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PIP – 1012LV-MS (all in one) questions

MeadyOcher1

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I am completly green when it comes to solar so please bare with me.

I am looking at purchasing the PIP-1012LV-MS for installation in my van. I would like to use two 200w Rich solar panels with an open circut voltage of 24.3V and a , and use a Ampere Time 200AH LiFePo4 battery for the intial set up.

My questions are as follows;

1) Does the PIP-1012LV-MS have a built in BMS? I am not sure if I even need one starting with a single battery but would eventually like to add a second one later down the line. follow up question- if it does not have one, do I need to get one?

2)TIs the 20A AC recharger for charging the battery(s) or current to the inverter?- if to the battery, does it only work while the inverter is on, or is it seperate? what does the "max charging current 40A" mean? My laymans thinking is the 20A AC Recharger is the current pushed through the inverter and the 4oA max charging current is what would be flowing from the panels to the battery, but really dont have a clue and am super confused..

3) How would I go about adding a DC/DC charger from my van altenator so I could recharge while driving (in case its not sunny) without it interfearing with the PIP-1012LV-MS?

4) My understanding is that the PIP-1012LV-MS can be over paneled up to 800w, or at least thats what the descrioption on the sales page says.. is that true? the data sheet says 500w max..

5) If it can be over paneled, how should I wire my panels to het the best performance out of the system without risking damage?

any addtional insights or tips would be greately appreciated. thanks in advance for all the help!
 
1) No it does not have a BMS. It has a 3-stage charger, bulk, absorption, float. I believe you can turn off the equalization phase.
2) Charging battery, unit turned on, not necessarily inverting. max charging current 40A" mean = I think max is 60A the default is 40A; this is solar charging current.
3) DC/DC charger?? Alternators = The current from an alternator is rectified into direct current by a set of diodes that allow current to flow through them in one direction only (DC). The alternator has a transistor-operated control device that regulates the voltage by supplying more or less current - as required - to the electromagnet. The rectifier and regulator are usually inside the alternator housing, but on some alternators they are outside, mounted on the alternator body.
4/5) "Overpaneled" ok, just keep Voc below 102 VDC
 
I am completly green when it comes to solar so please bare with me.

I am looking at purchasing the PIP-1012LV-MS for installation in my van. I would like to use two 200w Rich solar panels with an open circut voltage of 24.3V and a , and use a Ampere Time 200AH LiFePo4 battery for the intial set up.

My questions are as follows;

1) Does the PIP-1012LV-MS have a built in BMS? I am not sure if I even need one starting with a single battery but would eventually like to add a second one later down the line. follow up question- if it does not have one, do I need to get one?

2)TIs the 20A AC recharger for charging the battery(s) or current to the inverter?- if to the battery, does it only work while the inverter is on, or is it seperate? what does the "max charging current 40A" mean? My laymans thinking is the 20A AC Recharger is the current pushed through the inverter and the 4oA max charging current is what would be flowing from the panels to the battery, but really dont have a clue and am super confused..

3) How would I go about adding a DC/DC charger from my van altenator so I could recharge while driving (in case its not sunny) without it interfearing with the PIP-1012LV-MS?

4) My understanding is that the PIP-1012LV-MS can be over paneled up to 800w, or at least thats what the descrioption on the sales page says.. is that true? the data sheet says 500w max..

5) If it can be over paneled, how should I wire my panels to het the best performance out of the system without risking damage?

any addtional insights or tips would be greately appreciated. thanks in advance for all the help!
1. The all in one unit does not have a BMS, because it is not a battery. The Ampere Time battery does have a built-in BMS.

2. The built in battery charger is capable of charging the battery with 20 amps of current when plugged in to a 120v household outlet. The MPPT charge controller is capable of up to 40 amps of charge current to the battery. The Ampere Time BMS might have a limit of 50 amps charge current, check the spec sheet and see. This would mean using A/C and solar to charge at the same time might exceed what the battery BMS is capable of.

3. You want a battery to battery charger, lithium batteries are capable of taking enough current to burn out your alternator, the battery to battery charger will limit this.

4. I am sure that you can overpanel it, since it is advertised as being capable of it. You would be limited to 500 watts, but you are likely to start charging earlier, and get the full output longer. You must keep the voltage within the specified limits.

5. We would need the specifications of your solar panels to give an answer.

The spec sheet says 15 to 80 volts operating range for the MPPT input, do not exceed 102 volts (or you let out the magic smoke). Depending on the rating for the panels, most 100 watt 12 volt panels would probably work well as 2 in series, and parallel 4 of those 2 series strings. But you need to verify the specs of the panels.
 
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