Automotive electronics: Ignition systems go solid state: Standard on all 1975 U.S. cars, electronic ignitions reduce maintenance costs, improve cold starts, and keep engines tuned longer

About 65 years ago, Charles Kettering developed a contact point inductive ignition system for use on Cadillacs. That system, or improved variations of it, has been in use ever since. It is relatively simple, inexpensive, and if properly maintained can provide a satisfactory ignition for most cars. But, as any car owner knows only too well, a conventional ignition system can also be a trouble-prone component of an automobile. Points tend to burn, pit, or simply wear out rapidly; spark voltage may decrease rapidly with increasing engine speeds; and the rubbing block attached to the points tends to wear down from contact with the distributor cam used to open and close the points. These, and other related problems, may cause ignition timing to retard or advance resulting in poor engine performance, decreased fuel economy, and even engine failure if no sparks are produced to ignite the fuel-air mixture in the cylinders.