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).
Technical discussion on automatic ignition and carburation control systems, including the Stanton system and competitors.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 41\4\ Scan022 | |
| Date | 28th January 1930 guessed | |
| - 4 - A total range of 60º on crank seems to be required and this has to be taken entirely on the ignition head, thus twisting the H.T. cables much more than the standard arrangement in which the auto-advance occurs through the cam. By the combination of Stanton spark and carburation control on an automobile the engine operation is taken entirely out of the hands of the driver and is fully automatic. The carburation is enriched for starting and becomes leaner as the engine warms up, but is enriched again as required for acceleration. The ignition is fully retarded when the engine is stationary, advances as required as soon as engine fires, retards itself for acceleration, advances as speed increases, but retards again considerably if the car is kept running full throttle, due to the speeding-up of combustion by increased engine temperatures. In actual results on the road there is of course increased economy, also improved acceleration, and no "roughening-up" in prolonged high speed pulling. Engines which will not run evenly when idling or pulling along the level at low speeds, when fitted with the ordinary centrifugal advance, will do so with the Stanton advance even when carburation is deliberately set to the "lean" limit. Popping in the exhaust should be decreased. We do not know whether it is. The Marvel Carburetter Co. are taking up the device in the double form (ignition and carburetter) because the carburetter maker gets the blame for bad part throttle operation which is really the fault of the enormous departure from correct ignition advance, caused by present advance-mechanism. General Motors, who were formerly working with Mr. Stanton, but dropped him because he would not grant exclusive rights for past and future work, are now working on the alternative advance mechanism (of which you doubtless know) in which the centrifugal advance is retained, and intake manifold operation by Sylphon bellows substituted for the hand-control. They have bought up all patents on this. It requires less experiment than Stanton's but is more empirical since it takes no account of actual working conditions, engine temperature, etc., and does not produce full retard when engine is at rest. - continued - | ||