2 Simple Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) Circuits

In this article we investigate an ATS circuit for initiating an automatic changeover from mains
supply to generator supply through many intermediate transfer stages which involves activating
the fuel valve, choke valve and the generator starter. The circuit was requested by Mr. Hari, and
another dedicated reader from this blog.

Table of Contents
 Requirement for 5kva LPG Generator
 Second Request
 Design#1: Operational Details
 Parts list for the above automatic transfer switch or ATS circuit
 IC 555 Astable Configuration
 IC 4060 Timer Calculation and Formula
 Updated ATS Circuit Diagram with complete IC 4060 and IC 555 wiring details
 Design#2
 Main Features
 Circuit Diagram
 CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION:

Requirement for 5kva LPG Generator

I'm Hari, from Indonesia. Thank you for your circuit ideas, i made a battery charger based on
your design. Right now, I’m looking for Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) for my portable
generator.

It's 5000VA LPG powered generator with electric starter. Buy ready to use ATS is very
expensive, i want to make it myself. Can you help me design the ATS? Right now, i need to shut
off the LPG valve manually to turn off my generator.

I have plan to add LPG solenoid valve so i can close/open the LPG supply electrically. And add
mechanic solenoid (push-pull, normally pull) to automate the choke.

The ATS system feature i need are:

1. detect main supply, during normal condition (when main supply on), the ATS close
the main to
load connection and open the generator to load connection
2. when main supply off, the ATS open the main supply to load connection, but keep
the generator to load connection open.
3. then, the system will activate LPG solenoid valve (normally closed) to open LPG
supply to the engine and activate mechanical solenoid (normally pulled) to push the
choke grip to START position
4. after that, the ATS will send signal to the generator starter and start to crank the
generator automatically maximum for 5 seconds. If the engine fails to start within 5
 seconds, the system will stop for at least 5 second before attempting to start the
engine again.
5. When 3rd trial fails, the system activate an alarm (it could be flashing light or
sound).
6. if the starter succeeds, and the generator runs, the system will wait for 10 seconds
then the system will:
7. deactivate mechanical solenoid so that it pulls the choke grip back to CLOSE
position.
8. after this, finally the system will close the connection between generator to load.
9. if the main power back, the ATS will open the generator to load connection, and
keep the generator run without load for 2 minutes and turn the generator off by
deactivate LPG solenoid valve.
10. several seconds later, the system will open the generator to load connection, it
closes the connection between main to load connection

Second Request
Sir in my area, we have problem of load-shading. i want a circuit (system) to automatically turn
ON a self-start gas generator (6 KVAR) when Light (Grid Supply) goes OFF and load should
shift to generator by itself.

And when Light (Grid Supply) is back, automatically turns OFF generator and load should be
connected to gird Supply.

I know a system using automatic change over and a relay. it is only to automatically turn off
generator and shift to Grid. Automatic changeover is used to shift from generator to Grid and
relay is used only to turn off generator.

Sir, please tell me a system so that we can make our task easy to turn on and turn off generator. I
think there may be a system such that when light goes off load automatically connects to
generator, and we use remote or cell phone to turn on generator.

And to turn off there is already an automatic system...

Design#1: Operational Details

The ATS circuit or automatic relay changeover for generator/ mains circuit as shown below can
be understood as follows:

For so long as home mains is present T1 base receives the rectified low voltage DC and keeps T2
base grounded.
With T2 base grounded REL1 is held switched OFF along with REL2, REL3 and REL4, the
whole circuit thus stays switched OFF.

With REL4 deactivated, the DPDT holds the home mains supply with the load and the load gets
powered via its N/C contacts.

Now in a situation when home mains fail, T1 is inhibited from its base drive and it instantly
stops conducting.

With T1 OFF, T2 now activates, switching ON REL1, which in turn activates the LPG solenoid
valve for allowing the fuel to reach generator combustion chamber.

After a few seconds delay T3/REL2 also activate pushing ON the choke solenoid into start
position. The delay may be fixed by the tweaking the values of R7, C3.

REL2 activation switches ON the 555 astable which starts counting upto 5 seconds and triggers
T4/REL3 so that the generator starter motor begins cranking the gen.

The astable allows this to happen for 5 seconds, if the generator starts, a 12V supply from a 12V
adapter connected at the output of the generator feeds T6 base and disables the 555 astable.

The above 12V from the gen also activates the 4060 timer/latch which counts for about 10
seconds after which its pin#3 goes high.

The pin#3 high pulse latches the IC and also feeds T5 which deactivates REL2 so that the choke
solenoid is pulled back to "close" position.

The 4060 output also simultaneously activates T7/REL4 making sure that the load now gets
connected to the generator AC via N/O contacts of REL4.

