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Connecting goal zero panels to anything not goal zero!

Aitch

Aitch

New Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2019
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75
I have a goal zero panel and a yeti 1400 and I have an mc4 to goal zero 8mm adapter so I can connect my Renogy panel to the yeti.

What if I want to connect my goal zero panel to anything other than the yeti?

The panel has a male 8mm plug the only adapters available have male 8mm plugs too as they can only be attached to a yeti which has two 8mm female sockets.

Goal zero don’t make female to female cables or adapters, so if you buy a goal zero panel you can’t connect it to anything else.

Kinda makes buying goal zero panels a bit pointless (not just because of the stupidly expensive asking price!).

The ‘generators’ are universal (with adapters) but the panels are not!

Any way around this?
 
I don't think a charge controller knows or cares who made the panels connected to it. Just change the cable ends.
 
I want to take the cable that is plugged into my yeti (panel on roof) and plug into something else on occasions and then back into the yeti when I have finished charging so I can’t cut the ends off.
 
Just make a 12" pigtail adapter that can be removed when not needed. 8mm on one end and mc4 on the other, or whatever to whatever.
 
SolarRat said:
Just make a 12" pigtail adapter that can be removed when not needed. 8mm on one end and mc4 on the other, or whatever to whatever.
Click to expand...
Not entirely sure I understand, where do I get an 8mm female Goal zero socket? Obviously I can connect two mc4 connectors to two cables but how do I get or attach these two cable to a 8mm female GZ socket?

Perhaps I am missing something simple here ?
 
Aitch said:
Not entirely sure I understand, where do I get an 8mm female Goal zero socket? Obviously I can connect two mc4 connectors to two cables but how do I get or attach these two cable to a 8mm female GZ socket?

Perhaps I am missing something simple here ?
Click to expand...

I have no idea about GZ sockets, but I assume they aren't a proprietary connector (if they are I'd call GZ and demand a few free connectors to make my own adapters because they felt the need to use a non-standard connector...That's BS.)

Look around and you should be able to find something.

Is this the female plug you are looking for? :https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-8mm-Female-Connector/dp/B0763TM156

If you can't find anything else you could use something like that with a MC4 to SAE adapter, but that's a cheesy (and pricey) way to do it. I'm sure if you keep looking you'll find something.

I didn't watch this but you may find it useful:
 
Aitch said:
I want to take the cable that is plugged into my yeti (panel on roof) and plug into something else on occasions and then back into the yeti when I have finished charging so I can’t cut the ends off.
Click to expand...

You can make jumpers that go between.
 
Here is the male 8mm plug that is on the end of any goal zero panel...AFB66702-E197-416D-9862-392037C5E6F5.jpeg
 
It looks a whole lot like the plug on some dell laptop power supplies. And interestingly, those power supplies have about the same rating as a 12v panel....
 
That plug does appear to be the same as dell and hp laptop chargers...

God, I replaced soooooo many of those sockets that got damaged in laptops over the years...
 
It’s 8mm O/D 5.5mm I/D 10amp/120w not sure of the pin size, my guess...small?

...and I need a female plug to put this in, a female to female connector, or two female connectors and I will join them with a bit of wire so that I can plug the panel in and the other end into the mc4 to 8mm (male) adapter that I have, if this makes sense? ?
 
Last edited:
Aitch said:
It’s 8mm O/D 5.5mm I/D 10amp/120w not sure of the pin size, my guess...small?

...and I need a female plug to put this in, a female to female connector, or two female connectors and I will join them with a bit of wire so that I can plug the panel in and the other end into the mc4 to 8mm (male) adapter that I have, if this makes sense? ?
Click to expand...

This is parallel combiner. I'd assume all 4 female connectors are internally connected so you should be able to use two of them as a female to female adapter. And you might find use for the whole combiner at a later date. Or you could attach an mc4 to Anderson adapter on this adapter. Or you could cut off one of the connectors/wire and put an mc4 on the other end of the short wire. But still, I'd cut all those stupid plugs off everything and use something more standard.

Amazon.com: Goal Zero 8mm to High Power Port 4X Combiner Cable: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Goal Zero 8mm to High Power Port 4X Combiner Cable: Computers & Accessories
www.amazon.com
 
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That’s a good idea, I could cut two of the female connectors off with some cable and join the two cables together to make a female to female adapter to connect my two male ends to (panel and mc4 to 8mm adapter) that way I don’t have to alter any of my existing cables or adapters so I can still use them to plug in to the yeti when needed.

All this just to utilise a goal zero panel to charge a non goal zero ‘generator’! ?
 
Aitch said:
That’s a good idea, I could cut two of the female connectors off with some cable and join the two cables together to make a female to female adapter to connect my two male ends to (panel and mc4 to 8mm adapter) that way I don’t have to alter any of my existing cables or adapters so I can still use them to plug in to the yeti when needed.

All this just to utilise a goal zero panel to charge a non goal zero ‘generator’! ?
Click to expand...

You don't have to cut or join or modify that combiner if you don't want. Just plug in your two male connectors to two of the female connectors and leave the other 3 ends connected to nothing.

If you do cut or modify anything (or even if you don't), ALWAYS check the polarity of the ends, as some cables/adapters are wired with reverse polarity (for some dumb reason).
 
Being a bit *slow tonight...if I plug in the two male are you saying they are automatically joined? Problem solved, no cutting/joining required?

*beer
 
offgriddle said:
If you don't want to cut the nice, factory made ends off of your goal zero panel leads, look around for an adapter. For example, here's an adapter that goes from a goal zero connector to a Loni Anderson connector. https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-98...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B073SFDK98
Click to expand...

That one has a male end, I have two male ends I need to join together.

My goal zero panel has a lead with a male 8mm plug and I need to connect it to my diy solar generator which has an mc4 to 8mm adapter cable which unfortunately also has a male 8mm connector (there is no yeti in this equation)

Everything is made to attach any brand of panel to a yeti, nothing is made to attach a goal zero panel to anything other than a yeti.

I think solar rat has the solution with the combiner cable though ?
 
Aitch said:
Being a bit *slow tonight...if I plug in the two male are you saying they are automatically joined? Problem solved, no cutting/joining required?

*beer
Click to expand...


Yes exactly. Those 4 female sockets are in parallel, so they are already all internally joined together.
 
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