I got hung up and was trying to make sure which connector is positive and which one is negative... Well, the correct answer is both... It depends on which working end of the cable you are referring too... More important is making sure that you are putting in the proper metal innards into the proper plastic outards as they can fit inside the wrong connector, ...but won't connect... I am going to have to redo everything that I did this last weekend as soon as I get more MC4 connectors as once they go together they can't be reused (as far as I can) once the metal snaps inside the plastic they simply will not come back out... I am learning and if I can do it wrong, I will do it wrong the first time... 🤔😀
Thank you for posting your concern. I was having the same issue until I read your comment and watched again which metal piece he combined with the appropriate plastic casing. Bravo!
Thank you for sharing! For anyone doing this, do yourself a favor and buy the crimping tool. It will save you hours of troubleshooting in the future. In my case, I used the pliers and because it was barely making good contact, the wire got too hot and terminals melted.
Great video. The only one that explains that the male and female metal inserts go into the female and male plastic respectively. I had to replace the connectors on an REC Solar panel whose junction box wires were so large in diameter that the MC 4 grommet did not slide over them. These wires had an outer layer of insulation over a thicker inner layer. After trimming back the insulation to 1-inch like you recommended, I had to trim off another 1/2-inch of the outer layer to accommodate the grommets. Thanks again.
@@LDSreliance did it ever. I feel silly but I've been sitting on this gear (the proper gear and tools) for a solid month for fear of screwing it up. a 7:58 video was all it took.
From the looks of it. That last set of special tools you used to twist the two pieces together. Has two protruding pieces that will help you unplug the connectors from each other. It should go over those two clips at the same time, allow you to pull the plug apart.
Yes, that is correct. I didn't show that in the video because it was already getting too long (15 minutes before editing!) but those little prongs make it so much nicer to take them apart.
Oh my Dear God I DID IT!!!! I connected my solar panels directly to my Jackery power station and can FINALLY FREAKIN CHARGE my Jackery withOUT having to run the Beast or killswitch the batteries.. Now I can have continuous electricity going to my fridge. I'm so dang happy! ❗❗❗❗❗🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 THAAAANK YOUUUUU! LDSReliance! Now to clean up the mess. 😁😂😎
You need an actual crimper that will indent the center and bite into the wire strands. Even a simple standard crimper will do. Pressing it together with a plier will just pull apart eventually!
it may; ---he could have soldered it after bending, but he had no clue about crimping at all,i can tell; maybe now he learned; to me,it was a good video,i just needed the highlights.
Absolutely agreed... with this half done crimping you will get eventually connect overheating..it is sooooo risky....the crimp tool is 15$ and it ships over night.
@@MichaelFrimlPhotography Officially: Is the gender of connectors defined by plastic parts or metal contact surfaces? In this video, I got the impression that the male is the one with the PLASTIC PART sticking inside the other. However, I have also seen the opposite concept, where it is considered that the male connector is the one inside which the closed-end metal pushes into the metal pipe of the other part.
If you are making connector cables, pay attention to which cable you are going to connect to which lead of the panel. You will likely connect black band to red band and that means putting the black band MC4 on the red wire. Depends which end of the wire you're talking about but don't just match colors all the way through. Pay attention to plus minus off the panel and plus minus with your connectors. I think the special tool is also for taking them apart to spring the clips.
@@user-fj8sh6sq1z- depends wholly on the manufacturer of your system. My Renogy panel has red (+) wire male connector, but my extension cable- to adaptor from a different manufacturer is opposite. So obviously I'm here because I'm swapping connectors
It depends which side you are making. Most panels have male on the positive lead and female on the negative lead. So if you are making a cable to extend those wires, then female on positive and male on negative to plug in to your current connection but then male positive at the other end. This also helps when putting panels in a series string. Technically you could make all of them off the panel males and all connections female but then you must pay attention to colors and how you are wiring it up. The opposite connectors reduce the possibility of crossing the connections later and allow for easy installation of series strings.
THANK You LDSReliance for your brilliant and very helpful videos. Very reliable info. I just ordered connectors with full confidence after learning some fabulous tips from a couple of your vids. Stay blessed and awesome. 👍🏾😎
Absolutely Best Detailed Explanation, presentation & illustration! Thank You 🙏 so much. New Subscriber here. All the others go way too fast & no details in showing Etc Etc. Thank You again
THANQ! I have seen many good youtube videos on how to install MC4 connectors but this by far is the best! I especially like the two methods of installation. I am trying to relearn RV solar after a few years. without any expert looking over my shoulder anymore. you could have mentioned the possible ''dangers" or problems of using the pliers method ?!
