Control Panel

Whats with the caution tape? also the little No!, that's written just under it?

Looks like a whole whack of dials are missing too.

This may be incoming power. I notice the lights are on overhead. 'Cycles' is for Cycles per second.
The modern term is now Hertz, or Hz, named after Heinrich Hertz. It appears to be registerning something.

Flock of sheep, murder of crows, whack of dials.

I'M GIVING IT ALL SHES GOT CAPTAIN!!!

Hz... as in Hertz. House electricity is 120V @ 60 Hz. Presumably, they were trying to keep very close track on thier frequency output. I worked at an off-shore ligthhouse once... the throttle of the diesel generator controlled the output AC frequency.

This is where Homer Simpson works..
Nah seriously nice shot!

The large dial at top center appears to be the "synchroscope" which is necessary to "synchronize" the generator uoyput to the main system. If you throw the switch at the wrong time, you could blow up the generator. Not a good thing to do!

The common electrical device uses a 60 cycle alternating current. I think...

Tom yes you are correct 60HZ good job cutos to you!! LOL i cant spell

Whack of Dials.. ROFL. Sorry. That was funny. I'm callin' them all that now. And, jeez. That's an ugly blue the control panel's painted..

With the dial marked as Motts describes it is a frequency meter. The US and Canadian power systems are operated at 60 Hz or cycles per second. A synchroscope is marked 'slow' and 'fast' and sometimes with the number of degrees out of phase. 0 degrees (pointer straight up) Is in sycnc and 180 (pointer straight down) is as far out of synch as you can get. Vinton is correct -- I have seen AC generating units where there has been a synchronizing accident. The damage can be anything from mechaincal damage to the turbine shaft & blades, to the generator, its circuit brekaer and transformer. Most modern plants have controls to do the synch and help prevent a synchroizing accident from occuring. I once added these controls to a generator about the same vintage as the one in this gallery.

US frequency is based on 60HZ or 60 cycles. Most generating units operate at 3600 RPM or 60x60; that is 60 cycles per second times 60 seconds in a minute.

While your small portable generator may run at 3600 RPM, the generators in a power generator station such as this do not. Although 60Hz for 60 seconds is 3600 cycles, this does not determine generator rotational speed. Rotational speed is determined by the number of poles in the generator. A 2 pole generator will make 60Hz at 3600 RPM, a 4 pole at 1800 RPM, a 6 pole at 1200 RPM, an 8 pole at 900 RPM, etc. At one of the generating stations I work at, our steam turbine turns at 4458 RPM, goes through a gearbox (with a reduction of 4.953:1) and turns the generator at 900 RPM.
Everything EE mentioned is spot on.

Newer diesel generators typically run at 1800RPM/60Hz, while many older ones ran at 1200RPM/60Hz (or less) A modern 50Hz diesel generator runs at 1500 RPM, an older one at 1000RPM, etc.

Time Machine Control Guage

just cycle correctly and ....

Did you mess with any of these buttons?

As Vinton and EE have already mentioned above , it is a synchroscope to "synch" the main generator to the grid.Most modern power plants run at 3600 rpm at the turbine -generator, with a two pole generator producing three phase power.