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).
Complaints of electric shocks from Bentley horn buttons, attributing the issue to poor earthing and proposing solutions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 59\3\ Scan283 | |
| Date | 10th July 1934 | |
| r1069. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} From Ha/Wst. c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} Ha/Wst.6/MA.10.7.34. ELECTRIC SHOCKS FROM BENTLEY HORN BUTTONS. A number of complaints have been received of people receiving electric shocks from operating the horn button when their feet or free hand has been touching some earthed part of the chassis. We have investigated this complaint and consider it to be due to the poor earthing arrangement of the horn button. The earth provided by the fit in the lubricated guide and the pressure of the spring may be alright for ordinary battery currents but the high frequency currents which have to pass to earth at this point due to the combination of the horn coils with condenser in parallel require very special direct earthing to avoid momentary high voltages building up. We suggest that we either immediately put in hand a moulded Bakelite knob to avoid the transmission of the shocks or arrange for a positive earthing flexible wire to be incorporated at this point. Ha/Wst. | ||