My Wild Idea

[Draco Rylos]

I know this is an OLD thread, but since I've been toying around with ideas using PIC microcontrollers, I've figured I may use them to drive the generator. It would read the RPM using an input on the ADC to control the function of the circuit, even the switching from external to internal power to drive it. I figure it will have a lot of losses if I don't use a second set of windings to generate the power to drive it when it switch over from external to internal. I may have to redesign it to include that second set of windings to power it when it is running.

[khabe]

Mh-mhh ... the main novelty there is you are trying to make it self run.
When to speak about motor-generator, then losses by mechanical friction are the smallest problem compared with motor losses and generator losses.
At that to support magnetically this visually huge iron flywheel ... all this together with magnetic bearings, when you are not respective educated,  will spend energy and not so small amount. Your huge iron flywheel and miniature lower magnetic support looks funny feeling.
All contemporary flywheel energy storages use composite flywheel instead of iron you use, this is deadly danger when speaking about high RPM used in flywheel energy storages - http://www.aspes.ch/faq.html - mainly only when high RPM then come up needs for vacuum and magnetic bearings. 
Compare your small diameter of motor and generator and large diameter of flywheel  ... have you built any motor, any generator, have you any idea about RPM/V, about iron losses, copper losses, Eddy losses ...  http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/P25.pdf , originally this pdf file was not meant for free energy sites.
All this rotating unit you did draw need to be two plane precision balanced  -  first at all you need to know what it means. Yeah, it looks the same like tire balancing but it is much(!) more complicated.
And about sensors ... when you have motor and you have generator then why you need more sensors at that on so large diameter?
Anyway I hope success for you,
cheers,
khabe

[Draco Rylos]

I was thinking about using a composite flywheel. The one sensor is just to detect how fast the flywheel is moving and pulse the power to keep it up at its operational speed. I do understand about the needs of balancing the system to keep mechanical friction to a minimum and to keep the flywheel from tearing itself to pieces explosively.

[khabe]

I was thinking about using a composite flywheel. The one sensor is just to detect how fast the flywheel is moving and pulse the power to keep it up at its operational speed. I do understand about the needs of balancing the system to keep mechanical friction to a minimum and to keep the flywheel from tearing itself to pieces explosively.

Even you need separate sensor "to detect how fast the flywheel is moving" you can find the place for this sensort somewhere on the shaft,
When PM brushless motor principle, then RPM could be measured direct from motor wire (or gen.) considering number of magnet poles, of course.
You did not explain how this small magnetic support on the bottom holds "in air" comparably huge flywheel.
What are appr. sizes and what will be RPM range?
cheers,
khabe

[Draco Rylos]

If you haven't watched some of those videos on YT about magnetic bearings, you may need to watch them. I've been playing with this idea for years, and only recently discovered that it was possible to use two powerful Neodymium magnets to support it vertically and horizontally. Just keep it where all the poles on the horizontal and vertical supports the same and with the power of the rare earth magnets will keep the weight up easily. I could easily measure the speed at which it is running by measuring the output. Another thing, the case will be sealed and reduced to as near to a vacuum as possible to reduce the friction generated by air resistance.  That part has been set in my mind since its inception.