Running Generator Indicator

My Honda EU3000i generator runs so quiet I can not hear it inside the truck, even if I roll down the windows.

I like to know whether the generator is running or not. It might be out of gas or there might be something wrong with it and that means the beans in the crock pot are not cooking in the Wildcat.

Initially I used a 12 volt LED from Radio Shack. I put the LED on my 'A' pillar and hooked it to the 12 volt output of the Honda. However one day the Honda overload circuit tripped. The 12 volt output was still working but I was not getting 120 volts AC to the Wildcat. Radio Shack also has 120 volt neon lamps that are about the same size as the 12 volt LEDs. I mounted this in the 'A' pillar in place of the LED. I cut the female end off an extension cord and ran the cord from the Honda through a standard hole in the bed, along the frame, through the firewall and up to the neon lamp in the 'A' pillar.

I use the 30 amp twist lock connector on the Honda so the 2 regular AC outlets are free. I plug the extension cord into one of the outlets. Now the neon lamp glows as long as the Honda is producing AC.

Extension cords are less than $10 so that was the easiest solution for the wiring and is reasonably protected.