Yes, there are lots of little things like that in videos that you forget or overlook and wish you could go back and add in. Obviously the pliers method is inferior and there is a very slight chance you could have a problem. BUT it does work and I have done it before and it can be a solid mechanical connection. And I do believe that for tiny hobby or point of use remote systems where someone might be tempted to use pliers, the risk of a fire or even wire failure is extremely small due to the low current of such systems.
@@LDSreliance Dang it, got the male/female inner piece reversed. My extension cord kit only came with one pair, gotta wait a couple of days to get more (multipack, + wire stripping tool!)
It certainly can't hurt. Just don't replace the solid mechanical connection that crimping the connectors makes with a soldered joint. Make a strong mechanical connection and then solder. I am sure you know that but just stating the obvious.
thanks for this I got 2 male and female connector ,connected to my solar panel so I was agoniseing how I was going connect a wire to the mc4 connectors, but its simple just get some wire with positive and negitive mc4 and connect on them to the other mc4 connectors and connect the wires to my mppt charge controler, so thanks again
I believe you should never crimp the contact with only pliers - even when i crimped low voltage Pin headers with pliers this was never a really reliable connection - not to forget what might happen with 1000VDC and 10A+
Absolutely. Having to replace every string on a commercial job and test because the sub contractors used pliers was such a pain in the ass. Just get some real crimps from Amazon made for mcs
The BougeRV tool/kit is pretty decent. I took a random chance on my first crimper on Amazon and it broke pretty quickly. But I have done several installs with the BougeRV unit now and it is holding up well. You can get the tool by itself but for only a few dollars more you can get it plus some of their MC4 connectors and their MC4 disconnect tool: amzn.to/3Qhisll
You are welcome. Thanks for watching! There are lots more solar videos on my channel for noobs like I used to be and you now are. Be sure to give the video a thumbs up to help me out if you haven't already :)
Thanks for the video man, it's pretty good, I gave you a like but, next time maybe you could specify what's the female and male connector for the metal part, because I tried to follow you and I made that mistake, I thought it was the same as the plastic parts, and it turns out to be the contrary.
thank you verry informative vid , i do have a question , i need to find a vid for extending the 20ft out put lines from panel array to charge controller , upwards to 100 feet , any help would be greatly appreciated
Sounds like you just need to build some extension cables. On one end will be MC4 connectors like you see in this video and on the other side will just be bare cable that will be inserted into the wire terminals on your charge controller.
Sorry to hear that. MC4 is the universal standard for solar so using those is pretty much future proof. The only panels that don't use MC4 are the portable ones and usually those are either Anderson powerpole or some sort of proprietary junk that only works with that brand's products. But you can always hack off the end and crimp on some MC4's.
@@LDSreliance Ta 🙂 It's probably the last panel on my system but the hub that all the leads go into are the old connectors. I've got a few of those so I can make up some MC4's now to link them, thanks to you 👍🏼
The only thing I do different, is I do not separate the bottom band and slide over the wire. Loosen the connector, then slide the entire assembled connector in one piece over your wire after you properly crimp the CORRECT male/female metal barrel onto the wire. It slides through the connector until it clicks. This eliminates the risk of losing any internal parts from dropping off of the roof, etc.
I’m a bit confused. By a solar calculator I am recommended to get 6 awg wire to run from the solar panels to the inverter because of the long distance. However it’s say mc4 connectors only work with 10 to 14 awg. Why would they recommend large wires that cannot be connected. Am I missing something???
No. The largest I have ever heard of is 8 gauge and most of the reviews on those said it was BS and that it was really 10 gauge connectors with a seam cut in them to make them open slightly wider. 10 gauge is the largest I would ever run in MC4 connectors. If you have a need for thicker cable that means you are running too many panels in parallel on the same wires OR your wire run is too long. To get around this, use a combiner box. They are cheap and make wiring super simple. You can run big beefy cables out of the output of a combiner box for longer runs, too.
@@LDSreliance okay, I actually just bought some premade 8 awg and crimped on to 6 awg. I did find some precrimped 6 awg ends on ebay for $33.00 but with 8 awg I am already good on minimal resistance. Thanks
@@LDSreliance And, thanks to your very welcomed information, I was able to steam ahead and get the connecting lines made up (I already had the connectors and tools) and complete my project of 2 large solar panels I'd inherited from a friend, connected to a battery that operates a 12v water feature in the backyard. th-cam.com/video/F8btNQ5pvOg/w-d-xo.html Thank you!
