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).
Use of 4-magneto versus 2-magneto ignition systems on the Eagle engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 52\3\ Scan228 | |
| Date | 21th May 1917 | |
| To EF. from E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Re 4 Magnetos on Eagle EG/B21.5.17. (1) We objected on the score of weight. (2) Only 2 magnetos were actually available for each engine I understood. (3) These engines are intended for land machines where the running periods are not long and therefore the attention is more frequent, and the possibilities of breakdown are not so great. The Eagles at present maintain their 4-magneto wheelcase mainly owing to the fact that this is the condition in which they happened to be when the point was raised. As matters then stood, we should probably have wanted to re-alter the Eagle to 2 magnetos, but we have subsequently learnt that all Eagles are to be used on seaplanes, for which particular duty double spark ignition is highly desirable, I do not know how the magneto output question stands at the present moment, but I believe that outgoing engines are fed by means of magneto taken from engines which have gone out of service. X. 2814 The latest development is a proposal by the Air Board to fit Remy ignition for the second spark to both Eagles and Falcons. This would be placed on the rear of one of the camshaft casings, and the engine thus fitted required only a 2 magneto wheelcase. Series 8 Eagles, however, in any case are committed to a 4-magneto drive, as delivery of the first of this series commences within 6 or 7 weeks. The 4 magneto drive cannot be stopped easily so that we may have the first part of series 8 carrying a 4 magneto wheelcase, two ignition magnetos and a starting magneto n | ||