MC4 Install Crimping Easy DIY

[@johnnysweekends]

Hope this helps anyone looking to do this. Really easy and the All in one kit is only about $30…amzn.to/3MLTIRd

[@Slow-wheels]

I dont usually do much commenting, however..... this is a masterclass in "how to" videos - all the required information present clearly and quickly. Bravo !! and thank you..

[@johnnysweekends]

Glad it was helpful 👍🏼😀

[@tlteal]

Short, sweet and to the point with no unncessary fluff --- thank you very much!

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👍🏼

[@Usama20576]

جانی بھاٸ سلام 👍 میں آپکی لینگویج نہیں جانتا ھوں لیکن میں نے آپکی وڈیو دیکھ کر بہت کچھ سمجھا ھے جس کے لیے میں آپکا دل سے بہت بہت شکریہ ادا کرتا ھوں اور اللہ پاک سے دعاگو ھوں کہ آپکے علم میں مذید اضافہ کرے شکریہ 🌹

[@johnnysweekends]

Sorry I cant read this or even translate it but I hope the video helped…👍🏼😀

[@ddbruno]

This may be the best tutorial video ever made. I watch tons of prepper/how to videos and this makes them look like amateur hour. Also, I've watched this several times because it's that good.

[@wendeemason6268]

I can’t believe how beautiful and wonderful this video was. Head and shoulders above other videos trying to explain the technique. Thank you for taking your time and explaining everything thoroughly.

[@johnnysweekends]

Awesome so glad it helped you and you found my channel. I hope other videos will help as well 👍🏼😀

[@SubBass100]

So glad there wasn't a 3 minute "intro". Short, Sweet and to the point. You conveyed the message clearly and concisely. Thank you!

[@johnnysweekends]

👍🏼😀👊🏼

[@shunkonn-Rosy]

I guess you are professional

[@wiredotaku91]

Yeah this guy is so far above the rest, great job man +1 sub

[@johnnysweekends]

@franksterthug 😀👍🏼👊🏼

[@comfortmokoena9564]

"Keep the couples together and you won't have any problems"😂 Thanks for the video.

[@johnnysweekends]

Lol well ya know ,…😂👍🏼

[@arecibo1974]

The best instructional video on mc4 by far, thank you! Others just showed crimping, screwing connectors, done 🙁🤔 But you explained the most important thing that people don’t know: Male pin into female connector. Female pin into male connector. Good job 👍🏼

[@johnnysweekends]

You’re welcome, and thanks for watching😀👍🏼

[@dm1126]

Best explanation and presentation on the web Well done sir

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you, glad it helped 👍🏼😀

[@michaeldoherty2289]

Beautiful job. I have done then many times but needed a quick refresher after a couple of years of not doing any. This was absolutely perfectly done. Cheers to you!

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👊🏼

[@Wherstead]

Exactly what I needed to make sure the process was done correctly. Thank you!

[@franksmith4807]

Bravo, wish I had found this video 2 weeks ago. I was converting my connectors on my HF panels. Had the tools and the materials but didn’t know the process. Thanks.

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👊🏼

[@geofffitzgerald7523]

Best MC4 connector demo

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you..😀👍🏼

[@elusiveeskimo3013]

Very useful and to the point information. Switching my Harbor Freight panels to MC4 connectors will make it easier to connect them in series, without suffering the power loss of all the wire adapters otherwise needed. Having the All In One MC4 kit on hand will also make for quick repairs if any connectors get damaged in the future.

[@Brian-li8ss]

Thank you for making this video. Love that it gets straight to it and is easy to follow. I bought the tool through your link and my crimps are perfect the first time.

[@johnnysweekends]

Awesome!! Glad it helped…👍🏼😀

[@dalel2810]

Perfect. Love the fast pace explanation on something simple.

[@shellythie6227]

This is all brand new to me and I have been trying to figure out which of the pins were male or female. I've watched about a dozen videos including ones from solar companies. Yours is the 1st to show me, not just say, which is m/f and the part about keeping the couples together was PERFECT! I will remember that FOREVER!!! I can't thank you enough! I have no idea what your channel's about but you have a new subscriber and I'm excited to find out.