Now suppose due to some fault, the cranking of the generator starter fails to initiate the
generator, the astable makes three attempts with 5 seconds interval between each try.

Since the above pulses also reach IC4017 counter, after three pulses the IC4017 output sequence
reaches its pin#10 which instantly latches itself due to a high at pin#13, and also disables the 555
astable by grounding its reset pin#4 via T6.

REL3 now stops feeding the crank mechanism.

An additional transistor driver/RELAY may be configured with pin#10 of IC 4017. The N/O
contacts of this relay then could be wired with an alarm for the required warning in case the
cranking attempts fails to start the generator.

When mains AC returns, T1 receives the attached 12VDC at its base, however due to the
presence of R2, D3, C5, T1 is restricted from the base voltage for a few seconds, until C5
charges.

In the meantime, T7 is disabled and REL4 reverted to home mains position by T8, this happens
as soon as mains returns, so that the generator gets immediately unloaded from the connected
appliances.

Parts list for the above automatic transfer switch or ATS circuit
R1, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 = 10K
R2, R3 = 100K
C4 = 0.1uF
C1----C5 = timing capacitors, can be between 10uF to 100uF
All transistors are BC547
All rectifier diodes are = 1N4007
All Zener diodes (D6, D10, D12) are = 3V, 1/2 watt
REL1---REL3 = 12V/10 amps/400 ohms
REL4 = 12V/40amps or as per load specs

IC 555 Astable Configuration

IC 555 Astable Frequency Formula

f = 1.45 / (R1 + 2R2) C

The following formula can be used for calculating the high time and low time periods or the
ON/OFF time of the IC 555 astable:

On Time T1 = 0.7(R1 + R2) C

OFF Time T2 = 0.7R1C

IC 4060 Timer Calculation and Formula
or you can also use the following formula:

f(osc) = 1 / 2.3 x Rt x Ct

2.3 is a constant term which will not need any change.

The oscillator section inside the IC will be able to give stable output only if the following criteria
is maintained:

Rt << R2 and R2 x C2 << Rt x Ct.

Updated ATS Circuit Diagram with complete IC 4060 and IC 555 wiring details

Design#2
The following article explains an enhanced Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) Circuit, which
includes several customized sequential changeover relay stages making the system truly smart!

Main Features
The circuit presented here is an ATS with following features:

a) Battery Voltage Monitor - The system will not operate when the battery drops to a certain
preset level.

b) In the event of power failure, the generator engine will be cranked after 5 sec. The cranking
cycle will be 2 minutes in which there will be 12 cranks of 5 sec. each with an interval of 5 sec.

c) As soon as the engine is started, the cranking will be stopped.

d) Initially the generator will start on PETROL and will shift to GAS after 10 seconds.

e) When Grid Mains is restored, the load will be shifted to Mains immediately but the generator
will be switched off after 10 sec.

Circuit Diagram
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION:
1) The circuit enclosed in the green box makes up the battery monitor and it working may be
understood here. If the generator is equipped with battery charging setup, then this circuit might
not be required because the battery will remain in good health. In that case, the entire circuit may
be omitted and point X may be connected to the +(ve) of the battery.

2) When the Grid Mains goes off, the generator will be supplied with 12V via relay RLY1 for
ignition i.e. RLY1 acts as an ignition switch and RLY2 shifts the LOAD to Generator 220V
(which is not yet generated). The absence of grid Mains will switch off Q4 and as a result BATT
12V will be supplied to the rest of the circuit.

IC2, which is configured as "Power-on delay Timer" causes a delay of 5 sec and then resets IC3.
IC3 is configured as self-triggering monostable having ON period of about 2 minutes. IC3 resets
IC4 which is configured as an astable vibrator (about 5 sec ON and 5 sec OFF). During 2
minutes, IC4 cranks the generator (via R20/Q7/RLY3) 12 times for 5 sec with an interval of 5
sec.

If the engine does not start within 2 minutes, LED2 will glow to indicate engine fault and the
entire system will come to halt until the Grid Mains is restored. If required, the cranking
procedure can be restarted by pressing the (Push-to-Off) reset button SW1.

3) Now, assuming that the engine has started during cranking, the generator will start producing
electricity hence, 12V from generator adapter will be available. This will switch on Q6 hence,
IC3 and IC4 will be powered off which ultimately stops the cranking cycle.

4) The 12V from generator will also power on IC5 and IC6. Both are configured as "Power-on
Delay Timer" for about 10 sec and 20 sec respectively. For the initial 10 sec Q8 will conduct and
the solenoid valve for PETROL will be opened to supply petrol to the generator. After 10 sec Q8
will stop conducting thereby stopping the petrol supply.

