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).
Letter from A.T. Speedometer Co. about a breakage issue with a light-weight speedometer's trip mechanism and the development of a clutch to fix it.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 59\2\ Scan371 | |
| Date | 22th March 1934 | |
| The A.T. SPEEDOMETER Co., Ltd. MAGNETIC SPEEDOMETERS & Motor Clocks REVOLUTION INDICATORS FOR MOTOR CARS, MOTOR BOATS, AND ENGINES, MILEAGE RECORDERS, ETC. DIRECTORS. W. Henderson-Cleland. A.{Mr Adams} Gordon Smith. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Buckland. YOUR REF. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst.5/MA. PLEASE QUOTE OUR REF. HRB/B. CHRONOS WORKS, NORTH CIRCULAR ROAD, LONDON, N.W.2. ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE COMPANY. Telephone: GLADSTONE 1136 (4 Lines). Telegrams: Aytespeedo, Crickle, London. 22nd March, 1934. Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Derby. For the attention of Mr. West. Dear Sirs, With reference to the trouble that the trip has given in the new light-weight Speedometer, we received your telegram and would confirm the writer's immediate telephone call to you on the subject. The fact is that the trip in this sample instrument was not provided with a clutch mechanism, to prevent strain or breakage when the figures are set to zero and in the event of anyone trying to move them further. When the first breakage occurred, we thought that we had got over this little difficulty by rounding off the end cam, as explained to Mr. West when Mr. Buckland was with you last Friday week. Immediately on his return, however, and before the trip broke again, we found that this would not entirely dispose of the risk, and the writer then telephoned to Mr. West and endeavoured to explain the position. The rounding off of this cam certainly does away with any risk of actual breakage through setting to zero, but it allowed the figures to go past the zero point and, when this happened, the trip figures shown would, of course, be all over the place. This is the position at present, and we are now progressing as fast as we can to evolve a clutch mechanism which will finally dispose of this trouble. We note your instructions to produce a further sample instrument and we are proceeding with all speed, and, of course, this safety device in the trip will be incorporated. | ||