Genset control panels: AMF, ATS and what they do
The control panel is the brain that turns a generator into automatic standby power. How AMF and ATS panels sense a mains failure, start the set, transfer the load and protect the engine.
6 min read · 2026-07-27
A standby generator is only as good as the panel that decides when to use it. Left to a human, a power cut means someone has to notice, run to the set, start it and switch the load over, minutes during which the site sits dark. The control panel does all of that automatically and in seconds. It watches the mains, starts the generator the instant the supply fails, transfers the load across, and then guards the engine while it runs, shutting it down safely if anything goes wrong. Two panel types do this, AMF and ATS, and the difference between them is smaller than it sounds.
This guide is grounded in how these panels work and how AMF and ATS differ.
The brain of standby power
An AMF or ATS panel monitors the mains, starts the generator on a failure, transfers the load, and protects the engine, all automatically in seconds.
What the panel does
Both panel types switch the load from the normal mains supply to the standby generator and back. An electronic control module monitors both supplies and operates a pair of interlocked contactors. When the mains fails, the module controls the generator's preheat, fuel solenoid and starting, brings it up to speed, and transfers the load. While the set runs, it monitors the engine and alternator, and shuts the set down safely if a fault occurs.
AMF versus ATS
The terms are often used interchangeably, and the practical difference is narrow: it is about how the generator is started. An AMF panel controls the whole sequence, including starting the engine directly. An ATS panel instead sends a volt free signal to the generator's own set mounted control panel, which starts and stops the engine, while the ATS handles the load transfer. Both achieve automatic standby power; they just divide the starting job differently.
| Panel | Starts the engine | Handles transfer |
|---|---|---|
| AMF | Directly, full control of the sequence | Yes |
| ATS | Signals the set's own panel to start | Yes |
| Both | Monitor mains and protect the set | Automatically, in seconds |
Seconds
to start and transfer
Automatic
no one needs to be there
Protect
engine and alternator monitored
Interlocked
mains and set never clash
Specifying a panel
- 1
Define the criticality
How fast the load must come back decides the setup.
- 2
Choose AMF or ATS
Based on whether the panel or the set controls starting.
- 3
Size the switching
Match the contactors to the load being transferred.
- 4
Set the protections
Configure the engine and alternator fault shutdowns.
Interlock is the safety
The panel's interlocked contactors ensure the mains and the generator can never be connected together by accident, which would be dangerous. That interlock is not optional, it is what makes automatic transfer safe.
We supply standby sets with the AMF or ATS control to bring them on automatically. Tell us the load and the criticality and we will scope the panel with the set.
Need this on a live job?
Send the spec and dates. Indicative rate back in minutes, certified crews and clearances handled.