Project: A Low-Power Automatic Mains Transfer Switch (of my own …)

While I’ve been enjoying the spoils of “free electricity” during the middle of the day, enabled by a fleet of power stations, juggling the power to my loads have often necessitated manual plugging and unplugging which is a hassle, in part because it causes an interruption to work-in-progress. But this didn’t need to be the case – as I discovered, there are Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS) such as these which supposedly promise rapid (<20ms) automatic switching between two sources. While I built my automation around a range of different ATSes, they weren’t the ideal solution. For one, they’re a bit bulky and seemingly overkill on the current rating. They switch with a startling “clunk” that almost sounds like someone’s dropped a 3.5″ hard drive onto a tile floor. But worse still – one of mine managed to burn out and trip both of my power circuits at the same time! The smaller, quieter modules that are built around relays are, unfortunately, way too slow for seamless switching.…