MC4 solar connectors

On Sat, Jun 25, 2016 at 10:25 AM, J.H.S. wrote:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A8TRKJW?ref=olp_product_details

Do I need to order quiet a few of these for current and future panel installation? The connectors on the two new panels seem exceptionally good.

(PS: I don’t recall using these connectors in the past (if I’m wrong about previous usage, please let me know with some info. on which panels I might have used them on.)

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MC connectors are handy to have around! If you need to make custom cables on demand, they are definitely a good option.
Also, for when you need MC4 and then bare ends, often times people buy a complete cable (MC4 male on one end and MC4 female on the other end) and then cut it in the middle, That way you get a MC male cable and a MC4 female cable, with bare ends.
Example:
Buy 50 ft MC4 cable (male on one end, female on other)
Cut 50 ft MC4 cable into two 25 ft cables,
ending up with a male cable a female cable (to connect to a panel, and bare ends for going into a charge controller etc. I attached a screenshot illustrating this.
Here is a cool page about MC4 connectors:
http://www.solar-electric.com/how-to-use-mc4-connectors-cables.html/
Connector types:
MC4 (the current standard, the latest and the greatest)
All my new panels have MC4 connectors.
MC3 (the previous standard)
My panels from approximately 6-8 years ago are MC3 (the previous style).
For now and the forseeable future all new panels should be MC4 (at least until a new standard comes out) 😉
Best regards,
-J.D.

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