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 advantages of a linked ignition system with a light governor and oil relay to prevent detonation.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65\1\ scan0178 | |
| Date | 29th September 1926 | |
| contd :- -3- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/LG29.9.26 ----------------- Two separate governors would be exceedingly difficult to synchronise initially, and in addition could never be expected to maintain this synchronisation over their full range indefinitely. This would mean that the car would be subject to detonation soon after it left the Works. Actually in the Phantom cylinder head the plugs are close together, and so the benefit of synchronised ignitions is not fully realised with regard to detonation, hence there is not a noticeable difference in this respect whether one ignition or both ignitions are in operation. In the R-R systems, the two ignitions are linked together so that their movement for automatic advance is always identical. A very light governor gives the required advance characteristics and its movements are transmitted to the linkage via the oil relay. This exactly reproduces the movement of the governor but augments some 20 times the force available for moving the linkage. The layout provides positive synchronisation of both ignitions at all speeds, and also automatic advance to suit the engine requirements, the latter being unaffected by any stiffness which can normally occur in the controls due to the enormous amplification in the governor effort produced by the oil relay. Other more obvious advantages that are obtained contd :- | ||