Excerpt from Automobile Starting, Lighting, and Ignition: Elementary Principles, Practical Application, Wiring Diagrams, and Repair Hints; A Complete Exposition Explaining All Forms of Electrical Ignition Systems Used With Internal Combustion Engines of All Types

There has been no part of the automobile that has been changed more often than the ignition system. The first cars had simple battery and coil ignition, then with the introduction of the high tension magneto the systems were usually combined on the same engine in order to secure double ignition systems, either one being independent of the other. Later, as the magneto became refined and improved, a number of makers discarded the battery ignition system and placed their entire reliance on the magneto. With the coming of the demand for electrical motor starting and lighting systems came a revival of the battery ignition method which had been discarded for the high tension magneto. The main reason for using the magneto in preference to the battery system was that ignition became weaker with the latter after the engine had been run for a time owing to a lessened output of the battery. The magneto which generates electricity by a mechani cal process had the advantage because the faster it was driven the more current it delivered.

In the modern automobiles an electrical current generator is provided, run by the engine which is depended on to charge a storage battery while the motor is running, the current for igni tion and lighting being taken from the storage battery instead of directly from the generator which delivers a current of varying output depending upon the engine speed which in turn regulates the rate of generator armature rotation. On many cars therefore, the battery ignition systems are used as the use of the generator keeps the battery charged always to the proper point for securing energetic ignition. The automobile repairman will have ears to repair that will use a wide variety of ignition systems, as many of those fitted with the simple battery and coil are still in use while a very large number are equipped solely with the high ten sion magneto. Many of the newer cars use improved battery igni tion systems with the high tension magneto eliminated.

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