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04-28-2022, 06:14 PM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Houston
Posts: 336
Year: 2003
Engine: Dt466e
Rated Cap: 30,000
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Midnite 250 charge controller!!
Hello I have 5 385watts panels 48v
Wondering if I could series connect them safely into a midnite 250
To charge 24v560ah lifepo4 then invert through a Victorino multiplus.
Also do I need fuses .
I would have liked to series parallel them but I have an odd number of panels .
I also would have liked to have a front half and then back half . 2 separate arrays .
But already have the midnite 250.
48.89 v voc
Imp 9.59a
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04-28-2022, 07:10 PM
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#2
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 589
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird Mini-Bird 24'
Chassis: Chevy P30
Engine: Chevy 6.2L Diesel
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just going off the quick look at their docs:
https://www.midnitesolar.com/pdfs/Cl...01-1_REV_L.pdf
It looks like your panels in series are right on the nose for the max Voltage you should be able to hook up, but the amperage seems a little on the high side.
To be honest, though, this seems like a quick question you would probably get a better answer for by sending that picture and question to someone at MidNite.
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05-02-2022, 09:45 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Houston
Posts: 336
Year: 2003
Engine: Dt466e
Rated Cap: 30,000
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So I think I’m going to have to lose a panel and gain a bigger deck area up top.
If I wire 2s2p do I need fuses on my positives where they combine to my roof entry gland . We’ll really Im looking for some help in getting together wire sizes fuses and also a recommendation for cut off switch and or dc breakers?
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05-03-2022, 01:21 PM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 1,624
Year: 1996
Coachwork: AmTran (Now Navistar)
Engine: DT444E (7.3L) International
Rated Cap: 31,800 pounds
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Send Midnight an email.
The specs I see online indicate a MAX output of 63 amps while your 1925 watts of panels are capable of sending enough energy to the Midnight to produce 80.21 amps at 24 volts. This is beyond the design spec......(you'll never see that much but that's how you should engineer your system)
The 250 can handle 250 volts input power but it's maximum output is 63 amps. At 24 volts output and 63 amps is 1,512 watts
__________________
YouTube: HAMSkoolie WEB: HAMSkoolie.com
We've done so much, for so long, with so little, we now do the impossible, overnight, with nothing. US Marines -- 6531, 3521. . . .Ret ASE brakes & elect. Ret (auto and aviation mech). Extra Class HAM, NAUI/PADI OpenWater diver
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05-03-2022, 03:31 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: League City, TX
Posts: 321
Year: 1994
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT408 6.7L L6
Rated Cap: 14
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Don't guess, use their calculator.
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05-03-2022, 06:36 PM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Houston
Posts: 336
Year: 2003
Engine: Dt466e
Rated Cap: 30,000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HamSkoolie
Send Midnight an email.
The specs I see online indicate a MAX output of 63 amps while your 1925 watts of panels are capable of sending enough energy to the Midnight to produce 80.21 amps at 24 volts. This is beyond the design spec......(you'll never see that much but that's how you should engineer your system)
The 250 can handle 250 volts input power but it's maximum output is 63 amps. At 24 volts output and 63 amps is 1,512 watts
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I did he pretty much said it‘a unsafe and either for another panel up there or lose one . Which I think I’m going to just take one off have 4 panels at 1540 watts 2s2p
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05-04-2022, 01:18 AM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 1,423
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown, integral. (With 2kW of tiltable solar)
Chassis: Crown Supercoach II (rear engine)
Engine: Detroit 6V92TAC, DDEC 2, Jake brake, Allison HT740
Rated Cap: 37,400 lbs GVWR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BusT
So I think I’m going to have to lose a panel and gain a bigger deck area up top.
If I wire 2s2p do I need fuses on my positives where they combine to my roof entry gland . We’ll really Im looking for some help in getting together wire sizes fuses and also a recommendation for cut off switch and or dc breakers?
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I have eight 255W panels in two separate tiltable arrays of four panels each, with each array's panels wired in parallel. I made simple combiner boxes for each array and each panel is fused with a 12A AGC fuse, then each array's combined power runs through 4AWG downfeed cables and a 50A circuit breaker before reaching its own charge controller; each CC's output runs through a 80A CB before reaching each array's bank of four golfcart batteries wired in series and parallel. Each battery bank also has a 300A Class T catastrophe fuse on its negative side (these are NOT load fuses). So, lots of circuit protection! You can never have too many fuses or CBs.