[@johnnysweekends]

Hi Shelly glad you found me and this helped you out, and thanks so much for the sub and joining the group 👍🏼😀 Check out the solar beginner videos as there is some good info there as well…👍🏼

[@shellythie6227]

@@johnnysweekends You are a VERY fast talker so I have to back up and replay several times to catch (and understand 🥴) everything. But I am a senior with a little bit of hearing issues 🤪. Just an observation 🤔. Although it seems to be who you are so trying to slow down might not work for you.

[@johnnysweekends]

Shelly I have actually addressed this in newer video. I just like going fast and getting thing as done but i have to work at a pace that is more neutral for everyone. Unfortunately cant fix the older videos.

[@rosepaul9681]

@@johnnysweekends If I have trouble catching something I just change the setting to a slower speed. Works great. Thanks for such a concise video.

[@johnnysweekends]

👍🏼😀

[@tristanschaper281]

Fantastic! Thank you! I did a small custom solar job on a roof and I used marine crimp heat shrink connectors as I didn’t have the tools or parts to make custom ends. Now that I see how easy it is, I will use them!

[@johnnysweekends]

You’re welcome. And yea super simple and the kit is only $30 with connectors. Link in description of the kit I used

[@todd.parker]

Was looking for a refresher and found your video Johnny. Super clear and to the point, awesome.

[@johnnysweekends]

Thanks Todd. I wanted it easy for the new solar community to understand 👍🏼😀

[@Goody2shzToo]

Thank you so much. Following these instructions I was able to hook up the extension wire to my solar panels all by myself. 😁

[@johnnysweekends]

Awesome!!! Now you are on your way! 😀👍🏼

[@Chaorchy]

Man, this was EXACTLY what i was looking for. Bought the same set, and was like; "now what?" 😂

[@georghausherr3210]

Thank you for those detailed explanations. This saved my day.

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👍🏼

[@seadave8126]

Short sweet and to the point, brilliant

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you, hope it helped..😀👍🏼

[@dwdeklerk3119]

Got to love the down to the point vids, thank you sir

[@dfanman1]

I ordered some bougerv MC4 connectors and they just came in today I grabbed a male metal pin crimped it on the same wire where I had all the failures with the other pins and it crimped on perfectly no issues at all! Also the female connector snapped right on with no issues either then I was able to snap it right on to the branch connector flawlessly, it made me so happy to be able to complete this project I testing the voltage with six one hundred watt renogy solar panels with 3 panels in series two parallel and in the shade I tested 60 volts, then I drove the van into direct sunlight it was around 3:00 and tested 64 volts but the sun was still a little low. I forgot to test the amps but it should have been around 10 amps, I will test it tomorrow to see. But it does seem that bougerv connectors are excellent connectors, not like the cheap once I bought and broke apart when I crimped them. Just thought I'd give you an update. It seems in my first comment I had the female pin and the male connector backwards in my brain but nevertheless It was a male pin and a female connector that I was working with and got failures i was just tired at the end of the day working 7 hours on the van that day. And it is confusing male pin with female connector and female pin with male connector WOW LOL you know mean well thank you for the video because it lead me in the right direction to finding some connectors I can trust.

[@johnnysweekends]

Awesome glad it helped and you got to get the project pretty much finished up. I’m glad the connectors are working for ya. I think they are decent for sure. Thanks for the update 😀👍🏼

[@Nova-m8d]

Great video, all facts

[@t.shaune8816]

Just starting my DIY solar project. Great instructional video, thanks.

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you and welcome to the club 😀👍🏼

[@scottrush3920]

Hey, thank you so much! Never did this before, & your video explained & showed in detail how it's done. Some other videos were vague, incomplete & too fast. The one on Amazon was such bad quality, I couldn't even see what the guy was doing.

