MPP Solar PIP-1012LV-MK 1000W 12V stackable inverter, 80A Mppt and 60A charger - Wires, Lugs, Fuses, future-proofed?

[Awakenhorizon]

Hello, I'm in the process of ordering cables and after checking the manual for the PIP-1012LV-MK 1000W it's not very clear on the lug size. I have a 12v 200ah Jita LiFePO4 battery being shipped and wanna order some custom made 2AWG 4ft cables (I hear going bigger is ok, right?) but the options for lugs are 3/8 & 5/16. I tried to zoom in on the demo video and it looks like 2-3/8 is stamped on the lugs but not sure. Also, not sure of what size the battery lugs will be, so should I just go with 3/8 on both ends, or is it 3/8 one side and 5/16 the other side, or just 5/16 all the way? And from the battery should I just add a bolt on 100A or 250A fuse? Or is it better to go with a 100A or 250A manual circuit breaker? I'm not sure if it's the battery's 200ah that determines this or the 80A MPPT/1000W inverter/60A charger that determines the fuse sizes.

Also, with six 100W solar panels from Newpowa (specs below) is 20ft 10 AWG good enough for running them as series in sets of 3 and then parallel the sets with a 10A inline fuse for each set?

Specifications​

• Dimension: 33.70*26.57*1.18 inches
• Weight: 14 lbs
• Max Power Output(W): 100W
• Voltage MPP Vmp(V): 16.77V
• Current MPP Imp(A): 6.26A
• Voltage Open Circuit Voc(V): 19.83V
• Short Circuit Current Isc(A): 6.56A

Eventually, I'd like to add another 200Ah battery and 4 more panels when I get more space, so I'dlike to future proof the inital setup to save money and be extra safe.

Thanks in advance! This is my first setup and I'm looking to install the panels on my deck at a south-facing apartment that gets great sun exposure. ?

 

[12VoltInstalls]

I would use 2/0ga and not 2ga.

I just installed that exact machine in my sleep last night. The place didn’t burn down today so I guess I’ve still got it

The battery cable studs are small like 5 or 6mm with flange nuts. My cables have 5/16 ends and they are 2/0 gage. I had to pop out the plastic no-short inserts and oblong them over the lugs to get the terminals through the case entrance.

hear going bigger is ok, right?) but the options for lugs are 3/8 & 5/16.

You can get terminal lugs 1/4” iirc even for 2/0 but the 5/16 are acceptable as there are decent-sized bars you mount to; the contact with the conductors is what gets the job done- not the stud or the nut.

should I just add a bolt on 100A or 250A fuse

125A would be about right for this unit if you can source it. 100A is probably fine but might nuisance blow.

is 20ft 10 AWG good enough

Yes. But I used 8ga For my solar wire

 

[Bud Martin]

It uses M8 stud for the battery terminals, so I use 5/16 ring lugs on my unit.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

It uses M8 stud for the battery terminals, so I use 5/16 ring lugs on my unit.

‘You have the 1012 unit?
Maybe they are 8mm but they looked smaller to me. I’m not exactly going to stick a tape measure or calipers in there right now ?

 

[Bud Martin]

Correction: I am wrong, it is M6 Stud & Nut not M8!, nut driver is 10mm.
Yes, I have 1012MK, it uses M8 nuts, I use 10mm nut driver on my unit.

 

[Awakenhorizon]

I actually finished my build two days ago. I built out the frame to hold the Lithium-Ion battery [2560kwh 200A 12.8v] (upgradable 5120kwh when I drop in a 2nd 200A LifePo4 battery in parallel). Added a marine grade master switch, 120A circuit breaker, 2/0 AWG welding cables, intake and exhaust fans with an automatic temperature controller, 12v cigarette lighter ports, USB 3.0 and USB-C ports, can be wall charged at 60A or solar charged at 80A mppt up to 1000w of solar panels. The built in 1000W AC inverter has a max surge of 2000W. I wired the 2 gang outlet with 20A hospital grade outlets that have a ground fault protection and used a heavier cable to withstand higher loads and durability. Gonna use those toggle switches for some utility lights later on. The fabric the inverter/controller is sitting on is welding cloth that can withstand temps up to 1500 degrees, just in case! ? Added a wifi module for tracking from anywhere. Going to add an external battery monitor screen and shunt to better track the battery capacity throughout the day as the load fluctuates. Will begin mounting the solar panels soon (Six 100W Newpowa rigid panels with 23% efficiency). I will also post a list of all the items used for the build soon. ?

 

[Awakenhorizon]

More pics

 

[Awakenhorizon]

Cont

 

[Awakenhorizon]

It's running very well, and cables are all staying pretty cool. Fans only run fast when pulling about 250w plus but if I close the lid it's quiet and the fans rarely ever turn on.

 

[Bud Martin]

The unit I bought a year ago has AC output instability when running on inverter mode (running off the battery).
MPP Solar stops responding to me after I show them the video. The output Voltage will swing between 115 ~ 122V.
But the 1000W inverter is not big enough to start for my 25cu.ft any way so I never use the inverter so I use 3000W instead.
My 1012LVMS (40A solar charger) did not have this issue, I upgrade the unit to MK because I upgrade my batteries banks to 280Ah so I need bigger charger, the MK can do 140A of combined charging current.

BTW, if I use heavy loads >500W then it flickers less.

 

[Awakenhorizon]

Yikes, I hope I don't run into this problem or I'll have to get one of them Giandel's 2200w inverters. I had bought one from Ebay that was open box for like $280 but returned it and took a $40 loss because I needed the money to get the 1012LV-MK. Maybe open it up and check for a bad solder connection somewhere on the board, or try swapping out the board for a new one. I hear it's pretty Modular

 

[Awakenhorizon]

The unit I bought a year ago has AC output instability when running on inverter mode (running off the battery).
MPP Solar stops responding to me after I show them the video. The output Voltage will swing between 115 ~ 122V.
But the 1000W inverter is not big enough to start for my 25cu.ft any way so I never use the inverter so I use 3000W instead.
My 1012LVMS (40A solar charger) did not have this issue, I upgrade the unit to MK because I upgrade my batteries banks to 280Ah so I need bigger charger, the MK can do 140A of combined charging current.

BTW, if I use heavy loads >500W then it flickers less.

I will try and 500w or higher load this weekend to see how it performs. Highest I've gone so far is about 370w.

 

[Bud Martin]

It flickers at low load, I.E.<200W, then less flicker at >500W.

 

[Awakenhorizon]

Here's it going with my 65-inch Samsung 4k TV, laptop with 2 monitors, a PS5, wifi-6 router, and a floor lamp. It hit about 380-400w of load. During the day I stay around 175 with just my PC setup.