Hello i have a question. My solar panels are cheap ones from Harbor freight they was a gift 4 sets of them for a total of 400 watts. Now they do not come with mc4 connectors. But from my charge controller to the panels there is no connectors just bare wire. I was thinking of using mc4 Connectors. I have crimping tools and what not. I just hope i understand this coming from the charge controller the Positive Plus + side using the Negative Minus - MC4 connector, And the Negative Minus wire coming from the charge controller goes to the Positive Plus + MC4 Connector? Then the Solar panels the the Positive Plus + wire goes to the Positive Plus MC4 connector and the Negative minus - wire from the solar panels goes to the negative minus - MC4 connector is this correct?
It is not possible to hook it up wrong. The MC4 connectors themselves do not have polarity. I think they just put + and - on them because those are the ones that are usually installed on the leads from the solar panels respectively. But in your case if you did it backwards it would not matter.
There is no functional difference in the two. The only reason most direct current applications use red and black is so you can easily tell which one is positive (red) and which is negative (black).
You can, sure. But it is not necessary. The specifications for the MC4 connectors are such that it is not necessary for a high quality electrical connection.
@@LDSreliance You can't be serious? The MC4 is a 30 amp rated terminal connector. Any electrical termination should be done the best way possible. Poor connection can result in a fire. And that needle nose pliers part is straight garbage.
Do you know if the connectors will come off again, or is it the case that once they are on they are on? I need to fit mine to a controller tomorrow, but when I have more time I'll be wanting the connectors to connect them to a second module. I'm not sure I'll be able to get some more connectors tomorrow to make up an extension lead, so if these would just come apart, I can hang onto them for later.
Between the solar panel and the charge controller or grid tied inverter? It certainly can't hurt but I don't see it commonly done. I certainly don't do it.
@@LDSreliance 250 watt panel, 10am awg, to a goal zero 1500 yeti. the yeti has a built in change controller. I was thinking 10 amp line in fuse. But wasn’t sure if that was enough amps.
I'm not an expert on fuse sizing but a 12V 250W panel would provide up to almost 20A of current during normal operation so a 10A fuse would most likely blow regularly.
Will I able to get these two parts separated after the click.(7. 29)Reason being to keep the panel indoor when not in use. If yes does it require any tool or can be removed with some effort.Thanks for nice presentation. Please reply.
Yes, there is a special plastic tool that is cheap that you can purchase that will help you easily disconnect the two connectors from each other. Here is an example: amzn.to/3buC1Fr
@ldsreliance quick question, as you get more and more solar panels do you simply keep daisy-chaining them, or do you need to consider a different gauge? I imagine the answer would be different if you were doing it in series versus parallel. Thanks again for the incredibly helpful video.
Daisy chaining them will wire them in series, which increases the voltage each time. That will help keep the size of the wire down because higher voltage suffers less voltage drop. But there is a point where you will exceed the voltage capacity of your charge controller/inverter. So another option is to use a combiner box. I actually just uploaded a video yesterday about that very subject: th-cam.com/video/MYUm3IwyAkM/w-d-xo.html
LDSreliance I’m sorry. I meant specifically parallel. I want to increase amperage while maintaining voltage. But can you increase amperage without eventually “gauging up” on the wires?
You can but it is designed to not need it. I demonstrated with both needle nose (sub-optimal) and proper MC4 crimpers. If you are using just doing a one-off project you can get by with needle nose and for good measure maybe some solder. But if you are doing more than a few of these I would invest in the proper crimpers.
Well, I just learned something about my car battery that dad gave me for my solar application. 1.) He kept the lights on over and over again, that killed the battery. 2.) What really killed the battery was when he was leaving a car show with my mom, the battery overheated.
Yes, leaving the lights on overnight will drain a typical car battery down below the 20% DoD mark and shorten its life. The good news is you can still use that car battery as a core to trade in on a nice new golf cart battery :)
Im not making myself clear. He used that car battery in his car, he accidentally drained the battery too many times by leaving the car lights on. Plus, the battery overheated.
LDSreliance right on, thanks. I just ordered a bunch along with some y harnesses and the wrenches, I'm building a solar popup camper trailer for my electric bike as well as fixing all the old solder and shrink connections in my rooftop panels at home.
LDSreliance thanks, I'm trying to build a fleet of solar vehicles, already got a chopper cruiser ebike I charge from my rooftop solar, and am motorizing my tow bike and flatbed trailer next, building the popup and when that's done I plan to build a solar electric car based on the lotus 7 roadster with the warp9 motors and group c GTP type replica body covered in solar cells.