[@johnnysweekends]

Awesome glad it helped you out..👍🏼😀

[@everydaywyatt]

Good video

[@johnnysweekends]

👍🏼😀

[@pascalbruyere7108]

Perfect video. Moreover I happen to have the exact same tools. One thing to add: the pins must be pressed/pushed in position pretty hard until it ‘clicks’. I have had a couple of instances where the contractor (pin) was too recessed and it did not work. Thanks!!

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you and yes some mc4 connectors seem to need more pressure to get the pin fully seated to where it clicks. 👍🏼😀

[@yt678901]

I dont have the tool, but i crimped with a Plyer and then melted a lots of solder into the Joint. Now i dont think its going anywhere. Thanks for the video, i followed it and now i have good connection.

[@OffroadMXbohemia]

Perfect, love that fast advice with no bullshit around. Thanks!

[@johnnysweekends]

Your welcome …👍🏼😀and thanks for watching 👊🏼

[@sonjabanzhaf9791]

You have your male and female connection back to front. It's based on the internal metal ferrule not the external plastic. Generally, the female MC4 connector is associated with the positive lead and the male connector is associated with the negative lead. Though I guess it doesnt matter what you call it as long as they go to the right place.

[@johnnysweekends]

Yes you are correct and one of the only ones to actually notice or catch that. But I found when teaching people, this was the best way I could think of. People only see the outside and that’s it. So it seemed the inside became irrelevant. So I did it this way and so far, people seem get it. But again, you noticed 👍🏼

[@theylivepart2]

Thank you for a clear and concise video.

[@johnnysweekends]

You’re welcome 👍🏼😀

[@ste2529]

Thanks but would like to know how to disassemble as cable came pre installed

[@johnnysweekends]

Disassemble from where? The junction bow or the cable end. The Mc4 can be opened but would need to be cut off to replace or swap out.

[@jimmock]

Mate thanks for the explanation, you’re a legend! It has sped my day up enormously! Subscribed all that thank you!

[@johnnysweekends]

Nice!! Glad it helped. And thanks for the sub 👊🏼💪🏼😀👍🏼

[@AtwoodThreads]

Very simple and too the point video that just gives the facts! Keep it up man!

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you I will try 👍🏼😀

[@CollinBaillie]

It would be great to see a demo video for the 10mm2 connectors. They don't seem to have the same crimp fitting.

[@johnnysweekends]

You mean the smash lugs..?

[@CollinBaillie]

@@johnnysweekendsSmash lugs? MC4 connectors which fit 8AWG cable... The pins don't seem to have the fold over wings that the 2.5-6mm2 connectors do.

[@johnnysweekends]

Sorry small lugs lol. You’ll need this special crimper.. amzn.to/3DeEq5k

[@johnnysweekends]

Let me know if that helps

[@CollinBaillie]

@@johnnysweekends looks like what some sell as MC3 crimpers. I wonder if I could use an hydraulic crimper.

[@BulletSpoung]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@projet2907]

Do I really need a solar crimping tool or a regular ratcheting wire crimping tool would do ?

[@tylert2514]

excellent post

[@gypsydavefreeman]

Very good thank you so much. I did one while I was watching the video. It’s almost too easy now, lol

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👍🏼👊🏼

[@JayDee25895]

I bet "The Couple Thing" makes some heads explode Lol😂

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea it’s possible but unfortunately that’s just how they go together..🤷‍♂️😂👍🏼

[@TexasCanuck]

wow - great video, wish I saw this before I ruined several connectors by putting male in male, etc :)

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you, and yea it happens. Can be a little confusing. Thanks for the comment and thanks again for watching 👍🏼😀

[@SlackersIndustry]

Nice video, how do I know In what section do I crimp I see it has 3 slots? I think one says 15,30,45, do the connectors say what size?

[@johnnysweekends]

Sorry closest to the lock jaw

[@G_RAThbun]

Thanks

[@johnnysweekends]

You’re welcome 👍🏼😀

[@lg3053]

Very good instructional video. Thanks.

[@johnnysweekends]

Your welcome glad it helped 😀👍🏼

[@tokor5264]

i dont have tools only pliers, is it possible to do it?

