Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-09
s|MPL|F|ED LESSONS IN
CARE OF AUTOMOBILE
Ignition System nf Automobile DC
scribec i'm Plain Language
by Expert.
TERMS IN COMMON Isl
Guerrlich Explains Meaning OF Volt,
Ampcrc aud Other Electrical In
presSionS-EfTcct OF Too Much
Current.
Copyright, 1912, by Frederick {
Guerr!:ch.)
ALTO LESSON 40. L..

BY 1.-The ignition system" is mean,
all those devices. with their necessary
the spark or flame which will ignite
the mixture. thus causing the explosion
which makes the engine go.
In the automobile the ignition is ac-
complished e!ectrically the well-known
properties aud actions OF an electrical
curren; being Utilized.
To understand tho ignition system
therefore. We must know some OK the
simple laws OF electricity. and ] viii
first explain these laws and what the
various terms used so often. mean
BY comparus the low of electrical
current through wire. 20 the flow OF
water through pipe. | believe can
more readily make YOU understand
these laws and TENS
VOLT UNIT oi' MEASURE
Or ELECTRIC PRESSURE:
First OF al, if you had line OF pipe
with water motor or other water
operated device at one end. and you
wanted water 10 flow through This
pipe. YOU should have to have some
pressure NJ the source TO force it
through ii YOU knew what the pres
sure were. YOU would say that IL was
certain number OF pounds. So. like
wise. TO have a current Of electricity
flow through Il wire. electric motor or
ether electrically operated device. YOU
would have 20 have a pressure at the
source 20 force the current through
An electrician would say, that the cur,
rent had Il certain number of ;'volts"
pressure. The volt, therefore, is the
Unit of measure OF electrical pressure
This should explain 10 you the terms
nigh voltage and low voltage. They
mean high pressure or low pressure. .
What docs the ampere. or amperage,
mean? Referring again to our pipe,
with water flowing through il. If you
wanted 10 know how much water was
Bassing through during a minute. say.
you would pat meter in the line and
likewise. You can measure the amount
OF current, passing through a wire, but
i in;n;a OF Saxins gallons. the elee-
fent has u certain h!nperage.
AMPERE UNIT Or MEASURE
OF RATE OF CURRENTS FLOW
Thus. the ampetc is the unit of
measure OF the electrical rate of flow,
or OF the quantity flowing.
There are certain materials. such as
rubber, niIC. and porcelain. through
which an electrical current cannot
pass: likewise. there are materials
former we cal nonconGuctors. or in
sulaiinS materials, the latter conduc-
Tors;
the automobile TO obtain the cleo
trical current, namely. the dry cell.
which is device by which the cur
rent is made due TO 4 chemical ac-
tion; the storage battery. "A device
by which the current from some other
source Is stored up, TO be used al will;
the magnetic and generator or dynamo.
by which some OF the energy of the
engine is concerted into electricity.
\ dry cell usually has an outer
shell made OF zinc, next TO which are
placed a number of layers of blotting
paper saturated with a solution of sal
ammoniac and water. In the center is
a piece of carbon, the space between
this and the hlotting paper being filled
up with either coke or SawduSt. The
top of the battery is then sealed.
If wire be connected TO the inner
carbon, then run 70 the units where
the current is required, and then back
20 the zinc OF the battery, a current
having pressure OF about one and
one half volts will, due 10 chemical
action between the zinc and the so!u-
ton in the blotting paper, flow from
the carbon through the units and re-
turn 10 the zinc.
The current coming from The carbon
we say L Is the positive pole and the
screw for fastening the wire to II
the positive terminal while the zinc
10 which the current returns, is the
negative pole ana its screw the mega
tive terminal. ! might say here that
in all devices which give electrical
current, the terminal from which the
current flows is called tho positive,
usually marked tN), while the one to
when thc.. current returns is called
the negatiye, and is usually marked
(-).
a dry cell will yield current hav
ing pressure of one and one-half
volts, this pressure not being affect
ed by Us side, as a small vest poke,
eel VII! have the same voltage as
one OF the size OF 4 barrel would have
The quantity, or amperaga or cur
rent. however. vii! vary with the size
The standard size cell when fresh gives
from twenty TO twenty-iiv ampercs
TO increase the voltage the usual