Hallelujah! You've changed the course of my life!
I got hung up and was trying to make sure which connector is positive and which one is negative... Well, the correct answer is both... It depends on which working end of the cable you are referring too...
More important is making sure that you are putting in the proper metal innards into the proper plastic outards as they can fit inside the wrong connector, ...but won't connect... I am going to have to redo everything that I did this last weekend as soon as I get more MC4 connectors as once they go together they can't be reused (as far as I can) once the metal snaps inside the plastic they simply will not come back out... I am learning and if I can do it wrong, I will do it wrong the first time... 🤔😀
Thank you for posting your concern. I was having the same issue until I read your comment and watched again which metal piece he combined with the appropriate plastic casing. Bravo!
Thank you for sharing! For anyone doing this, do yourself a favor and buy the crimping tool. It will save you hours of troubleshooting in the future. In my case, I used the pliers and because it was barely making good contact, the wire got too hot and terminals melted.
There is no replacement for the right tool for the job!
Great video. The only one that explains that the male and female metal inserts go into the female and male plastic respectively. I had to replace the connectors on an REC Solar panel whose junction box wires were so large in diameter that the MC 4 grommet did not slide over them. These wires had an outer layer of insulation over a thicker inner layer. After trimming back the insulation to 1-inch like you recommended, I had to trim off another 1/2-inch of the outer layer to accommodate the grommets. Thanks again.
You are welcome! Glad it helped you.
You walked me right through this. Perfect and everything worked, first time out of the gate. Well done sir!!
Awesome! Glad the video helped you.
@@LDSreliance did it ever. I feel silly but I've been sitting on this gear (the proper gear and tools) for a solid month for fear of screwing it up. a 7:58 video was all it took.
DIY stuff can be scary but every time you push through that unknown and finish a job you will gain confidence. Good job!
Thanks!!! I'm doing my first time this weekend. I bought the crimping tool but I think I'll still use a little solder after the crimp.
Instablaster...
....it doesn't hurt 👍
From the looks of it. That last set of special tools you used to twist the two pieces together. Has two protruding pieces that will help you unplug the connectors from each other. It should go over those two clips at the same time, allow you to pull the plug apart.
Robert Steich .....spot on! good catch. 👍
Yes, that is correct. I didn't show that in the video because it was already getting too long (15 minutes before editing!) but those little prongs make it so much nicer to take them apart.
This was extremely helpful to me!! Thank you very much!!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already.
Oh my Dear God I DID IT!!!! I connected my solar panels directly to my Jackery power station and can FINALLY FREAKIN CHARGE my Jackery withOUT having to run the Beast or killswitch the batteries.. Now I can have continuous electricity going to my fridge. I'm so dang happy! ❗❗❗❗❗🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
THAAAANK YOUUUUU! LDSReliance!
Now to clean up the mess. 😁😂😎
Haha good job! Glad this video helped you.
Thank you for taking the time to show us this. Much appreciated
Of course. Thanks for watching!
I just received by Amazon this solar panel connector crimping kit...I'm praying it will work for this fine presentation you've provided.
Is it the one I linked to? Either way, should work fine.
@@LDSreliance O no, I'm sorry, that came out wrong, mine is a Chinese made brand called SWANAMB.
Ahh ok. Let us know how it works out for you!
You need an actual crimper that will indent the center and bite into the wire strands. Even a simple standard crimper will do. Pressing it together with a plier will just pull apart eventually!
it may; ---he could have soldered it after bending, but he had no clue about crimping at all,i can tell; maybe now he learned; to me,it was a good video,i just needed the highlights.
Absolutely agreed... with this half done crimping you will get eventually connect overheating..it is sooooo risky....the crimp tool is 15$ and it ships over night.
thats how pv fires start
@@MichaelFrimlPhotography Officially: Is the gender of connectors defined by plastic parts or metal contact surfaces? In this video, I got the impression that the male is the one with the PLASTIC PART sticking inside the other. However, I have also seen the opposite concept, where it is considered that the male connector is the one inside which the closed-end metal pushes into the metal pipe of the other part.
@@MR-ub6sq Metal contact surfaces
I appreciate the way you explain things made it easier for a knucklehead like me. Thank you. 👍👍👏👏
You are very welcome! I was a knucklehead, too, before I learned all this myself. Glad to help anyone I can.
Thanks for sharing. The metal connectors that go on the ends of the wires are called ferrules 👍
Yes, I have since learned that :) Thanks for watching!
