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).
Dynamo improvements and ignition system usage on the New Phantom and Silver Ghost models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 26\2\ Scan265 | |
| Date | 23th January 1926 | |
| Contd. -3- EFC2/T23.1.26. In addition to that direction of improvement we have, as you know, asked for an alteration of control brush position whereby a reduction of 1 ampere on the peak is effected, and though we understand this has not yet taken effect we trust you will arrange for it to do so a soon as is reasonably consistent with avoidance of scrap. As a still further step, we have in the running a new arrangement of the dynamo with narrower circumferential brushes, the characteristics of which, as regards rise of P.D. on any given battery, are not quite so bad as on the present machine. All these points will help to put this matter right, therefore it is likely that the trouble is only a temporary one. We do think, however, particularly as regards the two sentences quoted from the Instruction Book and referred to in our EFC5/T20.11.25, that they should be materially modified and the customer's impression altered to that in which he may and should run on battery ignition only for some, if a small, proportion of the time of running. Possibly the reason why this trouble has cropped up on the New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I and did not crop up on the Silver Ghost, is the fact that it was easily possible on the Silver Ghost to run with both ignitions without charging. It has to be remembered that in the case of the Silver Ghost, the two ignitions were always (except for test) to be used simultaneous because they are complementary, and customers have got so used to this, having an independent charging switch, that they can readily cut off their charge. Apparently they still think that both ignitions must be used as on the Silver Ghost, but actually this is not the case so universally, and I feel that we want to try and get them to know this, and that they can run without charging by using battery ignition only. The whole argument I clearly set out in an answer to a letter from Mr. Minchin, copy of which letter, our answer and his reply is attached, and if you do not agree with anything I have said in my letter of the 16th Oct. I should be pleased to discuss the matter with you. M/S. 14.10.25 ) EFC2/T 16.1.25) attached. M/S. 21.10.25.) EFC. | ||