Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-11
ELECTRIC LIGHTS MADE
FEASIBLE FOR ALL AUTOS
Small Dynamo Geared TO Engine
Furnishes Juice

Thanks to the advent of the tungsten
lamp the electric lighting of motor cars
diEpense with the dim, uncleanly and
odorous oil burner in the side and tail
lamps but high-poWered tungsten bulbs
may be substituted for the acetylene burn
ers In the headlights with excellent results.
Tungsten bulbs require hardly more than
one-third the current for tho production
of a given amount of light as do the car
bon filament bulbs which were formerly
used, and the quality of Light is much whittier
and more desirable. 1t is this extreme econ
omy of the tungsten ilament which has
solved the problem. Hitherto a very large
and heavy storage battery was required TO
furnish current required TO light a motor car
even for a few hours only, but with tungsten
bulbs given amount of light may be
maintained for nearly three times as long
from storage battery of given size as
when carbon lamps were used; looking
at the matter from the other point of view,
n battery of practicable size and weight
will now supply the full lamp equipment
for a satisfactory length of time, While
many cars are successfully electrically
lighted from storage batteries which are
periodically recharged at the garage, the
tendency seems TO be to make the car
lighting system self-sufficient and inde-
pendent of outside replenishment.
To this end the small specially designed
dynamo driven by the vehicle motor is
rapidly being introduced The dynamo is
so connected as constantly to keep fully
charged a storage battery which is the
immediate course of current for the lamps
whether not the vehicle motor is
ming. An automatic governing device sets
the dynamos charging the battery soon
the vehicle engine is started and dis
connects the dynamo from the battery
whenever the engine stops that the bat
terry shall not waste its charge by send
ing current back through the dynamo
The dynamos may be located under the
hood under the body OF the In
the first place II Is driven by gearing
silent chain from the crank shaft Of the
engine or from one of the other shafts, the
dynamos being of an especially compact
but powerful design. 1t may in some cases
be driven by a friction pulley pressed
under the body the dynamo Ia usually
driven by of silent chain taking
power from the clutch shaft. In either
case the power required to drive it is prac-
tically inapprecable.
The bulbs used in the side and tail lamp
are usually of six and four candle power
respectively, and those used in the search
lights are generally Of 16 or 20 candle
power IT is customary to retain the oil
and acetylene burners In their respective
lamps for emergency use, special combina-
tion lamps providing for this being on the
market; or If such lamps not desired,
adapters are to be had which enable the
electric bulbs to be installed IN existing oil
and gas lamps without dlsplacing the old
system.
Electric bulbs ara turned on and Off by
switches and require the uss OF no matches;
they will not blow out tarnish the re-
fectors of their lamps they are brilliant
and free from Objectionable odor Another
point IN favor Of the electric vehicle light
ing from a dynamo and storage battery is
that ignition current may be unfailinely
obtained from the lighting battery. charged
as IL constantly is from the dynamo. After
a dynamo-fed lighting system IS once In
stalled upon a car the expense Of running
the same is extremely low.