[Lynn Eades]

1. No. its not the british distributor, its the third type dizzy(latest)and
2. its the capacitance of the condenser, that dictates whether your points burn out. the condenser needs to match the coil (what ever voltage it happens to be) If the capacitance of the condenser is too high, or too low (measured in micro farads) metal transfers from one contact to the other.Have you noticed how 6 volt systems seem to have large condensers, and 12volt systems, have small ones?

the main purpose of a resistor coil(or ballast resistor coil) is for ease of starting. for example a car that runs a 12volt system, with a ballast coil feeds its primary ignition system though the ballast resistor, reducing the voltage to around nine volts (essentially a 9 volt coil) When the key is in the start(cranking) position, the coil is fed directly with the full 12 volts, giving the spark a boost. when the key returns to the run position, the coil is once again fed 9 volts, having been dropped from 12volts, by the resistor.