dynamic demand controller

[netotse]

HI,
i'm trying to build a dynamic demand controller for my final year project(it monitors the powerline frequency and disconnects connected eqpt based on freq stability) and so far i've divided it into 3 blocks-1)zero crossing detector 2)freq monitoring/measuring 3)equipment control
i'm ok with the zero crossing detector but now i'm stumped when it comes to measuring the frequency of the output< i've decided to use period measurement cos i was told somewhere on this forum its more accurate and instantaneous> i'd appreciate whatever help i can get here...thanks

started reading up on uCs but i'm not progressing fast enough so i decided to come here

p.s. i searched the web and saw some projects but they all are beyond the scope of my project(in the Mhz range i just need maybe 30 Hz -100Hz cos powerline is 50Hz here also the selling point to my lecturers is 'cheap and simple')

 

[kchriste]

A uC would be the cheapest to implement component wise.
Another idea is the LM2917 which is a frequency to voltage converter. Use comparators setup as a window comparator to detect a valid range of voltages from the LM2917 and thus frequencies.

 

[saturn1bguy]

A uC would be the cheapest to implement component wise. Another idea is the LM2917 which is a frequency to voltage converter.

Awesome. A guy who can recommend more solutions than simply saying "use a microcontroller." (Man that gets old...)

You're my kind of guy!