How It Works

GenStart connects your off-grid inverter to any generator with electric start for automatic power backup.

System Overview

How GenStart Works ☀️ Solar Panels DC power to battery bank 🔋 Inverter + Battery Off-grid inverter (EG4, Sol-Ark, Victron...) Battery low? Closes dry contact relay Dry Contact Signal ⚡ GenStart Controller ESP32 + Relay Board WiFi + OTA Updates AC Freq Detection Start + Stop Relay Control 🔌 Generator Any electric-start (Honda, Champion, Generac...) Auto-starts when battery is low AC Power charges batteries WiFi ☁️ Cloud Dashboard genstart.acidni.net Real-time telemetry, alerts, start history, OTA updates 📱 Your Phone Monitor from anywhere 📡 Wireless Bridge (Optional Add-On) Extends dry contact signal wirelessly when inverter is far away
1

Install the Controller

Mount the GenStart controller near your generator. Connect the relay outputs to your generator's start wires, connections vary by model. Connect the dry contact inputs to your dry contact signal source.

2

Connect to WiFi

Power on GenStart and connect to its setup hotspot. Enter your WiFi credentials and register with your genstart.acidni.net account using a pairing code.

3

Automatic Operation

When your inverter closes its dry contact relay, GenStart automatically sends the start signal. Once batteries are charged, the inverter opens the relay and GenStart shuts down the generator.

4

Monitor from Anywhere

View real-time telemetry, start event history from the cloud dashboard at genstart.acidni.net.

Wiring Overview

Dry Contact Input Signal input Detects when inverter requests generator start
Start Relay Relay output Sends start signal to generator (supports push button start and rocker switch start)
Stop Relay Relay output Sends stop signal to shut down generator
AC Frequency Sensor Signal input Detects engine running via generator output
Power Supply 5V USB-C or 12V DC Powered from generator's 12V battery system

Compatible Systems

Inverter

Any Inverter

With dry contact/relay output (EG4, Sol-Ark, Growatt, Victron, etc.)

Generator

Any Generator with Electric Start

Portable or standby generators with push button start and rocker switch start (Generac, Honda, Champion, etc.)