Many early cars had no electrical systems whatsoever - not one wire in the entire vehicle. the engine was cranked by hand. Ignition might have been supplied by a platinum tube heated by a flame. If a driver was adventurous enough to attempt driving at night, acetylene lamps were used to light up the road.
Hand cranking limited the use of the automobiles to those with strong arms and backs. The hand cranking also presented a dangerous situation when it kicked back. These were big factors in the electricification of the automobile.
In 1910, Bryon T. Carter, whose Cartercar Company had been bought out by GM, stopped to help a woman whose car had stalled on a bridge. While attemping to start the engine, the hand crank kicked back, breaking his arm and jaw. He was admitted to the hospital, whre he contracted pneumonia and died.
Henry leland, head of Cadillac at the time , knew Carter. He was horrified to hear of Carter's death and directed his executives to find a way to eliminate the hand crank. Charles "Boss" Kettering was commissioned by Cadillac for the job. This ingenious inventer (one of the founders of Delco) came back with a design for the 1st integrated electrical system. It included not only an electric starter and battery, but also a generator. The job of the generator was to keep the battery charged and to power the sustem's accesories, which included headlights and dependable point-type electrical ignition system. This landmark in automotive history appeared on the 1912 Cadillac.
As more and more electrically powered accessories appeared on vehicles on cars, electrical load requirements began to exceed teh capacity of the direct current (DC) generator use until the 1960s. In 1960 Chrysler introduced the "alternator", which is actually and alternating current (AC) generator. Diodes within the alternator converts AC output to the DC required by the automobile electrical system. Unlike DC generator, an alternator produces plenty of current at low rpm.
The ever-increasing list of electrical accessories also resulted in larger bundles of wires under the dash. locating a short circuit or bad ground requires an accurate wiring diagram and can be time consuming.
Today, electronic components have been added to vehicle electrical systems. Electronic engine management systems provide increased performance, better fuel economy, and lower exhaust emissions. many cars have a sophisticated onboard computer that controls several specialized computers. The use of fiber optics (Audis for example) and multiplexing has made it possible to eliminate the large bundles of wiring fround on older vehicles. troubleshooting and repair of these electronic systems requires a good deal of training and experience.
Hand cranking limited the use of the automobiles to those with strong arms and backs. The hand cranking also presented a dangerous situation when it kicked back. These were big factors in the electricification of the automobile.
In 1910, Bryon T. Carter, whose Cartercar Company had been bought out by GM, stopped to help a woman whose car had stalled on a bridge. While attemping to start the engine, the hand crank kicked back, breaking his arm and jaw. He was admitted to the hospital, whre he contracted pneumonia and died.
Henry leland, head of Cadillac at the time , knew Carter. He was horrified to hear of Carter's death and directed his executives to find a way to eliminate the hand crank. Charles "Boss" Kettering was commissioned by Cadillac for the job. This ingenious inventer (one of the founders of Delco) came back with a design for the 1st integrated electrical system. It included not only an electric starter and battery, but also a generator. The job of the generator was to keep the battery charged and to power the sustem's accesories, which included headlights and dependable point-type electrical ignition system. This landmark in automotive history appeared on the 1912 Cadillac.
As more and more electrically powered accessories appeared on vehicles on cars, electrical load requirements began to exceed teh capacity of the direct current (DC) generator use until the 1960s. In 1960 Chrysler introduced the "alternator", which is actually and alternating current (AC) generator. Diodes within the alternator converts AC output to the DC required by the automobile electrical system. Unlike DC generator, an alternator produces plenty of current at low rpm.
The ever-increasing list of electrical accessories also resulted in larger bundles of wires under the dash. locating a short circuit or bad ground requires an accurate wiring diagram and can be time consuming.
Today, electronic components have been added to vehicle electrical systems. Electronic engine management systems provide increased performance, better fuel economy, and lower exhaust emissions. many cars have a sophisticated onboard computer that controls several specialized computers. The use of fiber optics (Audis for example) and multiplexing has made it possible to eliminate the large bundles of wiring fround on older vehicles. troubleshooting and repair of these electronic systems requires a good deal of training and experience.
. I felt the need to start sharing some of the good info I learn at school.
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