If you are making connector cables, pay attention to which cable you are going to connect to which lead of the panel. You will likely connect black band to red band and that means putting the black band MC4 on the red wire. Depends which end of the wire you're talking about but don't just match colors all the way through. Pay attention to plus minus off the panel and plus minus with your connectors. I think the special tool is also for taking them apart to spring the clips.
@@user-fj8sh6sq1z I just looked at a spare 315W Qcell panel. The + junction cable has a male MC4.
@@user-fj8sh6sq1z- depends wholly on the manufacturer of your system. My Renogy panel has red (+) wire male connector, but my extension cable- to adaptor from a different manufacturer is opposite. So obviously I'm here because I'm swapping connectors
It depends which side you are making. Most panels have male on the positive lead and female on the negative lead. So if you are making a cable to extend those wires, then female on positive and male on negative to plug in to your current connection but then male positive at the other end. This also helps when putting panels in a series string.
Technically you could make all of them off the panel males and all connections female but then you must pay attention to colors and how you are wiring it up. The opposite connectors reduce the possibility of crossing the connections later and allow for easy installation of series strings.
Why the female metal in the male connector? Why not female in female?
THANK You LDSReliance for your brilliant and very helpful videos. Very reliable info. I just ordered connectors with full confidence after learning some fabulous tips from a couple of your vids.
Stay blessed and awesome. 👍🏾😎
You are very welcome! Love comments like these. Thanks for watching and good luck on your project.
Better than some videos I've watched, but could still be improved quite a lot. You also should have shown us the crimped metal in close-up.
By all means, show us how it is done.
Absolutely Best Detailed Explanation, presentation & illustration! Thank You 🙏 so much. New Subscriber here. All the others go way too fast & no details in showing Etc Etc. Thank You again
You are welcome. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
This is the 4th video looking for the proper assembly of mc4 connectors and the first one that explained it well!
Good! Thanks for watching.
This video was so very helpful for me to assemble these for my first time thank you greatly
!!
You are welcome! Thanks for watching.
If only school was this informative💫
No kidding. Don't get me started!
you cant learn everything in school. Don't be dumb
THANQ! I have seen many good youtube videos on how to install MC4 connectors but this by far is the best! I especially like the two methods of installation. I am trying to relearn RV solar after a few years. without any expert looking over my shoulder anymore. you could have mentioned the possible ''dangers" or problems of using the pliers method ?!
Yes, there are lots of little things like that in videos that you forget or overlook and wish you could go back and add in. Obviously the pliers method is inferior and there is a very slight chance you could have a problem. BUT it does work and I have done it before and it can be a solid mechanical connection. And I do believe that for tiny hobby or point of use remote systems where someone might be tempted to use pliers, the risk of a fire or even wire failure is extremely small due to the low current of such systems.
Thank you! Going to do this tomorrow! Installed panels on our road trek today!
Exciting! Good luck on your install.
@@LDSreliance Dang it, got the male/female inner piece reversed. My extension cord kit only came with one pair, gotta wait a couple of days to get more (multipack, + wire stripping tool!)
Yep, I have made that mistake more than once. Hopefully this video is helping a few people avoid some of those mistakes I made the hard way.
Thanks guy. I didn't realize how easy it was.
You are welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for this! I've watched another well know bloggers video and it was a bit to quick. Thanks for taking your time.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Thanks, good demo, I think I'll solder them on just to make absolutely certain. 😎👍❤️
It certainly can't hurt. Just don't replace the solid mechanical connection that crimping the connectors makes with a soldered joint. Make a strong mechanical connection and then solder. I am sure you know that but just stating the obvious.
Easy to follow, clearly explained. Thank you very much.
The little tool to tighten the connector also is used to disconnect the connector
Good to know!
Greatest step by step instruction! Thank you! 👍👍
You are welcome! Thanks for watching! Be sure to give the video a thumbs up to help me out :)
@@LDSreliance Yes Sir, will do!
thankyou ! i made some 10 yeas ago so nedded to see it again to be sure, and it was easy done.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great video! I was completely oblivious as to how to use the tool, and crimp properly. The video was very well done. Thank You!
Thanks! I appreciate it.
Thank you for tbis toturial, I'm able to joined together the mc4 connector with my dc 6mm wire. This is near and can see it clear all the parts.
You are welcome. Glad it helped you!
