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).
Proposal for an indicator light on the instrument board to prevent damage to flywheel starter rings.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 56\4\ Scan121 | |
| Date | 15th April 1929 | |
| E7c x5650 ? Pt.9/EAP/15-4-29 Groomths MELBOURNE. - 15th April, 1929 BY/Derby c.Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Derby c.Whr{Mr Wheeler}/London Cases of damaged fly wheel starter rings on 20 h.p. Rolls-Royce Chasses, due to depressing starter pedal inadvertently when engine is running owing to silence of same, are becoming so embarrassingly frequent that I would like to suggest that the placing of something in the nature of an indicator, upon the instrument board, be given consideration. It seems to me that the simplest way to do this would be to make the peg against which the dial hand rests at zero in the oil gauge, an insulated terminal in circuit with a colored light, so that, should the engine be stationary, this light is illuminated when the ignition switch is placed in the "on" position, - the ignition switch operating this indicator circuit in addition to the ignition circuit. Immediately upon the engine starting up, the dial hand of the oil pressure gauge would leave the peg, and thus break the circuit. Should the engine be stopped on the throttle, and the ignition switch left on the "on" position, the colored light would again indicate that this had happened, but would be extinguished upon placing the ignition switch in the "off" position, - thus preventing the running down of batteries when car is left standing for long periods. I am sure that something of this kind would be very much appreciated by owners. Pt. [Signature] | ||