New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-03
New Types Shown at
Automobile Show
This Week.
MAGNETOS VERSUS
STORAGE BATTERIES
Demand for Self Starters
Caused Further Development
and Improvement.
By CHARLES +. DURYEA.
Technical Expert.

Al the Automobile Show which
opened on Saturday. visitors will have
an opportunity to observe some new
types of ignition construction which
reveal a high degree Of perfection. The
big problem Of the internal combustion
engine throughout the history OF the
latter is the method OF igniting the
charge of the explosive mixture, and
his has proved difficult beyond any
other detail Of gas engine construction.
Il doubtless interfered with the early
adoption of this type Of motor. which
was suggested even earlier than the
steam engine. 1t certainly hlndered
the coming of the gas engine into its
own as a motor for automobiles, be-
cause only dozen years ago people
were still hanging to the steam engine
because it could be lighted with
match.
Many devices have been proposed for
ignition purposes. The very earliest
Lenoir engines of the early COS used
the modern jump spark plugs and bat
terry with coil. The Brayton engines
of the early EOS used an inside flame
which ignited each charge as admitted.
The Otto engines of the next ten years
used slide valves and transferred the
fame from a pilot light outside the
cylinder TO the compressed charge IN
side. Next came the make and break
electric spark in America and the not
tube kept incandescent by a loren as
used abroad on many autos as tate as
1902
For low speed engines the make ana
break system Is undoubtedly best ana
most reliable and it is used on the vast
majority Of stationary engines DOING
the work OF the world to-day But
because its parts have not oeen de-
veloped to that lightness ana hlgn
speed needed for automobile work ana
also because the jump spark methoG
can be bought in the open market anu
applied TO any design of engine II mas
taken the lead in the auto market ana
is the only system that need De con-
sidered here.
Sparks require electric current. now
ever. and here again the pendulum
swings from one device to another.
The early foreign designers believed
that in a gasolene engine everything
sbould be done by gasolene. and so
they steadfastly chung TO the hot 5uoc
system. Wet batteries were so dirty
and far from being decently portable
that The carly automobiles were much
hammered TO get current from batteries
and quite early turned to magnetos OF
dvnamos. In fact. electric current from
a mechanical generator was proposed
bv a prominent American builder OF
automobiles as early as 1898, and was
used in 1896. and thereafter, years be-
fore the dry cells, now so common
came in. ~.
But magnetos cost money, and cells
were cheaper. so the dry cells became
the favorite source of current. ana
coils and plugs, with more or less crude
timers completed the outfit. Next, TO
reduce the number of coils with multi
plc cylinders. the distributor was IN
troduced. and this enabled one coil ana
vibrator TO serve four or siX.cyllnders.
Quality finally won, and the magnetic
became The favorite and practically
standard equipment. But its success
was shortlived. II had to be turned
at speed 70 produce sparks strong
enough to start a cold motor, and as
motors increased in size and number
of cylinders the fact that II was practl-
cally impossible for the average man TO
spin one became severely evident.
Learning this. the public demanded
and got self-startcrs; one Improvement
necessitating another. Then again the
pendulum swung. The self-starter had
TO have a source of current Of the cleo
trio variety, and this could only be
supplied by battery, storage batteries
beng used. But if storage batteries
were TO be carried there was no need
for the magnetic. as the coil and bat
terry would provide an ever ready igni-
ton.
So to-day the storage battery with
coil is the preferred form and is to
be seen on probably the majority OF
the cars at the great Automobile Show
at Grand Central Palace. To keep 1t
charged a small generator or dynamo
is used OF course. What the next
swing of the pendulum will bring re-
mains yet TO be seen Some designers
arc looking forward TO the ignition
that can be lighted with a match and
needs no delicate or complicated cleo
trio apparatus.