PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Huber + Suhner offers a toolbox for do-it-yourself cable connector assembly

At the Intersolar trade fair in Freiburg in June, the German company Huber + Suhner GmbH has presented module cable connectors for do-it-yourself assembly with an appropriate new toolbox.

	© Huber + Suhner GmbH
Huber + Suhner's new toolbox contains all the tools and accessories customers need for solar cable assembly.

In March, at the PV conference in Staffelstein, Germany, the Huber + Suhner introduced its first PV connectors to the PV world (see PI 3/2003, p. 56) . But until now, connectors only came pre-assembled, which meant that cables and their housings were already pasted together and crimped with a six-corner metal ring. The new do-it-yourself connectors come unassembled and don't need any adhesive.

The toolbox contains all the necessary tools and accessories for on-site installation. Among other things, the toolbox includes a cable stripper, crimping tool, cable shears, components for 50 connectors, and a junction box. The junction box, which was already presented at the Staffelstein conference, is made of polycarbonate and has dimensions of 141 × 101 × 28 mm. It adheres to IP 55 protection class and is therefore protected against dust and water jets from all directions. The junction box's seal can be reopened with a special tool.

Huber + Suhner also introduced a new safety clamp, which encloses the connector like a bun surrounds a hot dog to prevent the accidental disconnection of the connector and the socket. A special tool is required to unlock the safety clamp.

The cable-connecting equipment is sold worldwide. Whereas the toolbox costs €418 ($490), the cable-connecting box with four clamps, two connectors, and a solar cable (1 m) costs €12.84 ($14.77) before taxes.