But if you find yourself with the light lit, you cannot tell whether you are doing the right thing or not by continuing to keep the generator engaged. The poster who mentioned the light bulb wanted it to perform two functions - help with synchronization AND allow him to determine whether he was, at that moment, generating or motoring. Sean On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 4:57 PM, Barry Gershenfeld wro= te: > Carl's right. =A0Assuming both are AC, once you get close in frequency, t= he > bulb will show the phase difference between the windmill and the power > line. =A0When it's out, you're in phase. > > On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 5:13 PM, Harold Hallikainen > wrote: > >> >> > I thought it would be interesting to have a windmill with an RPM >> > detector on it. >> > >> > As I understand it, something as simple as an incandescent light bulb >> > across the switch. When there is no light, close the switch. :) >> >> >> But the light would light whether the windmill is going faster or slower >> than the synchronous speed... So, I think an independent RPM measurement >> is required. >> >> Harold >> > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .