This month’s product feature is our Automatic Transfer Switch – the ATS-16A.
An Automatic Transfer Switch, or ATS is a device that has two AC power inputs and one power output. One input is set to primary and the other secondary and the load is powered through the primary power source. Should the primary source fail, the unit automagically transfers power to the secondary source.
In many cases it is used to add resilience to an electrical network, or as a way of safely bypassing a UPS for maintenance work.
Yes, in many cases this is the prime use of an ATS and coupled with a UPS can provide a fully power protected standby power system for critical loads.
Our ATS is designed for single phase rack mount systems and is rated at 16A. This makes it ideal to work in conjunction with any 3KVA UPS System.
We will assume that Source A is set to primary and Source B is secondary, although in practice you can set either one. If source A is the output from your UPS and source B is raw mains, this allows you to easily bypass the UPS for maintenance, or provide a secondary backup should the UPS on source A fail.
If A is a generator and B is raw mains, then whenever the generator is powered up the output will be powered from that. This can also be used if the generator is an alternate source, for example a renewable energy supply. A UPS is advised on the output to protect the load and to cover for any breaks in supply.
An extremely resilient supply however can be obtained by using two ATS. In the example above the UPS can be safely taken out of circuit without any loss of power. Source A can be generator and source B, raw mains. The UPS can be bypassed simply by turning it off or switching input on the right hand ATS.
The ATS-16A is a rack mountable unit occupying only 1U of height. The front panel has a membrane keypad for selecting the primary input source as well as displaying the current state of each input and the output. The unit can be connected to an attached computer via USB and RS232 to give real time status of source as well as voltages, frequencies and the power consumption. An Intelligent Slot is available to communicate this information via SNMP if required. The front panel switches also allow for the disconnection of loads connected to the PDU on the rear panel.
The rear panel has both source inputs on 16A IEC leads. The output also couples as a Power Distribution Unit, or PDU. A single 16A outlet is available and is unswitched. Two further banks of 4 IEC10A connectors are available for supplementary loads. These can be switched from the front panel if required.
Furthermore a dry contact port is provided for communicating status to a remote alarm panel or Building Management System (BMS).
The Power Inspired Automatic Transfer Switch ATS-16A is currently on sale on our webstore: ATS-16A Store Page.