>>What brand is the uv flame sensor?  I have a Hamamatsu "R2868 FLAME
>>SENSOR UV TRON=AE R2868" that works fine in broad day light - in direct
>>sun light, it does not fire.  But a BIC lighter at 15 feet away is=20
>>detected.

This does sound like the kind of thing where widely different results could=
=20
be achieved with different brands of sensors - angle of operation,=20
wavelength bandwidth and sensitivity will likely be quite different between=
=20
them, so I'd grab a few different ones to try out. If the sensor is very=20
close and static can't you just reduce the sensitivity enough to prevent=20
false triggering but always detect the spark?

Random (probably not much good) ideas for non UV solutions - what about a=20
simple inductive/capacitive sensor (a few turns of wire wrapped around the=
=20
spark lead or similar) with a high resistance voltage divider->fet input=20
opamp->PIC etc. Or some radio pickup, or maybe an infrared sensor as well=20
as/instead of the UV sensor:

http://www.cvtechnology.com/pdfs/articles/TrueInfraredvsSparkDetection.pdf

Or a video detection system? :-)

http://papers.sae.org/1999-01-2387=20


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