40
AUGUST 2021
IN THE CLUB TOOLBOX
By Tony Gray, Member #3905
T
he second tool selected in this series was prompted by a comment from our learned co-editor who mused about the club tool list - WTF is an Enduralast Hall Effect Sensor tester? Well for those similarly disposed to our august (indeed it is Tony) co-editor#1 sit back and be informed. OK let’s go straight to Dr Google and the Wikipedia explanation of a Hall effect sensor: A Hall effect sensor (or simply Hall sensor) is a type of sensor which detects the presence and magnitude of a magnetic field using the Hall Effect. The output voltage of a Hall sensor is directly proportional to the strength of the field. It is named for the American physicist Edwin Hall. Right got that? No me either but I am sure Les Fitzpatrick is saying something like ‘ho-hum get on with it’. Let’s go back to the basics and understand what this tool does and why it resides in the BMWMCQ toolbox. ‘Older’ motorbikes (and that applies to half of my garage) had a simple ignition system that comprised in its most basic form of a battery/ ignition coils/contact breakers/spark plug. The element of this simple system that required the most care and attention was the contact breaker. This very simple device could be termed as a switch or trigger that opened and closed with the rotation of the crankshaft to fire the spark plug at the appropriate point in the cranks rotation. The parts of the contact breaker were subject to wear and needed regular maintenance. The advantage of the points system is that they are cheap and you could carry a spare set to affect any required roadside repair. Just ask any ‘old’ airhead rider as to why they carry the aluminium wrapper from a cigarette packet in their toolkit even though they never smoked!#2
The Hall Effect Sensor lives in behind here
Modern bikes have fully sealed electronic ignition systems that do not require any maintenance