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).
Issues with glass-enclosed fuses and a foot-switch for dimming.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 166\7\ img058 | |
| Date | 5th November 1936 | |
| Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/CWH. c. BY/RD. WST 86071. BY.9/G.5.11.36. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - RE: FUSES ENCLOSED IN GLASS TUBES. Referring to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}16/JH.29.10.36. and Mr. Hancock's complaint to same on the above subject, we found in March last that the fuse enclosed in the glass tube was not being produced as well as it should be, the soldering of the fuse wire in position was poor, and the fusing current was not clearly marked on the piece. We took the matter up with the makers, Messrs. Weeks of Luton, at that time, and arranged for a depression to be put in the small pressing and for the fuse wire to be made long enough to be bent right over and the depression filled with solder. Since receiving the complaint Mr. Davis has personally examined some 500 fuses, a large number have been destroyed by running the solder off to check whether the wire was brought right through the end and bent over so as to be retained in the depression, and give a large surface of the wire for soldering to the cap. We have only found one which looked doubtful, and filing this down demonstrated that it was actually satisfactory, the soldering being sound and the wire in intimate metallic connection with the cap. In order to make this point doubly secure, we are suggesting a further slight modification to the makers, but we feel from the evidence that there is not likely to be any further trouble with these fuses. Re Foot-switch for dimming. We are of the opinion that the shorting has been caused by the coachbuilders dismantling the parts in fitting the floorboards, losing one of the screws and fitting one of their own which has been too long and actually caused a short by touching a live part of the switch. We are asking Mr. Archer to make a point of inspecting these screws before the car is delivered to the customer, in order to make certain that they are the original screws. Furthermore, we will arrange to have the screws in question which retain the cover in any future design fixed in positions where there is no live portion of the switch immediately beneath them. By BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||