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).
Communication discussing failures in the charging system and proposing a switch to a more reliable Bijur dynamo and regulator.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\G\June1921\ Scan48 | |
| Date | 17th June 1921 | |
| To R.R. of America Inc. From R.{Sir Henry Royce} -5- RL/G17/6/21 Contd. charging switch. The reliable operation of this device is of the utmost importance, because should it fail fuses are blown, and the dynamo ceases to operate at its correct speed, in which case it is often the dynamo which gets blamed. This matter was left in the post-war cars almost entirely to the Lucas Company. They seem to have failed to realise the importance of this automatic switch and we, for fear of being thought dogmatic and academically particular did not condemn what we naturally thought was a crude apparatus. At the moment Lucas are endeavouring to let us have a better constructed automatic switch of an entirely higher class construction, and an improved electrical magnetic arrangement. This apparatus is intended to fit into their switch box, and should, to a large extent, clear up the definite failures of the whole of the charging system. We hope to be able to send you a supply of these to replace the defective ones on the cars already delivered. Regarding future dynamos, you will remember that I was always in favour of a constant voltage system, but from tests at the Works it was concluded that the apparatus usually supplied for this purpose was hardly reliable. We believe this to be the case now with reference to most of the makes, but we also believe that the Bijur apparatus is quite passably reliable. We suggest that you write the Bijur people and offer them an advance on their present price of 40 dollars, for a dynamo and regulator of superior quality, and finish, so that they have no excuse for making a cheap and unreliable and poorly finished article, and that they will modify the designs so as to especially adapt it for the space available, as we do not like the Bijur apparatus located on the driver's side of the dashboard in the position shown on 4 EX. The cutouts we have been lately fitting (Contd.) | ||