To clarify, the engine will ping, never heard the term pink. Might be common on the other side of the pond though. Predetonation if you will, when the compressed A/F mixture will self ignite, either from the compression or other factors like carbon buildup, running lean among other things.
The advance curve is simple. When at an idle, an engine doen't need a lot of advance. There is not a lot of fuel to burn so it doesn't take long for the flame to work it's way down, just for giggles say the base timing at idle is 10 deg BTDC. As the RPM's increase, more time is needed for the flame in the cylinder to completley burn so the plug needs to fire sooner, like mayeb 40 deg BTDC. With old cars it was done with engine vacuum and weighted cams. Today it is controlled through the ECM which can advance or retard the timing to suit engine needs. If you were to plot it all out as far as how much timing is needed for every RPM point, ou would see where the term curve comes from.
CDI refers to a type of ignition which is usually employed in higher revving engine due to shorter saturation times. A capacitor will charge way faster than an inducter can.
When running the advancer plate, premium high octane fuel is a must.
