6800W DUAL FUEL INVERTER • ELECTRIC START • CO WATCHDOG • GENSTART BASE CONTROLLER
ACIDNI LLC | OCTOBER 2026 | REV 1.0
Connection Summary
GenStart Terminal
Connects To
Wire
START SIGNAL — SIGNAL
Inverter / transfer switch generator-start output, NO terminal
White, 22 AWG
START SIGNAL — COMMON
Inverter / transfer switch generator-start output, COM terminal
Black, 22 AWG
START/STOP 1
One switch wire of the DF680iX Engine Start button (tapped in parallel)
Green, 18 AWG
START/STOP 2
The other switch wire of the same button (tapped in parallel)
Green, 18 AWG
BATTERY +
DF680iX 12V starting battery, positive — 3A inline fuse required, at the battery end
Red, 18 AWG
BATTERY −
DF680iX 12V starting battery, negative
Black, 18 AWG
SENSE +
Red (+) lead of the supplied USB sense cable, plugged into one of the DF680iX's USB ports
USB cable lead
SENSE −
Black (−) lead of the same cable
USB cable lead
— (no GenStart terminal)
L14-30R or TT-30R → your transfer switch / inverter AC input stays exactly as it is today
Existing cable
Start Signal — Three Ways
Option
How it works
Use it when
1. Dry contact (wired)
A 2-wire contact wired to START SIGNAL IN (SIGNAL and COMMON): your inverter's or transfer switch's generator-start output, or the normally-closed contact of a relay whose coil is powered by utility power. Closed = run the generator, open = stop it.
The inverter or transfer switch is close enough to run two small wires to GenStart. Available now.
2. Wireless
The Wireless Dry Contact Bridge Kit: a signal-source board at the inverter reads its contact and sends it by radio to the GenStart board at the generator, which then starts and stops the generator exactly as shown on this page.
The inverter is too far from the generator to run the wire. Available now (the kit replaces the controller).
3. Utility power loss
A second supplied 5V USB adapter plugs into an outlet powered by the utility, not by the generator. Wire its USB cable's red (+) lead to START SIGNAL IN SIGNAL and its black (−) lead to BATTERY − (ground). Do not use COMMON for this: on GenStart, COMMON is a +5V output, not ground, and wired there GenStart cannot see the outage. In GenStart's web page, open Settings > Start signal and set Start signal type to Utility power loss (5 V adapter). When the adapter's 5V is gone for the Start delay after loss (default 10 seconds, 1–600), GenStart starts the generator. Once utility has been back for the Stop delay after return (default 300 seconds, 0–7200; 0 keeps it running until you stop it), GenStart stops it.
Backup for utility power through a transfer switch, with no separate relay. Available now in firmware 3.15.8. A GenStart uses one start signal: the inverter dry contact (option 1) or utility power loss, not both.
UTILITY POWER LOSS: Anything that removes power from the utility adapter looks like an outage to GenStart: unplugging it, a tripped breaker on its circuit, or a damaged or disconnected cable will start the generator. Plug it into a dedicated utility outlet that stays on and that the generator does not feed (if the generator powers that outlet, GenStart never sees the outage end). Use the start delay after loss to ride through short blips.
Settings — GenStart Web Page
Setting
Value for the DF680iX
Why
Start Mode
Button
The DF680iX starts and stops from its Engine Start button; its own controller handles choke and cranking
Double-Press Gap
0 (off)
One deliberate press starts it. A second press while the WEN is still cranking cancels the start, and a press just after it fires shuts it down
Press Length (Start)
1 second
A deliberate 1-second press starts it from every state, including after a long standby. A quick tap may only wake the controller
Press Length (Stop)
1.5 seconds
Shutdown needs a deliberate press; a quick tap does nothing
Start Confirm Time (running sense)
30 seconds
The WEN takes about 10 seconds to start and 5 more to produce power. 30 seconds keeps a retry press well clear of its own start cycle
Retries / Retry Delay
3 / 5 seconds
Automatic re-try; after 3 failures GenStart stops and reports a fault
Pre-Start Delay
3 seconds (solar) 10 seconds (utility relay)
With a utility-loss transfer switch, 10 seconds rides through short blips so they never reach the generator
Stop Delay (settle)
5 seconds (solar) 5 minutes (utility relay)
How long the generator keeps running after the start signal clears. Five minutes stops a short outage from starting and immediately stopping it
Utility power loss (option 3)
Start delay 10 s Stop delay 300 s
With the utility power loss start signal, set these on the Start signal settings and leave Pre-Start Delay and Stop Delay at the solar values; the two sets of delays add together
Auto Exercise
Monthly, 30 minutes
WEN recommends a monthly 30-minute run. Set the day and time on the same page; it is off until you turn it on
⚠ ENTER THESE SETTINGS FIRST: The controller arrives with factory defaults (3-second pre-start, 15-second start confirm, double-press ON). Double-press will stop the WEN mid-start. Change the settings before you connect the start signal, then use GenStart's Test Run button and watch a full start, run and stop before you leave the system unattended. FIND THE TWO SWITCH WIRES: The Engine Start button has more than two wires behind it. With the battery disconnected, use a meter to find the two that show continuity only while the button is pressed. Those are the two to tap. Do not connect GenStart to any other wire on the button. BATTERY MUST STAY CONNECTED: WEN suggests disconnecting the battery when the generator sits. For automatic starting it must stay connected; use a battery maintainer instead. RUNNING SENSE FROM A USB PORT: The supplied USB sense cable goes into one of the DF680iX's USB ports, which works in both voltage modes (with the selector at 240V its 120V panel outlets are switched off). Before relying on it, check with a meter in the voltage mode you use: 0V with the engine off, about 5V while it runs. In 120V mode the supplied USB adapter in a 5-20R outlet works too. Never wire 120V or 240V to any GenStart terminal. CO WATCHDOG: If the generator shuts itself down for carbon monoxide, its panel light blinks red. GenStart will retry 3 times, then report a fault and wait for you. Never bypass the CO system, and keep the generator outdoors, away from doors, windows and vents.
TAP IN PARALLEL: The two START/STOP wires splice alongside the button's switch wires (posi-taps or solder and heat-shrink). Nothing is cut, so the panel button works normally. CONTROLLER INDOORS: The controller can be mounted inside next to the transfer switch. All three runs to the generator (start/stop, 12V, and the start signal if it comes from there) are low current, so 18 AWG is fine over 30 feet or more. Keep them in their own conduit, away from 120/240V conductors. STARTING FROM RUN: Owner testing on propane confirmed the DF680iX starts from RUN with no choke or priming, after short and long standby and after a battery reconnect. WHY THE RUNNING SENSE MATTERS: It is how GenStart knows the engine actually started, and GenStart only ever sends the stop press after it has seen generator power. Without them it cannot verify a start or retry a failed one. PROPANE: The tank valve must be left open for unattended starting. WEN's own shutdown procedure closes it, so this is a deliberate choice for an automatic install. SAFETY: Disconnect the generator battery before you begin wiring.
Start signal from your inverter / transfer switch
Start/stop button wires
12V battery power
Running sense (5V USB)
Generator power to your transfer switch / inverter