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).
Response letter to a customer's criticism regarding the instruments on a Phantom III chassis, particularly the ammeter.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 165\3\ img160 | |
| Date | 1st February 1937 | |
| C.1/MK: S. Harris Esq., 80/82, Wardour Street, LONDON, W. 1. Dear Mr. Harris, Your criticism of the instruments of your Phantom III chassis have been reported to me and I have had the matter investigated. In the first place, I would like to assure you that there is no question whatever of the instruments being cheap. On the contrary, they are, in the opinion of our own technical people, the best available and the most suitable for the conditions under which they have to function. It is true that they differ from earlier instruments but this is because, in our anxiety to keep abreast of modern development, we have found it necessary to re-design them so as to obtain improved illumination during the hours of darkness, whilst changes in the chassis have naturally necessitated modifications to their mechanisms. As regards the ammeter which, I gather, has been particularly criticised, this instrument was specially designed and is made to suit the very efficient voltage controlled dynamo we now fit. A voltage controlled dynamo is designed to adjust its output to the demands of the electrical equipment of the car and so guard against overcharging or undercharging of the battery. The output constantly varies and consequently the needle of the ammeter continually fluctuates. If it did not fluctuate, it would be showing an untrue reading of the output of the dynamo. Moreover, to eliminate the fluctuations of the needle would mean damping it to such an extent that it would not move at all. The instrument we fit is not a cheap one and, in fact, | ||