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).
The use of voltmeters versus ammeters and the cause of poor ignition point performance.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\P\2July1926-September1926\ Scan083 | |
| Date | 21th August 1926 | |
| Contd. -3- EFC2/T21.8.26. Another point against the use of the voltmeter is that where the driver has sufficient technical knowledge satisfactorily to interpret the indications, with a view to proper manual control of the charge, practically the same result could be obtained by an intelligent use of the ammeter indications. The above has been written not so much with the idea of suggesting that a voltmeter on the system is of no material use, but to counteract the idea that the provision and use of a voltmeter will be an end to what few troubles we have experienced. As likely as not, the battery on a car run by a driver who regularly switches off the charge whenever by the indication of the voltmeter he thinks this desirable, would suffer from undercharging. Another point that we wish to refute is the idea that the high voltage is the cause of the (in some cases) poor working of the battery ignition platinum points. This is not the case. In fact, the voltage is scarcely perceptibly higher than it has always been for a so-called 12-volt system when the battery is on full rate of charge. It would rather appear that the existence of 17.0 volts on a 12-volt system has latterly been more realised to exist than in time past. EFC. | ||