Brightspark Magnetos

Magneto parts

EasyCap™ magneto condensers

We manufacture and retail the revolutionary range of EasyCap™ condensers.

For a detailed explanation of them, please click here.

To purchase, please visit our online shop.

Slip rings and pick-ups

We have also put together the comprehensive  Brightspark™ range of slip rings and pick-ups for Lucas and BTH rotating-coil magnetos. 

They are moulded for us by an established British manufacturer from highest quality materials selected to provide the required dielectric strength, cold and hot. By comparison, many other slip rings and pick-ups on the market today are poorly moulded from sub-standard materials which break down electrically, even when new, at the temperatures to which these components are exposed.

We regularly carry out quality-control checks on the slip rings and pick-ups using our specially designed high-tension test equipment to ensure that they are of the required standard.

Our slip rings and pick-ups are warranted for two years from purchase against defects in manufacture or construction of the component leading to failure in normal service. No quibbles, except that 'normal service' does not include damage to the component caused by mis-fitting! In the very unlikely event of a failure, tell us, send us the old one, and we'll send you a new one by return and reimburse you the cost of the post.

To see the whole range, please visit our online shop.

Pick-ups

The brush holes in our pick-ups are lined with brass to ensure (1) that the brush can slide easily in the pick-up, and (2) that good electrical contact is made with the brush/spring.

Slip Rings

Approximate main dimensions (in mm) of our slip rings are:

Brushes

The Brightspark™ range also includes high-quality pick-up brushes and earth brushes of the appropriate hardness.

Far too many pick-up brushes on the market are too soft. This leads to rapid wear of the brush. Also, when used in twin-cylinder magnetos, the layer of carbon which deposits on the insulating portion of the track of the slip ring can cause misfires. Instead of the HT current going to the correct sparking plug, it tracks around the slip ring to the wrong pick-up, and thence to the sparking plug in the cylinder on its exhaust stroke which, being at lower pressure, is easier to spark.

To check the hardness of a pick-up brush, draw a few lines with the edge of the end of the brush on a piece of paper resting on a hard surface. After a few strokes, the brush should leave only the faintest of marks on the paper.

To order, please visit our online shop.

Bearings and Insulators

The bearings in a well set up magneto are lightly loaded, and the main problems we see with them are that

• they have been used for decades without any lubrication

• they have been used without the the correct end-float and/or

• they have gone rusty.

We are pleased to offer a range of bearings in the sizes most commonly used in magnetos. They are unbranded, but good quality, and used by us in our magneto servicing work.

The outer race of a magneto bearing is seated in its housing in an insulator to prevent the high-tension return current from passing through the bearing and to force it to pass through the earth brush. We offer a range of insulators to complement our bearings, in two thicknesses of approx. 0.010" (0.25 mm) and 0.013" (0.33 mm). For tips on fitting them, please see our 'condensectomy' pages here and here.

To order, please visit our online shop.

Oil Seals

Reliable sources of the rather peculiar oil seals found in some magnetos are regrettably hard to find. However, we are able to offer oils seals to fit Lucas K1FC and K2FC magnetos, and also later versions of the Lucas K1F, K2F and KVF magnetos having an E18 bearing at the drive end. 

To order, please visit our online shop.

Shims

It is important that the end float of the magneto armature or rotor is correctly set, otherwise noise, premature bearing failure and erratic timing can ensue. End float can be adjusted with shims behind the inner races of the bearings (usually the inner race next to the slip ring in a rotating-coil magneto) and/or with shims between the main housing and the end plate/housing of the magneto.

We supply a handy pack of steel armature shims. They have internal and external diameters of approximately 15.2 and 20.8 mm, and each pack contains five shims, one each in the following approximate thicknesses:

•  0.1 mm

•  0.2 mm

•  0.3 mm

•  0.5 mm

•  1.0 mm.

It is therefore possible to produce a combined thickness of anything between 0.1 mm and 2.1 mm in steps of 0.1 mm (4 thou).

To order, please visit our online shop.