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea you could. The tool makes it way easy but if you’re good you can do it. Just cant make the crimp to wide or it wont seat in the connector

[@emmamacdonald9415]

Perfect tutorial, thank you!

[@johnnysweekends]

Your welcome glad it helped 😀👍🏼

[@JimPfaff]

You need to fix the Ecoflow and Acevolt power links.

[@johnnysweekends]

As far as discount links..??

[@EliseGeiman]

Do you know how to make solar panel connectors longer for parallel T branch connectors? My panel connectors are too short, and I need to make extensions. I am thinking I need two red and two black, but would they need a positive connector on one side and negative connectors on the other or would it be two female connector on each side of the negative connector and two males for the positive connectors?

[@johnnysweekends]

You can buy pre made cables if you like to extend to a much longer length. Or you can buy wire at most any hardware store and add connectors like in this video. Depends what you want and need.

[@EliseGeiman]

@@johnnysweekends Thanks.This afternoon right after I type the message to you, I thought about it for a while and then went and got some shorter MC4 cables. Mostly what I have is 100 ft, but these were about 30 feet. I got out one red and one Black mc4 cables. I connected the red MC4 connector to one of the positive end, and one black MC4 to one of the negative end. After that I was able to connect them to the T Branch connector. I will have to shorten them at a later date.

[@rnkustomz]

Does the male end vs female end need a specific metal piece? Or as long as one has version a of the metal and one has version b it’s fine? Hopefully I’m making sense: wasn’t sure if male mc4 needed the wider or thinner metal

[@johnnysweekends]

Do not mix brands….and watch the video so you get the correct pin

[@rnkustomz]

@@johnnysweekends first time I watched I must have missed it, thanks

[@marcvaleriosilva]

Thank you very much.

[@johnnysweekends]

😀👍🏼

[@Eliusalmo1]

The best video!!

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you..👍🏼😀

[@dfanman1]

I must have bought a bad kit because I was crimping a female pin for the male plug and in the kit was 5 of each pin male and female. I was trying to finish off my project with a female metal pin to go into the male plastic plug and I did everything you did but the metal pin would break after crimping the metal pin would just fall off in pieces I ended up using all 5 female pins and every single one broke off the wire in pieces. That being said, I was using another kit before this last kit and everything worked fine, I didn't have a problem until I used that last package kit of MC4 connectors. Very very frustrating I was more than angry because I couldn't complete my project and now have to wait for my order for more MC4 connectors to come in!

[@johnnysweekends]

Wow that’s weird did you buy the bougerv kit or a different one? Haven’t heard anyone having problems with the bougerv kit yet.

[@dfanman1]

@@johnnysweekends No it wasn't bougerv kit not sure who the maker was I got it off of Amazon probably came from china but it was very disappointing.

[@johnnysweekends]

Wow, well a lot of stuff does come from there but so far I haven’t heard anything about the kit I linked. So hopefully it still performs well.

[@natek3954]

What gauge wire are you using in the video?

[@johnnysweekends]

Pretty sure it was 10g 👍🏼😀

[@ExcelTimeSavers]

Some crimpers are being sold as special MC4 crimp tools, is it a marketing strategy, as I think any crimper with 2546B head can do that.

[@AlexDawson2020AD]

Thankyou !!!!!!

[@michaelsrowland]

There are 3 different places to crimp. You didnt mention which to use. I have the same tool and i believe if the cable is 2.5mm2 then you use the end crimp .it is marked 2 5mm2

[@zephyr59710]

OK but these wires are panel side or AC side ? Coz Will be opposite wiring....

[@johnnysweekends]

Panel side as shown in the video

[@abejeffcruz7555]

Sir good day to you. Im from ph and starting to build my DIY solar system. Basically, i series my two panel. And now i have to crimp a mc4 and followed your video. However, when testing the panel, i got a negative reading which means that the polarity was reversed. My question is, if my panel have a male connector for negative polarity then my mc4 female polarity should use the black wire and not the red wire since it is still negative connection correct? And vise versa with the possitive polarity? I asked this because i follow this instructions and put then red wire in female and black to the male and plugged it to my panels and now I got a negative readings in my multimeter 😅. I just want to confirm my scenario for me to switch the wires on the mc4. Sorry for my noob question btw.