Thanks for making this! Very clearly explained and to the point. 👌
You are welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Very clear and helpful. Thank you.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
thanks for this I got 2 male and female connector ,connected to my solar panel so I was agoniseing how I was going connect a wire to the mc4 connectors, but its simple just get some wire with positive and negitive mc4 and connect on them to the other mc4 connectors and connect the wires to my mppt charge controler, so thanks again
No problem. Glad you figured it out!
Thank you! Helped me greatly today setting up a new solar panel that didnt have an mc4 connector already :D So simple once you know it!
Nice! Glad I could help.
Thank you for posting this!!.... VERY helpful!!!!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Followed this video. Made it easy! Very thankful
You are welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video. It really helped!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
I believe you should never crimp the contact with only pliers - even when i crimped low voltage Pin headers with pliers this was never a really reliable connection - not to forget what might happen with 1000VDC and 10A+
Absolutely. Having to replace every string on a commercial job and test because the sub contractors used pliers was such a pain in the ass. Just get some real crimps from Amazon made for mcs
Correct!
Is mc4 connectors can be used in motorcycles? Considering In all weather conditions..installed near the motorcycle engine...
Thanks, I now have confidence in doing my own cables.
Subscribed.
Where to buy the crimping tool?
I want a quality toll, not junk.
The BougeRV tool/kit is pretty decent. I took a random chance on my first crimper on Amazon and it broke pretty quickly. But I have done several installs with the BougeRV unit now and it is holding up well. You can get the tool by itself but for only a few dollars more you can get it plus some of their MC4 connectors and their MC4 disconnect tool: amzn.to/3Qhisll
@@LDSreliance thank you, look forward to watching your show!
Yay! Not so nervous now, thank you!
You are welcome! Just make a nice, solid connection that doesn't wiggle and preferably solder it as well and it will never be a problem. Good luck!
Great vid for a solar noob :) thanx!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching! There are lots more solar videos on my channel for noobs like I used to be and you now are. Be sure to give the video a thumbs up to help me out if you haven't already :)
Thanks for the video man, it's pretty good, I gave you a like but, next time maybe you could specify what's the female and male connector for the metal part, because I tried to follow you and I made that mistake, I thought it was the same as the plastic parts, and it turns out to be the contrary.
Hmmm, I don't know what I could have done better. I mentioned that you had to put the male metal part in with the female plastic part and vice versa.
Ummm i didn't realize. My bad. Thanks anyways
No worries. It was a long video with lots of talking so I don't blame anyone for skipping parts or not listening to me ramble lol.
Yeah but still the shorter I found, the rest talk to much sh** lol, yours straight to the point.
Thanks! I appreciate it.
Great video gonna make some later thanks 👍
You are welcome. Good luck!
Very usesfull! Thanks man.
You are welcome, Tom. Thanks for watching!
Excellent demo. Thanks.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
How can you extract the pin once the connector is locked in. Will a regular pin extractor work?
Thank you for this how to video.
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching.
Can you do a video on connecting the mc4 bridge connectors when joining panels in parralell
The y connectors? They are pretty straight forward. Not sure what I would explain.
thank you verry informative vid , i do have a question , i need to find a vid for extending the 20ft out put lines from panel array to charge controller , upwards to 100 feet , any help would be greatly appreciated
Sounds like you just need to build some extension cables. On one end will be MC4 connectors like you see in this video and on the other side will just be bare cable that will be inserted into the wire terminals on your charge controller.
Thank you. Procedure understood.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Thank you bro, I am good to go or better yet (solar flow). I also subscribed to your channel too.
Thanks for the sub! I appreciate that.
Best vid for this! I need the crimper for 8AWG with mc4's. Can you recommend a crimper for 8AWG? (a.k.a. 10mm squared.)
Thanks was super easy!
You are welcome! Glad you found it helpful.
Thank you that was very useful 👍🏼👍🏼😎😎
You are welcome, Ziggy! Thanks for watching.
@@LDSreliance I've just ordered some, they've changed the connectors since I last bought solar panels 🙄 Thanks again 🙂
Sorry to hear that. MC4 is the universal standard for solar so using those is pretty much future proof. The only panels that don't use MC4 are the portable ones and usually those are either Anderson powerpole or some sort of proprietary junk that only works with that brand's products. But you can always hack off the end and crimp on some MC4's.
@@LDSreliance Ta 🙂 It's probably the last panel on my system but the hub that all the leads go into are the old connectors. I've got a few of those so I can make up some MC4's now to link them, thanks to you 👍🏼
any links to your wedding band? I'm about to buy one and was curious your thoughts and info about yours.
Haha, I don't even remember where she got it. I just told her I wanted Tungsten and a general style. Sorry!
