Here is what I wrote about the Pertronix units using the plastic magnetic wheel:
https://tinyurl.com/56c65s6t I hope it is helpful. Some questions are unanswered but I think that post ought to settle things adequately. No magnetism in the upper part of the wheel? Distributor by absolute definition can not work and will not work...case closed. I wish I had saved the failed wheel so I could figure out what was used in it, but I can only dedicate so much time to this stuff.
We searched patents (hoping for some clue about the evolution of that wheel). There are active patents using the lobes as triggers and those designs are newer and different. The original patents (filed under other company names, some of which seem to have expired, some of which exist in databases in other countries) go back to the mid 1970s. It would be a daunting and some might say pointless task to wade through all of them but I do know the original design was for individual magnets to be bonded to the outer side of the wheel (which by the way was all an integral part of the unique rotor) and obviously that changed at some point. You can see the magnets in the drawing I have attached (image taken from the patent). I assumed the change to the separate wheel was so that people would not have to buy a special magnetic rotor...what I mean is there is an economic inability to distribute parts universally for a device that hasn't been produced and might never achieve much popularity, etc. I believe it is a very good chance the patents preceded the trial/error period. That's not uncommon.
Another engineer friend told me neodymium magnets will be demagnetized at a temperature just shy of 180 degrees (f). He said it is impossible to know if heat affected the magnetic wheel unless you know the type of magnetic material used in it and how much...but he thought heat could have been a problem.
The point Jerry and I have both made several times is this: GM engineers designed an excellent HEI distributor (which I've shown can be adapted to the Stovebolt engine by just about any reasonably handy person using common tools) for less than $100. It is known far and wide for reliability.
The image of the Pertronix module you sent is not the original wheel model and may work okay. I would say it has to be better.
If you want a very good introduction to electronics, you can download Forrest Mims "Getting Started in Electronics." Good luck.
