TOPIC: Opinions on the 'Tiny Tach'

This year I hope to get more than 3 outings with last years acquisition. Took a bit more time than anticipated reworking the motor, polishing the gel coat etc. The times I had it out it was running great. This spring / summer I'd like to fine tune the rpm prop relationship mixture etc. I run a gps for accurate speed input and was wondering who here has input as to a accurate tach ( tiny tach seems a easy and reliable system). open for input to a accurate system.

Yes, do not buy the cheap chinese knock offs as I have tried about 3 of them & they are crap. Buy the original Tiny Tach built in the U.S., they are quite a bit more $ but you get what you pay for & they have a years guarentee.
Ronald

For what it's worth - I didn't have any luck with the Tiny Tach I once tried to use. I was assured that the model I purchased from Tiny Tach would work on a multiple cylinder engine. It did not. The tiny tach "reads" the ignition pulse through induction, not direct connection. You wrap the center detector lead of the coaxial tachometer pickup around the outside of a rubber spark plug wire. There is a ground strap that is connected to the engine block, that is supposed to prevent stray signals from getting to the tiny tach and making false readings. But there is a problem - the spark plug wires and the distributor cap "leak" ignition impulses to the other plug wires. This is not enough energy to cause a misfire, but it was enough energy to trigger the tiny tach and "fool" it's reading. I tried it on an Evinrude V4, I placed the pickup in many locations but it never worked right. Ad idle, the tach said the engine was turning 3,200rpm. It was reading the pulses of all 4 cylinders - multiplying the 800 impulses per minute (800 rpm) of cylinder number 1 by all four cylinders. I sold the unused tach on eBay for 30 bucks, because the dealer would not accept the tach in return.

What if after wrapping sensor wire around lead you then wrap electrical tape hopefully insulating from stray electrical activity, or is the entire wire able to pick up impulses? My modded 75 HP Johnson has only a magneto and no charging system or alternator. Other tacs need those alternator pulses to allow them to work.

Yes my 40hp Johnson twin does not have a charging system either. Hard to find a tach, reliable or iffy, for this type engine. Would like to find one for the final tuning of this system this summer. Would hate to find I ran the wrong prop and was above redline all season