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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).
The Delco combined lighting and ignition switch, noting potential design flaws and reliability issues.

Identifier  WestWitteringFiles\G\August1921\  Scan15
Date  1st August 1921
  
To R.R. of America Inc. from R.{Sir Henry Royce}
(For the attention of O.Y.)
Copy to G.J.
" " H.S.
" " EPC.
X

X.805 RE IGNITION SWITCH.

With reference to combined lighting and ignition switch, it is assumed that you are shortly going to adopt a switch like the Delco we have found on the Marmon car.
This switch puzzled us a little at first, but we noticed that the ignition part combined also the charging switch, but that there is no means of running the engine without charging the cells.
Under certain circumstances in summer time we should expect that the cell would be over-charged unless such means were provided. From our experience of this Delco switch we think it is by far the most hopeful design we have yet seen, and it appears to be quite well constructed. We have noticed however that the insulating base is cracked in various places. How and when this occurred, and what the ultimate disadvantage is we do not know, but unless this insulating material can be relied upon to maintain a contact in a tight condition, we should anticipate failure, as most of the electrical connections depend upon the insulation not shrinking through want of elasticity or other changes of temperature or humidity.

R.{Sir Henry Royce}
  
  


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