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.... As engines moved to higher compression it probably required a
higher-voltage to the spark plug in order to get a reliable spark
across a sufficiently-long gap at the higher cylinder pressure.
The spark intensity could be increased by more primary current but
that would require a larger capacitor and it also would wear out the
points faster.
The coil could have been redesigned with more secondary turns to
provide the higher voltage,
but that would reduce the current and hence the intensity of the
spark.
A change to higher battery voltage would be the obvious way to fix
all this.
a little physics lesson about how the condenser and coil work as an
LC oscillator set off by the collapsing magnetic field in the coil
when the points open.
About the same time 12v came on the market, I noticed some cars had
a ballast resistor with the coil.
And I always thought the cap. was too protect the points (switch on
opening), and to collapse the mag. field in the "coil" faster.