• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

Electrical Theory- The Importance of Smoke by Joe Lucas

UK
Electrical Theory- A Treatise on the Importance of Smoke
by Joseph Lucas (Prince of darkness)

All electrical components and wiring harnesses depend on proper circuit functioning, which is the transmission of charged ions by retention of the visible spectral manifestation known as "smoke". Smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work. Don't be fooled by scientists and engineers talking about excited electrons and the like. Smoke is the key to all things electrical

We know this to be true because every time one lets the smoke out of an electrical circuit, it stops working. This can be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. For example, if one places a large copper bar across the terminals of a battery, prodigious quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery shortly ceases to function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping from an electrical component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will also be observed that the component no longer functions.

The logic is elementary and inescapable! The function of the wiring harness is to conduct the smoke from one device to another. When the wiring harness springs a leak and lets all the smoke out of the system, nothing works right afterward.

Starter motors were considered unsuitable for British motorcycles for some time largely because they regularly released large quantities of smoke from the electrical system.

It has been reported that Lucas electrical components are possibly more prone to electrical leakage than their Bosch, Japanese or American counterparts. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British, and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, British shock absorbers, hydraulic forks, and disk brake systems leak fluid, British tires leak air and British Intelligence leaks national defence secrets.

Therefore, it follows that British electrical systems must leak smoke. Once again, the logic is clear and inescapable.

Sometimes you may miss the component releasing the smoke that makes your electrical system function correctly, but if you sniff around you can often find the faulty component by the undeniable and telltale smoke smell. Sometimes this is a better indicator than standard electrical tests performed with a volt-ohm meter.

In conclusion, the basic concept of transmission of electrical energy in the form of smoke provides a clear and logical explanation of the mysteries of electrical components and why they fail.

"A gentleman does not motor about after dark." - Joseph Lucas, 1842-1903
 
Well put and I completely agree.

Of course the other theory of electricity is just a bunch of queer electrons trying to blow a fuse. :morning:
 
Electrical Smoke

For the most part of my life I have been in a state of confusion about my first wiring experience at age 16. I had a model A hot rod and needed to change the broken amp. gauge. Only two wires were need to be connected. As soon as I turned it on all of the wires under the dash glowed red and filled the car with so much smoke that I could not see out the windows. I opened the door and fell out into the snow and started throwing snow under the dash until the smoke went away. If it wasn't for the snow the car would have burned to the ground. All this time I have been thinking it was my wiring skills, when infact it was escaping smoke! Thanks for making me understand what is really going on with escaping smoke, I was going to hire someone to rewire my SuperCub, but now I can rewire it myself. Next winter of course. Thanks

Bill Ingerson
 
Next in the series will be:-
Refrigeration Theory- A Treatise on the importance of keeping beer at the correct temperature, using Lucas fridges

by Joe Lucas (Prince of darkness)
 
One additional little known fact about Lucus: He couldn't swim. As a matter of fact he he was afraid of even a very small amount of water.
 
One additional little known fact about Lucus: He couldn't swim. As a matter of fact he he was afraid of even a very small amount of water.
Well he should have spent more time swimming and less time pretending he was an electrical engineer. I had a '74 Jag XJ6 and it seemed like something was always failing. Switches, senders, relays etc.
 
Back
Top