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why is the US not Metric

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vk6zgo:

--- Quote from: boffin on March 02, 2020, 11:39:53 pm ---
--- Quote from: vk6zgo on March 01, 2020, 11:35:22 pm ---& on the starter battery connection some models used the delightful "Lucas thread"!

--- End quote ---

That was the brilliantly engineered thread that always stopped working when it rained, right ?

--- End quote ---
No, that would be the solder lug that connected to it, but that's another story!

Most of the Lucas starters  used a so-called "Bendix screw" system to engage with the ring gear.
Oh boy! Did they ever get screwed by Bendix!

The damn thing would jam in contact with the ring gear ----- sometimes you could get it to unjam without removing it, but other times, you had to take the starter out.

As this usually happened when you were not in a nice neat workshop, the Lucas nut on the connecting lead would fall down, bounce around in the"guts" of the engine compartment, & skitter off somewhere in the dirt.

A newbie would just think it was either a Whitworth, BSF, or UNF nut & go sifting through their junkbox, trying one nut after another.
None would work, so it was back to grovelling atound on the ground till you found it.

To add insult to injury, some of their models of starter did use normal UNF threads!
They were like Forrest Gump's "box of chocolates" ----you never knew what you would get!

vk6zgo:

--- Quote from: DBecker on March 03, 2020, 04:24:29 am ---
--- Quote from: boffin on March 02, 2020, 11:39:53 pm ---
--- Quote from: vk6zgo on March 01, 2020, 11:35:22 pm ---& on the starter battery connection some models used the delightful "Lucas thread"!

--- End quote ---

That was the brilliantly engineered thread that always stopped working when it rained, right ?


--- End quote ---

Lucas had challenges with metallurgy.  They didn't put any effort into selecting connector alloys or contact configurations.

By comparison Bell Labs had an extensive academic research program.  There were hundreds of variations of just relay contacts, and extensive rules about selecting contact materials and geometries.  The result was wiring and electrical systems that lasted decades when exposed to weather extremes.

--- End quote ---

What I never understood about Lucas was how they could never learn from their competitor's work.
There is a lot of nonsense spoken these days about IP, but unless you make an actual clone, there is very little stopping you incorporating some other manufacturer's good ideas into your own device.

In Oz, for years, most car makers standardised on Bosch Electrical systems, mainly because of the difficulties everybody had with Lucas.
Standardisation worked well for owners-- I could buy a set of points for an older Holden that also fitted my 1972 Renault 12.

Ironically, standardisation should have been a winner for Lucas, as they were OEM suppliers to most of the UK auto industry, but the general crappiness of their products ruined that.

SilverSolder:

--- Quote from: vk6zgo on March 03, 2020, 05:51:09 am ---
--- Quote from: DBecker on March 03, 2020, 04:24:29 am ---
--- Quote from: boffin on March 02, 2020, 11:39:53 pm ---
--- Quote from: vk6zgo on March 01, 2020, 11:35:22 pm ---& on the starter battery connection some models used the delightful "Lucas thread"!

--- End quote ---

That was the brilliantly engineered thread that always stopped working when it rained, right ?


--- End quote ---

Lucas had challenges with metallurgy.  They didn't put any effort into selecting connector alloys or contact configurations.

By comparison Bell Labs had an extensive academic research program.  There were hundreds of variations of just relay contacts, and extensive rules about selecting contact materials and geometries.  The result was wiring and electrical systems that lasted decades when exposed to weather extremes.

--- End quote ---

What I never understood about Lucas was how they could never learn from their competitor's work.
There is a lot of nonsense spoken these days about IP, but unless you make an actual clone, there is very little stopping you incorporating some other manufacturer's good ideas into your own device.

In Oz, for years, most car makers standardised on Bosch Electrical systems, mainly because of the difficulties everybody had with Lucas.
Standardisation worked well for owners-- I could buy a set of points for an older Holden that also fitted my 1972 Renault 12.

Ironically, standardisation should have been a winner for Lucas, as they were OEM suppliers to most of the UK auto industry, but the general crappiness of their products ruined that.

--- End quote ---

I spoke with some retired Lucas people in Britain years ago...   they blamed short sighted management, and an unwillingness to invest.  They felt this was a big part of the downfall of the indigenous British automotive industry in general - an attitude of respect for money, but not enough respect for (or understanding of) real engineering and manufacturing skills.  That's what they told me, and they lived it - so they probably knew.

SeanB:
Lucas is great quality wise, for the real auto electrical dodgy stuff you need to go to the boot of Europe, and Magnetto Marelli They seem to have a patent on the contact breaker, as all of their products incorporates at least one.

chickadee:

--- Quote from: SeanB on March 03, 2020, 03:45:01 pm ---Lucas is great quality wise, for the real auto electrical dodgy stuff you need to go to the boot of Europe, and Magnetto Marelli They seem to have a patent on the contact breaker, as all of their products incorporates at least one.

--- End quote ---

They do a lot more than contact breakers, and though I can't speak to their contact breaker (we call them "points" in the USA) quality, their electrical system design seems to be excellent! I work with their Torino location regularly!

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