@@LDSreliance No problem. I appreciate the response. Thank you!
Thanks i need to repair some of these at work
You are welcome. Good luck with that and thanks for watching!
The metal part is called the female or male terminal the plastic piece is called the female or male connector😀. Thank You for the great video !!!!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
The only thing I do different, is I do not separate the bottom band and slide over the wire. Loosen the connector, then slide the entire assembled connector in one piece over your wire after you properly crimp the CORRECT male/female metal barrel onto the wire. It slides through the connector until it clicks. This eliminates the risk of losing any internal parts from dropping off of the roof, etc.
I’m a bit confused. By a solar calculator I am recommended to get 6 awg wire to run from the solar panels to the inverter because of the long distance. However it’s say mc4 connectors only work with 10 to 14 awg. Why would they recommend large wires that cannot be connected. Am I missing something???
Do the connectors come with those little metal sleeves or do you have to buy them separately? Thanks
They come with the metal sleeves.
Bro which is better for low resistance?.... twisting the copper wire OR with MC4 connector?
Thank you it was clear crystal
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great vid, thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
Do you know if you can crimp 6awg wire on an Mc4 connector and if so are those connectors compatible to connect to an 8awg mc4?
No. The largest I have ever heard of is 8 gauge and most of the reviews on those said it was BS and that it was really 10 gauge connectors with a seam cut in them to make them open slightly wider. 10 gauge is the largest I would ever run in MC4 connectors. If you have a need for thicker cable that means you are running too many panels in parallel on the same wires OR your wire run is too long. To get around this, use a combiner box. They are cheap and make wiring super simple. You can run big beefy cables out of the output of a combiner box for longer runs, too.
@@LDSreliance okay, I actually just bought some premade 8 awg and crimped on to 6 awg. I did find some precrimped 6 awg ends on ebay for $33.00 but with 8 awg I am already good on minimal resistance. Thanks
Sounds good. Good luck!
Very helpful. Thank you.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Excellent explanation Thanks
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Excellent video. :)
Thank you very much!
@@LDSreliance And, thanks to your very welcomed information, I was able to steam ahead and get the connecting lines made up (I already had the connectors and tools) and complete my project of 2 large solar panels I'd inherited from a friend, connected to a battery that operates a 12v water feature in the backyard. th-cam.com/video/F8btNQ5pvOg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you!
Hello i have a question. My solar panels are cheap ones from Harbor freight they was a gift 4 sets of them for a total of 400 watts. Now they do not come with mc4 connectors. But from my charge controller to the panels there is no connectors just bare wire. I was thinking of using mc4 Connectors. I have crimping tools and what not. I just hope i understand this coming from the charge controller the Positive Plus + side using the Negative Minus - MC4 connector, And the Negative Minus wire coming from the charge controller goes to the Positive Plus + MC4 Connector? Then the Solar panels the the Positive Plus + wire goes to the Positive Plus MC4 connector and the Negative minus - wire from the solar panels goes to the negative minus - MC4 connector is this correct?
It is not possible to hook it up wrong. The MC4 connectors themselves do not have polarity. I think they just put + and - on them because those are the ones that are usually installed on the leads from the solar panels respectively. But in your case if you did it backwards it would not matter.
Good tutorial
Thanks!
Yep,that was very helpful,thanx..👍😁
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
Very detailed, thank you!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching and be sure to give it a thumbs up!
I bought the 20 ft cables from BougeRV. What is the red cable for? What is the black cable for? Why 2 colors?
There is no functional difference in the two. The only reason most direct current applications use red and black is so you can easily tell which one is positive (red) and which is negative (black).
Heidi,... will all due respect for trying, hope you get good 'coaching and advise' in setting up your solar panel system. [why 2 colors? .... lol ].
Thanks I'm going to need this.👍🏻👍🏻
Glad I could help
Thanks for the great video
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
impeccable!
Thanks!
Is it a good practice to solder the wire in addition to crimping? thank you.
You can, sure. But it is not necessary. The specifications for the MC4 connectors are such that it is not necessary for a high quality electrical connection.
@@LDSreliance
You can't be serious?
The MC4 is a 30 amp rated terminal connector. Any electrical termination should be done the best way possible. Poor connection can result in a fire.
And that needle nose pliers part is straight garbage.
Do you know if the connectors will come off again, or is it the case that once they are on they are on?
I need to fit mine to a controller tomorrow, but when I have more time I'll be wanting the connectors to connect them to a second module. I'm not sure I'll be able to get some more connectors tomorrow to make up an extension lead, so if these would just come apart, I can hang onto them for later.
