Changing out MC4 for ???

[Blackland Cabin]

I have been working on a mid-sized, portable battery bank that will travel with me to my off grid cabin. It will be hooked up to a 100W Renogy panel, but I need a simple way to connect and disconnect the panel to my charge controller inside of a rolling tool case where the batteries are located. I was thinking about cutting off the MC4 connectors and hardwiring a port to the outside of the case to plug in the panel. Is this a reasonable idea? Any idea of a port that would twork well for this? Are there any concerns with moving away from the MC4s safety-wise? Thanks for any advice you have.

Q

[sensij]

I would suggest that whatever connector you use have some kind of locking feature, so it can't be accidentally pulled out.

Panel receptacles exist for MC4 connectors which would let you hardwire an extension from your charge controller to the wall of your case, so you could plug in from the outside and still maintain the safety characteristics of the MC4 connector.

[Naptown]

Just be aware that cutting off the connectors or any other modification to your panels will void the warranty if any

[SunEagle]

Don't cut the connectors from the panel wiring. You can get a wire with an MC4 connector on one end and bare wire on the other which is terminated on an approved terminal block. Just make sure the MC4 connector matches to the male or female connectors on the panel wiring.

That is what I did to connect up to 5 panels to my combo box. It makes it easy to break down (when the sun isn't shining) and store when it is being transported.

[inetdog]

Often the simplest (cheapest) way to get two MC4 connector pigtails of the correct gender is to take an MC4 connecting or extension cord (as needed) and cut it in half.

[SunEagle]

Often the simplest (cheapest) way to get two MC4 connector pigtails of the correct gender is to take an MC4 connecting or extension cord (as needed) and cut it in half.

+1.

Just be careful of the total length with both connectors. Sometimes "half" may not be enough to reach where you want it to go.

[bcroe]

I have a lot of MC4 "test" cables, and getting them unlatched multiple times can be a hassle. I grind
the latching part off the connector so temporary connections are easily undone. This only needs to be
done on the test side, not the permanent MC4 side.

I also have some dummy MC4s with no contact but plugged cable hole. These typically go over an
MC4 T to keep any moisture out of the 3rd post till I want to plug in a voltmeter. Bruce Roe