Each battery bank has 2/0 cables from its CC / to the DC load center (via a 250A Schottky diode), and there are also 4/0 Pos and Neg cables to the starter motor to give some assistance to the start batteries in cold weather. All battery switches are Blue Sea heavy-duty Off/1/2/Both rotary switches, and all cables' lugs are attached with a commercial-grade circumferential crimper for reliable connections.
John
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05-04-2022, 11:34 AM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Houston
Posts: 336
Year: 2003
Engine: Dt466e
Rated Cap: 30,000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John
I have eight 255W panels in two separate tiltable arrays of four panels each, with each array's panels wired in parallel. I made simple combiner boxes for each array and each panel is fused with a 12A AGC fuse, then each array's combined power runs through 4AWG downfeed cables and a 50A circuit breaker before reaching its own charge controller; each CC's output runs through a 80A CB before reaching each array's bank of four golfcart batteries wired in series and parallel. Each battery bank also has a 300A Class T catastrophe fuse on its negative side (these are NOT load fuses). So, lots of circuit protection! You can never have too many fuses or CBs.
Each battery bank has 2/0 cables from its CC / to the DC load center (via a 250A Schottky diode), and there are also 4/0 Pos and Neg cables to the starter motor to give some assistance to the start batteries in cold weather. All battery switches are Blue Sea heavy-duty Off/1/2/Both rotary switches, and all cables' lugs are attached with a commercial-grade circumferential crimper for reliable connections.
John
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What voltage is your battery bank ? I ordered 1/0 max 285 amp cable for 24v battery bank but the bms is limited to 120 amp overkill solar ? Also I’m looking at 120v ish and 20 amps so I don’t plan on fusing the array just having a breaker downstream of the combined roof feed through . I think I ordered a 80 amp dc breaker for sole cut off
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05-04-2022, 11:03 PM
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#9
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 1,423
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown, integral. (With 2kW of tiltable solar)
Chassis: Crown Supercoach II (rear engine)
Engine: Detroit 6V92TAC, DDEC 2, Jake brake, Allison HT740
Rated Cap: 37,400 lbs GVWR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BusT
What voltage is your battery bank ? I ordered 1/0 max 285 amp cable for 24v battery bank but the bms is limited to 120 amp overkill solar ? Also I’m looking at 120v ish and 20 amps so I don’t plan on fusing the array just having a breaker downstream of the combined roof feed through . I think I ordered a 80 amp dc breaker for sole cut off
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My battery banks are 12V. (It was easier to have everything DC in the bus at 12V. The extra cost of thicker cable is inconsequential in the big scheme of things!)
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05-05-2022, 04:24 PM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 1,624
Year: 1996
Coachwork: AmTran (Now Navistar)
Engine: DT444E (7.3L) International
Rated Cap: 31,800 pounds
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John
My battery banks are 12V. (It was easier to have everything DC in the bus at 12V. The extra cost of thicker cable is inconsequential in the big scheme of things!)
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You also need to factor in electrical efficiency. 12 volts doesn't carry the current as efficiently so you lose more "trons" to inefficiency. Going with 48 volts however makes parts and components harder to find on the road when the system goes down.
We are going with 24VDC bank with a 24VDC "main" down the side of the bus then three separate 24 to 12 buck converters each powering its own fuse box from which much smaller 12VDC wires can make the much shorter trip to their point of use.
Because AC is more efficient we will just be using a single AC panel but we thought the redundancy, shorter 12 volt wire runs, and increased efficiency were worth the slightly higher costs on the DC circuitry.
I hope that makes sense. It does in my mind but then I designed it.
__________________
YouTube: HAMSkoolie WEB: HAMSkoolie.com
We've done so much, for so long, with so little, we now do the impossible, overnight, with nothing. US Marines -- 6531, 3521. . . .Ret ASE brakes & elect. Ret (auto and aviation mech). Extra Class HAM, NAUI/PADI OpenWater diver
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