E-Panel Manual

E-Panel Instructions (continued)
11 | P a g e 1 0 - 0 0 3 - 1 R E V : J
employ a sub panel circuit breaker box, you can make this neutral to ground bond in the sub-panel. It is
technically better to make this bond closest to the source of power (the E-Panel), but many electrical
inspectors will be looking for it in the sub-panel box. It will work just fine in either location, just make
sure you have adequate conductor sizes between the E-Panel and the sub-panel. Do not rely on the
hinges for grounding the equipment mounted to the door.
The picture to the left shows the charge control bracket supplied
in the E-Panel kit. This one is for a left hand hinged unit, so the
charge control bracket is on the right side opposite the din rail
breakers.
The charge control bracket supplied works with the OutBack
MX60, MF80, MidNite Classic and Xantrex WX charge controllers.
The Charge control bracket is secured to the E-Panel with 3 #10 x
3/8” sheet metal screws.Use one more screw to secure the top
bracket of charge controller and a 1” close nipple on the side as
shown below. Note that it takes three 1” locknuts to mount the
controller. One lock nut is used in between the E-Panel side and the charge controller side to act as a
spacer. It may help to replace the pan head screws on the side plate with flat head screws in some cases
to increase clearance.
In addition to the 1” close nipple and
three locknuts, you will need plastic
threaded adapters installed on the ends
of the metal threaded nipple. These
adapters protect wires from coming into
contact with the sharp edges of the
metal close nipple.
Before wiring the charge controller,
determine what size wire and breakers
will be required. The breakers are there to protect the wiring, not
the controller!
It is very common to use the MidNite 63 amp din rail breakers for this task. Even if the charge controller
is only 30 amps, it can be wired using 63 amp breakers. You will need 6AWG wire to go with those
breakers though. If using one of the more powerful 80 amp charge controllers, you will need the
MNEDC80 panel mount breakers. These mount on the opposite wall from the din rail breakers. 4AWG
wire is required to match up with these 80 amp breakers.
The flow path for the PV circuit is as follows:
1. The PV + wire comes into the E-Panel and attaches to the PV+ busbar
2. The PV- comes into the E-Panel and attaches to the shunt busbar. This is for charge controllers that
have a common PV- and battery- connection, (most are this way). Some charge controllers like the
Xantrex XW and the Blue Sky must keep thes PV- and battery- circuits separated. The E-Panels have
mounting embosses to accommodate a short white busbar to act as an isolated PV-. Use the
MNSBBW for the busbar.
3. From the PV+ busbar, use the appropriate gauge red wire (THHN) and connect to the PV+ IN
breaker. DC breakers have polarity markings. These may be a + sign or a line and load sign.
Although the PV circuit has very limited energy available and thus making polarity issues not too
critical, it is best to try to get it right. This is where the fun begins.