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 investigation of a failing magneto from a Delage car.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\I\July1922\ Scan14 | |
| Date | 10th July 1922 | |
| To EFC. from DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} X 4334 - RE. SEV. MAGNETO OFF DELAGE. We are sending you under separate cover the magneto off this car. It's history is that it broke down when we were in Derby by burning the H.T. collector ring at the driving end, and breaking a brush. This was repaired by the Derby Works with a slip-ring off another magneto and the car then ran alright until about a fortnight ago Mr. Royce was stopped on the road through the magneto failing. We took the magneto down and cleaned it a little, but did nothing to it, put it up again and it restarted the engine for a short while and then broke down again - this time permanently, as far as we could tell. The theory is that there is an intermittent breakdown probably on the armature - either a pierced condenser or as we think more likely a broken L.T. connection which occasionally makes itself again. When we tried the armature with an accumulator we were able to get long sparks off it, and there was in fact no indication of anything wrong. Mr. Royce thinks that the increased potential due to the arrangement of the magneto may have something to do with it's failure. In any case we think that the segments on the collector ring are in the wrong place with reference to the make and break. Mr. Royce would like you to investigate this magneto and tell us if possible what has actually happened. The H.T. distributor rings and the cover for the contact breaker are all taken off the new magneto which was sent down. The corresponding old pieces are still on the car fitted to the new magneto. DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} | ||