[@donaldindividual-1]

I like it!

[@johnnysweekends]

👍🏼😀👊🏼

[@junkerzn7312]

This is an old video but a few corrections here. First, use the largest AWG that fits into the crimp if you can. Either 10AWG or 12AWG, generally. Do NOT use wire thinner than 12AWG, it won't make for a good crimp. It MUST be stranded copper or stranded tin-plated copper wire. It should NOT be "poofy" wire (tin-plated copper wire with 200+ really thin strands). Poofy wire should never be used in these applications. Use wiring explicitly designed for solar applications which means 10AWG or 6mm^2 stranded copper wire with no more than a few dozen strands (and usually not tin-plated either). Second, don't twist the wire. The crimp folds over and pushes into the middle of the wire bundle. Twisting the wire may cause the crimp to cut the wire while it is pushing into it. The wire should be kept straight. The crimp retains the wire because the extra wire past the end of the crimped metal splays out and prevents it from being pulled out (like how most crimps work). Third, if you want something that will last the life of the system, consider soldering after crimping. It is very easy to solder the wire after you've crimped it, before placing it in the housing. This does require a hot iron due to the amount of metal and wire involved and a soft vice to hold the wire. The solder will soak and flow very nicely and basically guarantee that the crimp will never become loose. The only thing to watch out for is to be sure that you don't put so much solder in that it flows into the retaining tabs on the pin for the plastic housing (the wire should not extend that far into the pin anyway). But also don't put in too little. The solder should completely fill the crimp area and flow nicely into the excess wire area past the crimp area as well. Poor crimps and/or not soldering can result in excessive heat at the junction, and other problems over time. You don't need to use the wrenches to finish screwing in the housing. It should be done by hand. It doesn't "tighten" per-say, you just screw it in until it hits its stop. The seal is made by the rubber gasket inside, not by tightening. So just make sure its screwed down all the way, that's all.

[@mikedevita5558]

Why does the female pin go to male mc4 and male pin to male mc4?

[@johnnysweekends]

It doesn’t

[@jeremydean6103]

Good video

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you..👍🏼

[@billparsons7732]

My grade school kid said it's okay if you want to put the female connector in the female plug; the teacher told her so.

[@johnnysweekends]

Eyyyyy 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@greenbergp]

Greetings, You have a few mistakes in the video. MC-4 is not a generic term for the connectors on solar panels, they are made by Staubli. All of the Chinese solar panels I have seen, say "Compatible" with MC-4. This is not a UL tested term and they might fit together but not perfectly. When moving 600 to 1,000v you want perfect. You don't want to mix and match connectors, you want the same brand on both sides of the connections. The wire you show is not #10 or typical solar wire, which has a double jacket for protection and is thicker. The blue plastic sockets are not meant for the final tightening, perhaps with some of the "compatible" connectors, but not with MC-4. They are only meant to snug up the fitting. Staubli actually has (an expensive) torque wrench to tightern the final threads. It is moderatly easy to cross thread the nut and the threads, if this happens you have to start over with a new connector. Improper connectors are the #1 point of failure in a solar system, by far. These techniques might be OK for a small cheap low voltage solar panel, but not for a house where you have up to 600v or a commercial roof with up to 1000v.

[@johnnysweekends]

You would be correct. But the mc4 term is a simple general term still used in solar installs and when building an array with staubli “mc4” as you would see stated on most spec sheets like Canadian solar, Qcells and more then the general term is still mc4 for short. Have to remember nobody cares about tech terms for the simple diy and beginners. If I started saying modules, junction box’s, arrays and more people get lost. That’s what this video is for. The new diy people learning about solar. Still all these connectors are still Ip68 rated and most are good to 600v or even 1000v. The cable on the back of this harbor freight panel is barely UV rated and not actual cable like you would see in other solar videos I have done it like my LG 335s Again, simplify, that’s who the video is for.

