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).
Reports of battery failures on 40/50 & 20 HP models and a proposal to reduce generator output.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 54\2\ Scan071 | |
| Date | 24th November 1925 | |
| To EY. from EFC. {E. Fowler Clarke - Electrical Engineer} X4617 EFC {E. Fowler Clarke - Electrical Engineer} 1/T24.11.25. RE BATTERY FAILURES ON 40/50 & 20 HP. X46427 I receive unofficial and vague reports from various sources of failures of batteries of the new standard types, but I cannot judge from these just how serious or how satisfactory the battery position is. A comparatively short while ago we were patting ourselves on the back so to speak that we were having very little battery trouble, since arranging for the new standards. I do not believe the position is as bad as the various reports make out. However, the point for my note is that I wish it could be arranged for me to receive more official notice of cases of premature failure on customers' cars, so that I can better judge the position for myself, and I am putting it to you to arrange this if you can as I do not know to whom else more suitably to apply. The question of the moment is as to whether we should reduce the peak output of the generator. Mr. Minchin wants us to reduce it 50% on the issued curves. This appears to me to be too much. Though to some extent we can experience cases of overcharging on our own chassis, we cannot in the nature of things have experience of cases of undercharging, such as might occur on chassis used for Town running, theatre going, etc. In addition I am trying to obtain from Test Dept as much evidence as I can of output figures, these depending very largely upon the varying Contd | ||