You won't be able to re-use the connector if you pull it apart. If you can I would just wait for some new connectors. Sorry
Thanks that was helpful
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Very nice ❤
Thanks for watching!
Thanks!
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
yes very helpful thank you
You are welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thank you very much sir.❤
Do you recommend putting a line-in fuse?
Between the solar panel and the charge controller or grid tied inverter? It certainly can't hurt but I don't see it commonly done. I certainly don't do it.
@@LDSreliance 250 watt panel, 10am awg, to a goal zero 1500 yeti. the yeti has a built in change controller. I was thinking 10 amp line in fuse. But wasn’t sure if that was enough amps.
I'm not an expert on fuse sizing but a 12V 250W panel would provide up to almost 20A of current during normal operation so a 10A fuse would most likely blow regularly.
Thanks
Will I able to get these two parts separated after the click.(7.
29)Reason being to keep the panel indoor when not in use. If yes does it require any tool or can be removed with some effort.Thanks for nice presentation. Please reply.
Yes, there is a special plastic tool that is cheap that you can purchase that will help you easily disconnect the two connectors from each other. Here is an example: amzn.to/3buC1Fr
@ldsreliance quick question, as you get more and more solar panels do you simply keep daisy-chaining them, or do you need to consider a different gauge? I imagine the answer would be different if you were doing it in series versus parallel. Thanks again for the incredibly helpful video.
Daisy chaining them will wire them in series, which increases the voltage each time. That will help keep the size of the wire down because higher voltage suffers less voltage drop. But there is a point where you will exceed the voltage capacity of your charge controller/inverter. So another option is to use a combiner box. I actually just uploaded a video yesterday about that very subject: th-cam.com/video/MYUm3IwyAkM/w-d-xo.html
LDSreliance I’m sorry. I meant specifically parallel. I want to increase amperage while maintaining voltage. But can you increase amperage without eventually “gauging up” on the wires?
Ok with parallel you are keeping the voltage the same but adding current so yes, you do need to get thicker gauge wire each time you do that.
LDSreliance gotcha, thank you!
You are welcome. Good luck!
Can 40/60 with a bit of flux solder be use there? 2:09
You can but it is designed to not need it. I demonstrated with both needle nose (sub-optimal) and proper MC4 crimpers. If you are using just doing a one-off project you can get by with needle nose and for good measure maybe some solder. But if you are doing more than a few of these I would invest in the proper crimpers.
@@LDSreliance make sense hey thanks for the information, good day 😊
You are welcome. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Very helpful
Good. I am glad you found it helpful.
Well, I just learned something about my car battery that dad gave me for my solar application.
1.) He kept the lights on over and over again, that killed the battery.
2.) What really killed the battery was when he was leaving a car show with my mom, the battery overheated.
Yes, leaving the lights on overnight will drain a typical car battery down below the 20% DoD mark and shorten its life. The good news is you can still use that car battery as a core to trade in on a nice new golf cart battery :)
Im not making myself clear. He used that car battery in his car, he accidentally drained the battery too many times by leaving the car lights on. Plus, the battery overheated.
Subscribed. Thank you!
Thanks for the sub! There are lots more videos where that came from. Welcome aboard.
Should I use dielectric grease with these?
No, not necessary. They are sealed against moisture.
LDSreliance right on, thanks. I just ordered a bunch along with some y harnesses and the wrenches, I'm building a solar popup camper trailer for my electric bike as well as fixing all the old solder and shrink connections in my rooftop panels at home.
Very nice! The camper sounds fun. Let me know if you need any more help.
LDSreliance thanks, I'm trying to build a fleet of solar vehicles, already got a chopper cruiser ebike I charge from my rooftop solar, and am motorizing my tow bike and flatbed trailer next, building the popup and when that's done I plan to build a solar electric car based on the lotus 7 roadster with the warp9 motors and group c GTP type replica body covered in solar cells.
Very cool! You should do some videos on all that.
Thanks nice video
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
if you don't have the right crimper solder them. DC arcs bad
Yeah, great point.
Why do you own rubbish lol. If in question solder it.
Aww man. I thought they were leaving smaller channels that were already running ads alone? They are supposed to be grandfathered in.
Money talks with big companies
Yeah that is strange how they do that. Their algorithms are not perfect.
Thanks!! 💯🤙🏼😎
You are welcome, Steve! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much
You are welcome, Peter. Thanks for watching!
Enxcellent, thanks.
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
Very useful, especially after doing a couple of them the wrong way...heh