The engine will continue to run on petrol which present in the fuel lines. After about 10 sec the
output of IC6 will become high and Q9 will start conducting. This will switch on the solenoid
valve for GAS hence, the engine will now continue to run on gas.

5) Now, assuming the grid mains is restored, the 12V from mains adapter will switch on relay
RLY2 which will switch the load immediately to the grid mains. The mains 12V will also switch
on Q4 hence, IC2, IC3 and IC4 will be disconnected from the battery 12V.

The 12V mains will also power on IC7 which is configured as "Power-on Delay Timer". The
output of IC7 will become high after about 5 sec which will switch off Q5 and de-energize
RLY1, ultimately the 12V for generator will be switched off and the generator will be stopped.
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About Swagatam
Swagatam is an electronic engineer, hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer.
He is also the founder and the author of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/,
where he loves sharing his innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related queries, you may interact through comments, and get guaranteed
replies from the author.
Have Questions? Please Comment below to Solve your Queries! Comments must
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105 COMMENTS
Newest
Emejakpor Emmanuel
1 year ago
Good day sir. I have some questions
(1) is the 4060, 555 and 4017 ic ATS circuit applicable to diesel engine generator since there is no
choke for diesel engine.
(2) what is the function of 0.33uf (334) and 1M ohms at pin#16 & #12 of IC4060?
(3) from the circuit, what is the value of R12 which is at the base of transistor T8?
(4) from the formula, T out=(2.2*Rx*Cx)(N-1) , N= counter stage.
Please I want to know the meaning of “Counter stage”
Reply

Hi Emmanuel,
1) If there’s no choke then the choke control section can be perhaps eliminated.
2) Those parts are actually connected for pin#12. To reset the IC 4060 output to zero whn the ATS is initially
switched ON.
3) R12 can be a 10K resistor
4) Yes the formula is correct.
Pin#3 is used as the output, which corresponds to counter number 14 according to the datasheet
Reply
Emejakpor Emmanuel
1 year ago
Reply to Swagatam
Ok. Thanks for your quick response.
So should I take the value of ‘N’ as 14 in the calculation?
Reply
Author

Swagatam
1 year ago
Reply to Emejakpor Emmanuel
Yes you can take it as 14. Remember C will be in Farads and R will be in Ohms
Reply
Emejakpor Emmanuel
1 year ago
Reply to Swagatam
Ok. Thank you sir
Reply
Philip Popiel
1 year ago
HI
I have to troubleshoot a generator transfer problem. Seems that when to power is restored the system
does not transfer back to utility power. The transfer switch in mechanically held,coil has a internal
bridge rectifier,
I would think the transfer voltage is momentary to make the switch. I do not know how long the
pulse is my question is how long the voltage is present to make the transfer?
Please reply
P. Popiel
Reply
Author

Swagatam
1 year ago
Reply to Philip Popiel
Hi, sorry, without checking the circuit practically it can be difficult to diagnose the fault.
Reply
Blair
2 years ago
Dear Sir I am in awe for the time you put in to teach new people in this the Electronic age . I would
like you to explain how the workings of the timers are achieved in the above Smart circuit and can
each IC section be tested individually, not connected to each other for the timing results. I want to
have IC2 as shown with the 5 sec delay, but only 40 to 50 secs IC3 and only 2 repeats of the start
cycle. As this is sufficient on the Diesel engine to limit damage to the starter for… Read more »
Reply
Author

Swagatam
2 years ago
Reply to Blair
Thank you Sir, I appreciate your interest and glad you are enjoying the articles here! Yes definitely each of the
stages in the last diagram can be tested and verified separately. You can refer to the following posts to know
more about these stages: IC 555 Pinouts, Astable, Monostable, Bistable Circuits with Formulas Explored How
to Use an Op amp as a Comparator Circuit You can also calculate the parts using the following automatic
calculator software: IC 555 Astable Calculator IC 555 Monostable Calculator Hope you will find these pages
useful for the required calculations and verification of the individual… Read more »
Reply
Blair
2 years ago
Reply to Swagatam
Thankyou for the quick reply. I still have a query in that I have made up IC3 circuit but under test I find that it
does not work on the first power up and shuts down test LED on #3 I do not have an oscilloscope and even if I
did I would not know what to do to rectify the fault. Can you please advise how to stop the initial pre shut
down on the power up from IC2. #3. I also note that R8 100R supply means that Vcc is alway on yet you say
that Q6 turns… Read more »
Reply
Author

Swagatam
2 years ago
Reply to Blair
You can try the following modifications for the IC3 stage and check if that solves the issue:

It can be difficult for me to diagnose the whole circuit since it was designed by another author, and may take
sometime to simulate the circuit in mind.