Combiner Boxes Explained with Wiring Diagrams

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MidNiteSolarPVCombinersexplained(MNPV)

TheMNPV6PVcombinerisdesignedtowork

with6150Vbreakersor4touchsafe600VDC

fuseholders.Busbarsforbothconfigurations

areincluded.Basedonsales,thislittle

combinerhasbecomethefavoriteoftheRE

industry.ItisthefirstPVcombinertocome

withacustomdeadfront

tohidewiringwhen

themetalcoverisopened.Onecommentwe

havereceivedisthatthefuseholder

configurationresultsinacompromisewhen

theplasticdeadfrontisused.Itisdifficultto

makeonedeadfrontthatworkswellforboth

scenarios.

Thepicturebelowshowshowthe

touchsafe

fuseholderslookwhenusedwiththe

deadfrontascomparedtobreakers.The

breakersareabettermatchwiththe

deadfront.Thereisagaparoundtouchsafefuseholders.Thisisnotasafetyissue,butratheracosmetic

one.



Notwantingtohaveacosmeticallychallenged

combiner,werecentlydesigneda snapinadapterthat

willbeincludedwithallMNPV3and6combiners.(FebruaryorMarch2009).

CheckouttheCADpictureshere.

Thefuseadaptersanddeadfronts

areactuallyblack.Theleftpicture

hasfuseholdersinstalled.

Summary of content (7 pages)

PAGE 1
MidNite Solar PV Combiners explained (MNPV) The MNPV6 PV combiner is designed to work with 6 150V breakers or 4 touch safe 600VDC fuse holders. Busbars for both configurations are included. Based on sales, this little combiner has become the favorite of the RE industry. It is the first PV combiner to come with a custom deadfront to hide wiring when the metal cover is opened. One comment we have received is that the fuse holder configuration results in a compromise when the plastic dead front is used.
PAGE 2
The snap in adapter has notches built in to act as a guide for cutting down for MNPV3 applications. To use for MNPV3 applications, cut the large piece down to 2 or 3 spaces using a Stanley knife. The two pieces will need to be glued or taped together. Material is ABS, so common ABS pipe glue should work nicely.
PAGE 3
The new 1/8” thick copper busbar is rated for 83 amps and is reversible for use with fuses or breakers. In the past, customers would use the MNPV6 fuse busbar ($13.00 list) and cut it down for use in the MNPV3. Notice how the new MNPV3 busbar is set up for three breakers or three fuses. Each breaker is ½” wide where as the fuse holders are almost ¾” wide, thus separate finger arrangement for each application. The fact that we are putting three fuse holder fingers on the new busbar presents another problem.
PAGE 4
Notice the copper plate at the bottom of the high voltage breaker. The input and output of this breaker is from the top surface. The breaker is essentially two of our 150VDC breakers in series. They are internally ganged so when one pole trips, the other also trips at the same time. It is not sufficient to handle tie two 150VDC breakers externally. They would not withstand the high voltage.
PAGE 5
knockouts. The ½” inner knockout can be used to install bulkhead mounted MC connectors for ease of installation at the jobsite. See pictures below. MNPV12 chassis showing concentric knockouts MNPV16 with bulkhead mount MC connectors The MNPV16 can be used with up to twenty four 150VDC circuit breakers or 12 300VDC breakers.
PAGE 6
MNPV12‐250 MNPV16 WITH FUSE HOLDERS MNPV12‐250 MNPV12 WITH 150VDC BREAKERS
PAGE 7
MNPV6 MNPV6 WITH 250 BUSBARS MNPV6 MNPV3