Catnip CDI * read before you buy!!!

Wevil Kenevil

Well-Known Member
I've been gathering info on cdi's and the components to go in them. I've recently dissected a catnip CDI unit that I had bought from eBay that went bad and I was able to pick all of the black epoxy or goo off the components and wash the rest off with acetone..

Catnip cdi's are made with cheap "made to malfunction" components, specifically how they substitutes the bt151scr thrysistor with a 2p4m scr.

The BT 151 is a high voltage scr and the 2p4m is a low voltage scr so it is made to malfunction because the voltage supplied through the CDI is on the high side.

AVOID THE CATNIP CDI.

My friend and I are Working on an adjustable Jaguar style that's even sturdier. We stepped up the diodes and added another capacitor that added a wider medium band so it's going to almost be self-adjusting in a way. Idk... My brother is electrical genius he's got all that figured out.

It will depend on how it's being ridden. I will post the PCB images of both the stock and the catnip CDI and the components that go on them so that you can build your own.(The picture below has been scabbed but it shows you the components and the way that they go.)

I know some people prefer to buy them but, for $30 I can build 10 of them. I'm done buying the inferior crap they dump on us in this hobby. This works out right I'll never buy another one again.

But I thought I would let everybody know what I found out about the catnip CDI.

What a gank job.

Side note: I've been playing with circuitry lately and found this hack and thought it was next level MacGyver style.

In a pinch you can cut the shapes of the electrical traces on the PC board, out of foil and use tape to tape them to the back of a piece of poster board card or a 3x5 card and you can make your own PCB board. Look how easy the pathway are in the picture you could easily do that.

Granted it's very temporary but in a pinch an empty cigarette box would work...
 

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It's easier than you think.... Well kinda... After endless questions and rewording the same question over and over and over... A.i. finally gave me the blue print for a " super heavy-duty" CDI unit using a bt139 thrysistor that it says should last forever.

I haven't had the money to order all the parts for it to test it out yet but according to a separate AI that inspected the blueprint, stated that yes it appears to live up to the claim. I even had it make an adjustable one like the Jaguar CDI.

The initial cost is about the same as the catnip (@$40) unit but that's buying multiples of all the components. (Capacitors resistors thrysistors breadboards and what have you) .

I know it's counterintuitive buying multiple components to build one that's going to last you forever but that's about as far as I got with it I'm sure I could break it down even further but yeah I think I have screenshots of my conversation with AI I will post if not I will have to post them later.

If that's not complete I apologize I've been pouring cement all day long and I'm tired as all get out and have a splitting headache from being in the sun all day long and I will fix it when it doesn't hurt to look at the screen.
 

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