From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Issues with a magneto, including friction, component fitment, and overheating due to suspected eddy currents.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 36\1\ scan 097 | |
| Date | 2nd May 1917 guessed | |
| Contd. -2- question with regard to the extra weight under the fibre block on Cam) friction having caused this. I have prepared a phosphor bronze and reamered the hole in the Rocking Lever so that it will roll on both surfaces. The taper cone on the Watford Magnetos will certainly have to be improved, I was unable to find a true running one and the tapers were all slightly different, and the contact breaker was turned to suit, packing the cone until same did run true, with an equal amount of break on both cams. Is not .023" of an opening on the platinum point too weak? There were slight irregularities on the cam just before the break occurred, this seems to be due to the grinding machine fitted on the Atlas machine, it will have to be run at a much higher speed. There is one important point which I would like to point out to you, that is the whole magneto gets excessively hot not due to the cam or the bearings being a universal heat but seemingly to me to point to excessive eddy currents, probably if the pole pieces were laminated and the armature properly laminated, it would help this to keep cooler. I found this a great trouble with our armatures. (Sgd) W. Ellis. | ||