[@AdrepKeith]

This is all fine and dandy, but this amateur viewer has reservations about buying a crimper kit when all I need to do is use it one time to build my small system.

[@johnnysweekends]

Lol you say one time, but watch out…..its addicting and soon you’ll want more…😂

[@MartinMaat]

You must not twist the strands! The fins of the pin are supposed to be pushed in between the strands, which you are prohibiting by twisting them.

[@shaunnightfire8269]

That blue mc4 separator tool is trash. Call out BougeRV on this!!

[@gatecrasher1970]

easier to solder then never comes apart too many fancy things can break

[@Fester_]

Go ahead, count how many times he needlessly says, "Go ahead". It seems to be endemic amongst male, American KZbinrs. Thanks for the informative upload. Cheers.

[@johnnysweekends]

That’s a very valid assumption that we could say that alot, but appreciate the feedback, but while your here go ahead and smash 💥 that like button and subscribe..😀👍🏼😁😉👊🏼

[@Drtreddc]

Do you have other links besides Amazon? Amazon sucks. I really like your video and want to support your stuff but Amazon is my last choice to purchase anything from..

[@johnnysweekends]

I could provide Walmart and eBay but seems 98% just go straight to Amazon..🤷‍♂️ is tough man but let me know and appreciate you trying to help support the channel..🙏🏼👊🏼👍🏼

[@nexpro6985]

"Crimp gun" a what?

[@stephenaustin5525]

So the shorter crimp sleeve is the female and the longer goes in male ? Kinda like , well you know......

[@johnnysweekends]

Lol basically

[@clayherzog4220]

Nice Quick video, but misses a critical point. Who is the manufacturer of these connectors they don't appear to be Staubli Multi-contact (MC) Connectors. Use of this MC terminology for other manufactures connectors can be misleading and dangerous. These style connectors cannot typically be cross-mated with other Mfrs connectors, and definitely not with true Multi-Contact connectors. This is the leading cause of fires in PV installations today. Seriously, just read Staubli's instructions and Whitepapers.

[@johnnysweekends]

While true a Staubli connector is more the standard and what we have in the shop most people dont want to pay $5 per set. Plus how you know every manufacturer is using a staubli connector on every brand of solar module? I find the renogy, Ecoflow, bougerv all seem to be the same as far as quality goes between them. And I would recommend at least a name brand verses the cheapest of the cheap from eBay and Amazon. So many out there with tons of different names. Maybe I’ll compare some and see if there is any real significant difference.

[@olegs2607]

Меня в этом интересует только один вопрос, кому пришло в голову сделать на столько неудобный и громоздкий коннектор? Это то что первым делом хочется выкинуть, вместе с теми очень жесткими проводами установленными на панелях.

[@ragheadand420roll]

What is a female. Im not a biologist 😂

[@johnnysweekends]

😭😭😭😭😭😂

[@RoarPowerNZ-tt6ud]

I really think you should take this video down and remake it, for three reasons; Which manufacturer's instructions say to disassemble the connector? Certainly not Staubli, the original MC4 manufacturer. Disassembling the connector can lead to losing one or more of the parts, reversing one or more of the parts, pinching the sealing gland, or introducing foreign material into the connector. This might not be obvious for many years, until it causes a fire. Secondly, double crimping the connector? Which manufacturer allows this without voiding the warranty? Thirdly, twisting the copper strands of the cable before crimping the connector? The whole point of this type of open barrel connector is that the legs of the connector penetrate the bundle of strands, and by twisting the wires you risk the legs breaking a wire, or being deformed or deflected. Again, which manufacturer recommends or allows this? Certainly not Staubli There are only 5 steps to the manufacturer's instructions; strip, crimp, inspect, insert, tension, and you have added your own 3 (double-crimp, disassemble, and twist the strands) for what gain? These connectors are expected to last the life of the installation, so with modern panels, this means in excess of 30 years. Your modified method doesn't meet any electrical code i know of. I wouldn't risk going against the manufacturers installation, increasing the probability of a failure or fire, and voiding your insurance, and your connector warranty, when just following the manufacturer's instructions is faster and easier.