Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-02
Expert Discusses Distributor Sys-
tenn and Explains Use OF the
Interrupted Device.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Gucrrlich Replies to Many Car Own
crs' Inquiries, Solving Their Prob
lens In Language Readily Under
stood by the Laymun.

You will recall that the TRANSFORMED
ton of the current from low to high
voltage occurred the moment the core
was magnetiZed or deinagnctiZed by
sending Il current OF electricity through
inc primary coil. or by stopping the
How of this current. respectively.
The faster the core is inngnetiZed or
demasnetized the more intense will be
The secondary current.
AS the flow OF the current can be
more quickly stopped. and thus the
core more quickly deinagnctizcd, than
me core thus ipagnet!zcd. practically
all ignition systems are designed 10
give the spark when the current is
stopped. Thus all ignition systems
must have some device for stopping or
interrupting the flow Of the primary
circuit. In the Distributor System this
device is called the intcrruptcr
In the sketch herewith. an Interrupt
ter is shown The came "E" ~ rast-
ened to shaft. which is made to re-
volve. the usual practice being TO drive
i from the cam shaft Of the engine.
This cam t. YOU VIII notice, has on ii
iour offsets or hammers OBJ. there
VIII be six on s!x-cyiindcr .ngiucj
"nlch hammers. when the cam IS re-
volv!ng. Will strike the point & ON Tn.
arm y. thus pushing this arm down
ward. You viii also notlc. tina. the
Arm cam swing on tn. pin +, ana
that the other end has a point ca.
whlch rests against the point Ia). il,
being pressed against this by the spriu,.
Thus as the cam J.: rcvolves. cacis
time a hammer hits against e. the arm
is driven Downward and the points
iAl and ta) separated
Now. II current Of electricity were
sent through the wire Il. i, wo:,!d enter
az the terminal l.. pass through the
p,IvKet 81. through the points ta) ana
~. the arm \. TO T. and out through
the wire y. When. however the ham
mers on l. hi; the point q, thus scpar-
ai!ng the points y and a. this circuI,
VIII be broken. and the current inter
rupied.
We arc now ready 10 study what is
I,En,. as the Distributor system OF
Ishition. system /. We exclude the
Ford cars which Was furnished on
ABOUT 80 per cent OF the cars built in
the last fcw years
This system has two circuits 4. rri-
mary ana secondary. Let US see what
units there must be in the primary
circuit, and ,hen the units there viii
nave 10 b" in the secondary.
MUST FIRST CAUSE:
SOURCE or CURRENT
In the primary We must first have
source or current. which usuaiI- l..
a storage battery. AS the engine n,
stopped by stopping the spark. We mus;
< nave "A switch which is near the driv-
err seat so that he can disconnegt the
"a '.cIs al Will We must have a coil
( OF wire around the core. ana wc must
T. have an interruptcr.
The drawing shows how these units
arc assembled. The current Will star
at the battery. then go through ;h,
switch. then through the coll about
me core. then through the wire Il, the
49, 1870 point and a, and arm y.
stths wire shown as dotien line.
s,,. EScry time the above circuit is
Abrokcn By the interrupter points "a
ana 'a) separating. there viii be :,
shot OF high voltage in the SECONDARY
whlch VIII start on the coil and 30
throueh the wire Y. This current must
go TO the spark plugs. and. IN a four
e!ilhucr engine. 10 four plugs at diff
terent times. and in certain order.
mat is. the firing order. Here is Il
IN In .Ns.Ar.
out one wire. and four plugs 10 get
INC current at different times How
can We overcome II?
REVOLVING SWITCH
ONi;RC0MES DIFFICULTY
We can overcome this ,lifficuity bv
having Il revolving switch which viii
switch or distribute the current 80
me plugs in the required firing order.
; nuSm a JwitGn or distributor. as i, is
termed Is shown in the drawing
That is drum. the she'll IL OF
winch Is made of an insulating ma
terial. but which has inserted in il
AT regular intervals metal pieces hav-
ing binding posts for ii Wire Re
HolvinS inside the drum is a rotor
made of good conducting material
which VIII come IN contact with the
metal pieces arove referred to uhcy
are called scSmcnts) one after the
IL the main secondary wiro V 10
connected TO the center OF the rotor
i. as this rotatcs. il Will send the
current to the plugs in the order IN
% cn,, inc wires are connected to the
scGments. In the drawing segment
q is connected TO the wire Of plug !,
Is TO the wire OF plug >, G to plug
ana D to plug. Thus the current
VIII go TO the plugs in this order and
the cylinders will be fred in this
order.
The distributor Is usually placed
interrupted cam and the distributor
rotor being on the same shaft but
Insulated one from the other. They
are SO set that the rotor is In CON
tact with one Of the ,Segments every
time one OF the hammers OF the in
terrupter hits the piece c. of the arm
=, or in other words, every time the
primary current is INTERRUPTED
TO again trace the secondary cur
rent. we find now that il starts at
the coil, then Goves to the distributor
in the firing order, and must now re-
turn to the coil, so as TO complete the
circuit: Instead of running wire
back from each plug to the coil. the
and the current is allowed 10 return
through the metal of the engine to a
single wire. which comes from the coil,
aud is somewhere connected to the en-
Sinc, or as we saw in previous les
son. through the ground.
IN MOST SYSTEMS PRIMARY
CURRENT Is GROUNDED
In most systems tho primary cur
rent Is also allowed to return through
tho ground. Thus. in the drawing.
one wire. from the battery is ground
cd and the arm n is grounded so that
the current goes from \ to the bat
terry wire through the ground. There
VIII, however. he no wire from Il. as
shown, the pin Il being OF metal, thus.
unless insulated, il is grounded
Let us again review this system. If
we want TO start the engine, we close
the switch, thus an electric current will
flow from the battery through the
switch. the coil, the interrupter and
then through the ground back of the
battery.
IL we now crank the engine. VIC
VIII also make the shaft Is, on which
both the interrupter cam Il and dis
trioutor rotor are fastened revolve,
with the result that one Of the ham,
n,ers Il Will hit the point & and thus
interrupt the primary circuit, and there
VIII be shot Of high voltage current
through the secondary wire 10 The
rotor II and out thrnurh thnt ra.r-