Another reason to dislike tray cable [RE-wrenches]

Bill Brooks billb at endecon.com
Mon Apr 21 16:06:33 PDT 2003


William,

I believe you are referring to USE-2 cable that is provided by the
manufacturer. Although USE-2 can certainly installed trays, tray cable is
typically a multiconductor cable with a tough, sunlight resistant outer
jacket and THWN or XHWN internal conductors. All junctions must be made in
junction boxes with tray cable unless there is a multi-conductor connector
molded on at the factor.

Bill.


-----Original Message-----
From: William Miller [mailto:wrmiller at slonet.org]
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 3:46 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: RE: Another reason to dislike tray cable [RE-wrenches]


Bill:

I'm not violating the listing, just violating the warranty on the Sharp
module if I cut off the factory provided MC connector to run the cable into
a J-box.

I am referring to whatever type cable is provided by the factory attached
to the Sharp modules.  This would mate with some pre-fabricated cables,
don't know the listing type.

William



At 03:05 PM 4/21/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>William,
>
>Are you referring to two-conductor tray cable or USE-2 cable?
>
>I don't know that you are violating the listing if you cut the MC connector
>off as long as you use UL-listed parts to connect into a properly rated and
>sized junction box. By the way, refer to THHN as THWN--a minor point, but
>THHN is only allowed indoors.
>
>Just to smack the hornet's nest--flexible non-metallic conduit still
doesn't
>have the proper ratings to connect directly to a junction box on a PV
>module.
>
>Bill.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: William Miller [mailto:wrmiller at slonet.org]
>Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 2:22 PM
>To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
>Subject: Another reason to dislike tray cable [RE-wrenches]
>
>
>Friends:
>
>I am bidding an off-gird installation.  The customer purchased his
>equipment from a well known mail order outfit.  He has mounted his 8 Sharp
>165 modules on two fixed, pole mount racks.  I need to connect the Sharp
>modules to the Outback PV combiner.  Each module is a separate feed to the
>combiner, since the system is 24 volt, nominal.  I can't just run the tray
>cables to the combiner because 1, they aren't long enough and 2, there is
>no hardware I know of to bring the tray cables into an enclosure.  The tray
>cables with MC connectors are meant to connect to another MC connector. If
>I cut the MC connector off to feed the lead into a J-box, I void the
>warranty of the module.
>
>Here's the only way I can see to connect these modules up:  I provide a
>J-box on each pole with 8 tray leads hanging out of the bottom, each with
>an MC connector.  To do this, I need to spend $192.80 and lots of time.
>
>Below is an "ÄSCII" CAD drawing, if it doesn't get hacked up by line
>wrapping:
>
>
>
>-------------------------------------
>Module plus -----> >----Gland nut-| box ---splice-------THHN--|----\
>Module plus -----> >----Gland nut-| box ---splice-------THHN--|----\
>
>              conduit-----combiner
>Module neg  -----> >----Gland nut-| box ---splice-------THHN--|----/
>Module neg  -----> >----Gland nut-| box ---splice-------THHN--|----/
>
>-------------------------------------
>
>For each mounting pole I need to provide a J-box.  In each J-box I need to
>bring in 9 leads (4 modules with plus and minus and a ground).  I need 8
>gland nuts (Arlington LPCG50, $1.10 each) on the bottom of each J box.  I
>can't use a standard metallic Nema 3R box because by the time I find one
>with 8 existing KOs or room to add enough KOs to total 8, it would be huge.
> So I need an 8X8X4 plastic J box (Carlon E898N, $24.00).  Then I need to
>purchase 8 prefabricated tray cables with MC connectors ($14.00 each).  I
>cut each one in two and install one end in each gland nut.  Once in the
>J-box, I need to get my leads over to the combiner.  I run PVC conduit from
>each J-box to the combiner.  If I put the combiner on one of the two poles,
>the tray leads from the J-box on that pole might be long enough to reach
>the combiner, but the leads from the other pole are not.  I need to splice
>the tray leads (the ones in the gland nuts) to some THHN.  I could use wire
>nuts, but I prefer a terminal strip ($24.00).
>***snip***
>
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__________________________________________________________________
William Miller
Miller Power and Communications
PO Box 50, Santa Margarita, CA 93453
Voice :805-438-5600     Fax: 805-438-4607
email: wrmiller at slonet.org
http://millerpowerandcomm.com
License No. C-10-773985
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