Windy Nation Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit - Manual (Page 10)

Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit Manual
Revision 2.0
MC4 Branch connectors do NOT require any preparation. The metal female and male pins are pre-installed at
the factory inside the MC4 Branch Connectors. This means that the MC4 Branch Connectors can simply be
snapped into place.
4.4 I NTERCONNECT P ANELS
Before you proceed, you must avoid exposing the solar panel to direct sunlight. This will avoid any electrical
shock hazard during installation. Make sure that the solar panel/array is covered with an opaque (dark) material
to block solar irradiation.
Test the voltage output of the solar panel with a voltmeter to confirm it is not outputting
voltage.
Once you have determined to use 12V or a 24V system and the relative placement of the panels, you must now
wire the solar panel(s) together using the wiring diagram and required components shown in
Section 5 as a
guide. Once this is complete, there will be one PV positive cable and one PV negative cable coming from the
solar panel(s).
You will need to make two extension cables (one positive and one negative) using the supplied PV cable and
MC4 connector pair. Each cable will need to be long enough to reach the charge controller and will have an
MC4 Connector on one end and the other wire end will be stripped approx. 0.2” (5mm) as shown below.
Instructions were provided in Sec 4.3.1 on how to assemble the MC4 connectors.
Label or mark the stripped end to identify whether it is Positive (+) or Negative (-) and connect each cable to the
corresponding PV positive cable and one PV negative cable coming from the solar panel(s). Make sure the MC4
Connectors are completely connected and the locking tabs are ‘snapped’ in place as stated in Sec 4.3.2.
4.5 C ONNECT S OLAR P ANEL ( S ) TO C HARGE C ONTROLLER
IMPORTANT: Do NOT connect the solar panels to the solar charge controller until the solar charge controller
has been completely connected to the 12 or 24 volt battery as stated in Sec 3.2.
CAUTION:
High voltages may be present on the solar panel output wiring. Solar panels produce electricity when exposed
to light. Use caution and avoid touching any conductors in the system circuit to avoid electric shock.
Insert the stripped ends of the extension cable from Sec 4.4 into the appropriate terminal on the charge
controller. Positive PV lead is connected to the positive terminal (marked “PV +”) of the charge controller and the
negative PV lead is connected to the negative terminal (marked “PV -”) of the charge controller.
Page 10 of 21 windy nation 03/31/2014