6-cylinder ignition equipment manufactured by Messrs Rolls Royce Ltd.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 164\5\ img109 | |
| Date | 3rd December 1931 guessed | |
| REPORT ON 6 CYL. IGNITION EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURED BY MESSRS ROLLS ROYCE LTD. 12 volt 6 cyl: Distrib: No.VL. {V. Lewis / Mr Valentine} 45. Non automatic. Coil No. D.72503.SR95X. Clockwise rotation, earth return. The ignition equipment was received from Rolls Royce, together with other electrical apparatus of their manufacture lent to us for comparison with our own, samples of our corresponding equipment being submitted to them in return. The distributor is an aluminium casting with jump spark type moulded cap. It is presumably intended to fit on the engine in such a position that an existing engine shaft can be used for the distributor cam shaft, as no shaft was sent, the cam being sent separately. A ball bearing is fitted beneath the contact breaker mechanism to provide an upper bearing for the cam shaft, the cam is designed to fit on a tapered spindle and the fixing of the rotor arm is also by means of a taper with a key to prevent relative rotation. The distributor arm is of disc type used on American Bosch, a nickel electrode being screwed into moulded inserts in the disc. The distributor top has replaceable nickel inserts and is provided with two gauze covered ventilation windows. This type of ventilation in our experience is very liable to become inoperative owing to the gauzes becoming clogged. The cables are fixed in a somewhat similar manner to our DJ distributor, with the exception that - (a) the screw threads are not moulded, but are cut in metal inserts in both nut and distributor cap. This latter insert is level with the bakelite on the outside so that the tracking distance between terminals is reduced. (b) The metal portion of the nut through which the cable is threaded rotates and is, therefore, liable to twist the cable when being screwed. The distributor cap is held down by two spring clips incorporating a toggle action which makes the cap easily removable without straining the fingers. This arrangement works well and is quite desirable refinement for a high class car. The contact breaker lever is a brass pressing with a bronze or gunmetal bearing. The lever is long (approx) 1 1/4" from contact centre to pivot) and is obviously poor from the flinging point of view, but fling tests have not been carried out as the high speed performance is adequate with the coil provided, for a comparatively low speed engine. | ||
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).