I also believe I mis-judged the first crank test quite a bit. At that 2 foot diameter, I could only turn the crank so fast (rpm)-- and I now think THAT was the most stressing part on my arm....not the torque resistance of the alternator. It is a difficult think to judge. It seems to mainly work the forearm.
So I brought the crank inward clear down to only 4 inches away from the center point. I can still crank 3 amps steady, cranking it at only 4 inches. It is not extremely difficult to do so-- but its not too easy either. It still feels more than the formula ED mentioned though--- but who knows. I know now that 1 amp is fairly easy to crank at around 100rpm. So I think the alternator is working good enough for more vawt tests.
I have got the time to do several more tests, primarily with the smaller proto-type vawt rotor. It is looking better. I may have better results very soon. -Thanks. [ Parent ]