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).
Article from 'The Autocar' magazine about the combined electric starting, lighting, and ignition systems, particularly the Delco system used on Cadillac cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 61b\3\ scan0009 | |
| Date | 19th October 1912 | |
| 708 THE AUTOCAR, October 19th, 1912. The Electric Starting and Lighting System. By F.{Mr Friese} S. Bennett, A.M.Mech.E., M.I.A.E. THE writer of this article introduced the combined system of electric starting, lighting, and ignition to this country. He makes no profession of disinterestedness, but the fact remains that his experience of the system is necessarily wider than that of anyone else on this side of the Atlantic, and it is only fair to add that many of his claims have been substantiated by recent R.A.C. trials of the Cadillac electrical equipment.—ED.{J. L. Edwards} Four years ago the Cadillac Co. realised that the crudest thing on a modern car was starting by hand, and as they were directly connected with the Delco Engineering Laboratories, who were then manufacturing a supplementary ignition of very great merit for the Cadillac cars, they joined forces to produce a self-starter, using electricity as the most convenient form of storing the necessary energy to achieve the purpose that they had in view. For two years very thorough experimenting was carried out, not only with their own development, but with all other forms of self-starters that they could hear of and that were worthy of a trial. Numerous devices operated by compressed air, by gas, and by springs were tried, but they were found sadly wanting, and not until this Delco system had demonstrated its high degree of positiveness and efficiency did the Cadillac Co. feel, after all their investigations, experimenting, and testing, that there existed a system which had proved worthy of being incorporated as part of the Cadillac car. About the same time there was one other important development coming to the front, i.e., electric lighting for cars. It was obvious then that the future lighting of cars would be done by electricity on account of its many advantages over acetylene and oil lamps which were common practice. There was a splendid opportunity of combining two really great advances in automobile construction by one invention, and as the Delco ignition system had proved so eminently satisfactory in the past and could be adapted to form part of the new system being developed, in the simplest manner possible, it came about that the three necessary features of the car could be combined in one really very simple unit, and thus the present satisfactory development became a part of every Cadillac car, and, judging by the wonderfully satisfactory experience of the past twelve months, will, I am convinced, not only be used on Cadillac cars, but will also become, in time, a part of every car. I can think of no really good reason why it should not. Taking the objections that have been raised by different critics, I will endeavour to answer them, not from any theory of my own, but from practical experience. Some people seem afraid of an electric accumulator. Now they overlook the very great and vital point that no accumulator has ever been used on any motor car that works under such ideal conditions. First of all, the accumulator is always kept automatically fully charged by the engine and is automatically cut off directly the full charge is in; except for running very slowly and for starting it is not called upon to give any discharge whatever, as the dynamo takes care of the ignition and lighting. The first thought of others is that it is necessary to use a very big accumulator; this is also wrong, as the battery used is only eighty ampère hours. Most motorists will recognise that this is roughly the same as what was used formerly for equivalent of two forty ampère hour accumulators. Another point I would like to mention whilst on the subject of accumulators is that very material advance has been made in accumulator construction for heavy discharge work in America during the last few years, through the great success of electrical trucks which are used very largely, and, I am told, are the most successful form of road locomotion known in their sphere; consequently no great trouble was found in getting an accumulator to stand a fairly high momentary discharge for self-starting, and as the gearing from the motor to the engine was through the periphery of the flywheel it enables the dynamo to be geared down in a very easy manner, and also apply power to turning the engine in the best of all possible ways, by taking advantage of the leverage provided by the diameter of the flywheel, consequently it is found actually in practice that the discharge from the battery for starting does not injure it in any way. Another point I have seen raised is the question of weight. This is also not at all a serious matter, as no one would refuse to put on a most beautiful lighting set for the sake of a few pounds extra weight. Granted that you are going to have the car electrically lighted, all that is required is to design the motor slightly heavier than that used with a normal lighting set, and attach the small gear weighing only a pound or so which slides into mesh with the flywheel. But there is quite a considerable amount of weight displaced by the new system, which brings the balance down to a very small and quite inconsiderable amount; for instance, the magneto, the acetylene generator and piping are displaced, and fairly heavy lamps replaced by lighter ones. Some people may lament doing away with the magneto. On this question I can speak with a great deal of experience, as all Cadillac cars were fitted, in the past few years, with magnetos of the most famous make the world knows; they were also fitted with Delco supplementary ignition. So successful was the latter that I have no hesitation in saying that one is just as good as the other. I am convinced that if the Delco system of ignition had been produced ten years ago, the magneto, perfect as it is, would have had a hard fight against it, but it came out after the magneto had demonstrated how reliable it was, and the public demanded nothing better. There are one or two advantages which the Delco system has over the magneto, such as being able to run the engine exceedingly slowly. The distributer can be placed anywhere most convenient, instead of being on the magneto. The lighting is, of course, a very great advantage, and there is no practical or theoretical argument that can be produced as to why it should not be as reliable a system of electric lighting as any other devised. The R.A.C. test of this shows how reliable this part of the system has been, and the light given by the system is magnificent, objects (five telegraph poles) ahead on the open road being distinctly shown up. No attention whatever was given to the system throughout the test; it was not even found necessary to oil it. Now, as regards the twelve months’ experience the writer has had of the cars delivered, although the first car equipped was delivered in September, 1911, in England, we have yet to receive the first complaint from an owner. One particular feature I ought to mention is the freedom from any attention on behalf of the owner that the system demands. Only once a fortnight do we ask him to put a little distilled water into the battery. The writer when he first heard of this system felt natural misgivings, but the past twelve months have removed the last vestige of doubt as to the entire success of the self-starting, lighting, and ignition system as fitted to the Cadillac cars. H.R. 238A (800) (S.A. 363. 4-9-16) (G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 0970) | ||