know if it doesnt
Kamel
Posts: 175
Joined: 10 Feb 2020 22:31
Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by Kamel »

Thank you huub, I've dropped them an email and got a very quick reply. More info. to follow.

Cheers,

Kamel.
julianharty
Posts: 478
Joined: 15 May 2016 16:34
Location: High Wycombe
Location: High Wycombe Area (Bucks)

Re: camel electronic upgrade

Post by julianharty »

I've also emailed them a couple of days ago, let's hope they have enough stock, and perhaps even offer a group discount? :)
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