MTFCA Forum

I just picked up this Connecticut timer and rotor and have never seen another one like it. Does anyone have any information on this unit?

Now THAT is just too cool (and too nice to put on the car!)

Great collection piece

Very neat, but , Is it about the same height as a regular timer,(looks tall) & why the open section?

It looks like a high tension device.

The unit is about 3" tall. The rotor has a metal contact piece that rubs on the carbon button inside the cap to provide a ground path which is eventually grounded to the frame through the top center knob where a fifth wire to ground is attached. The inside of the rotor has the little notch for the cam shaft timer nail to fit into it. I still don't know what the little open window is for. Very interesting piece and it is NOS.

4-cylinder, 2-cycle, inboard boat motor?

I will bring it with me to Hershey for the experts to look at. C4N 30-32

I would see if the timer you have will fit in a timing gear front cover. Ck and see if you have an extra cover in you parts and see if it will fit in the timer opening. You don’t need an expert to check that out. Don’t get it dirty or scratched up.
If you don’t have timing gear front cover just use a timer to refer to. No expert required on that either.
If it for a T I am assuming the the rotor is held in place by the pressure by the timer spring holds it place on the cam shaft? If not how is it held in place. Very interesting piece for sure!

It looks more like some kind of high tension distributor cap and rotor to me. If that's the case, the carbon button would connect to the coil or magneto high tension coil and the 4 contacts would connect to the spark plugs. I don't see how the rotor could function as a low tension contact. With high tension, it would only need to pass near one of the 4 contacts and the high voltage would jump the gap and current flow would be very low. For a low tension contact, it would have to actually toouich the contacts and would be carrying a significant current, which it does not appear to be designed to do. It may have been used with a single coil system or a magneto that had a moveable breaker plate with the cap being affixed to the magneto case. The window may have been to accommodate a spark advance linkage that would move the breaker plate to control timing, with the whole setup being functionally similar to a Model A Ford distributor. That leaves the question of what the lever arm with the bushing was for. It certainly looks like a timing control rod might have attached to it, but if that was the case, what was the window for? The small notch in the base of the cap suggests that it was not moveable to adjust timing.

Maybe for a T distributor or some kind of distributor for an early engine without vacuum advance but some type of mechanical advance because of the small arm that’s on it? I guess the experts can figure it out!

I do not see the exact timer here, but this page has some period advertisements
https://mycompanies.fandom.com/wiki/Con ... ic_Company

I belive that's a high tension distributor cap and rotor made by that telephone outfit. It would be set up the way a Model A Ford distributor is, with a fixed cap, fixed distributor body, and a moveable breaker plate. It could also work on a high tension magneto. The function would be the same.

This appears to be the patent for it.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US154 ... d+electric

Regarding the window…

…”and the wall may be cut away, as at 21, to form an inspect-ion window, normally closed by a suitable cover 22, which may or may not be An intermeof transparent material suitably held in place as by spring fingers so as to be readily removable.”

It's a high tension distributor cap. It appears to differ From the Model A Ford arrangement mainly in that the cap and breaker plate move together. I suppose people lined up to peer through the window. It woud be nice to have the entire assembly, especially if one was offered to fit the Ford T, which seems likely.

That is what it seems, some type of distributor cap, the firm made system in 1915 for the Ford.

"Picard & Co, sole distributors, New York". It may be that they never achieved wide distribution, perhaps because Ford did not care to have Ford agents selling non-Ford products to Ford customers. It looks like a quality item, and I'd guess it would outperform the Ford system.

I've never seen one.
Thanks for the great pictures and the ad.
Always something new.
Rich

I think it’s intended to fit directly in place of the timer and be controlled by the rod. Take a look at the patent image.
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis ... page-1.png

Really interesting idea!

They did mention fan belt clearance as being the reason for the odd shape of the cap, which suggests mounting like a T timer. The wedding cake shaped cap may be specific for a T installation.

They also made coil on plug coils for marine applications.
http to ://www.oldmarineengine.com/disc ... 34558.html

Another accessory for the T ignition along with others that didn’t last long. I guess most didn’t catch on like the New Day or Anderson.

Probably expensive.... and it certainly had a lot of competition for the Ford market.

Something I have thought about and wondered why no one made one. I have always thought it would be better to not ground through the cam.
Thanks for posting this !! JW

After looking and thinking about this timer/distributor cap for a few days and reviewing PeterN's patent app papers and the drawing, I have come to the following conculsion. It is definitely a high tension distributor cap and not a low tension timer. The patent application paper refers to the open window that has access to the points. Also mentions that a cover is placed on the window to protect it from the elements and dirt. The notch in the lower rim of the cap could very well be an indexing notch for the point plate. I think I know of an individual that might have the point plate in his collection. I will see him at Hershey.