hwy17
Anti-Solar Enthusiast
I'm a semi meticulous operator, when I need to make my own MC4 connectors I go and order Staubli name brand from a seller I trust not to have counterfeits. But I'm also kind of cheap so I don't order the $10 plastic wrenches.
When it comes time to terminate, I see that I need an appropriate crimper die so I order a barely name brand off brand - Wirefy's MC4 die.
Crimper works good, name brand staubli terminals seem to insert well into the connector body of course, I tighten the gland down as hard as I can by hand and then another turn with a channel lock.
BUT THEN, 2 weeks after my install, after 2 weeks of operation, I go back and check my connections and 2 out of 4 of them have partial insertion problems! It's the female one with the outer "barrel" inner terminal, rather than the pin terminal. It's slid back inside the connector and the pin is not fully inserting.
Why in the hell would the plastic connector body allow the terminal to slide back? Unless I've crushed part of the inner terminal that was supposed to do this job or something, it seems like only the tightness of the wire gland is there to hold the terminal in place while making connections.
Now I am naive for not understanding these better before putting them into use, it was at the end of a lot of progress when I was on a bit of a tear, but I am disappointed that this thing I just assumed was brilliant because it came from the Swiss actually turns out to be fickle and error prone.
Maybe I need to read the Swiss manual on them, does it say to wrench the glad down all the way down to the neck, and then then it would form a mechanical backstop.
Anyway, nothing melted and I look forward to the industry adopting a new connector. Or not, cause it will probably be something worse with a microchip in it.
When it comes time to terminate, I see that I need an appropriate crimper die so I order a barely name brand off brand - Wirefy's MC4 die.
Crimper works good, name brand staubli terminals seem to insert well into the connector body of course, I tighten the gland down as hard as I can by hand and then another turn with a channel lock.
BUT THEN, 2 weeks after my install, after 2 weeks of operation, I go back and check my connections and 2 out of 4 of them have partial insertion problems! It's the female one with the outer "barrel" inner terminal, rather than the pin terminal. It's slid back inside the connector and the pin is not fully inserting.
Why in the hell would the plastic connector body allow the terminal to slide back? Unless I've crushed part of the inner terminal that was supposed to do this job or something, it seems like only the tightness of the wire gland is there to hold the terminal in place while making connections.
Now I am naive for not understanding these better before putting them into use, it was at the end of a lot of progress when I was on a bit of a tear, but I am disappointed that this thing I just assumed was brilliant because it came from the Swiss actually turns out to be fickle and error prone.
Maybe I need to read the Swiss manual on them, does it say to wrench the glad down all the way down to the neck, and then then it would form a mechanical backstop.
Anyway, nothing melted and I look forward to the industry adopting a new connector. Or not, cause it will probably be something worse with a microchip in it.
