MC4 long span Y-connector advice

[BerndL]

3s2p side by side. Want to connect the strings with a simple Y-connector, but need at least 18" to bridge the gap between panel 1 and 4.
Most 2-1 connectors are about 6"+6", does anyone make a longer one?

Obviously I could just get a pair of short MC4 extension cables, or splice a bit of extra PV cable onto one branch of the Y, but a longer connector would be the easiest thing.

 

[Hedges]

Rotate some panels 180 degrees?

Make sure your Y-connecter has same brand MC4 as the panels. And as the home-run cables.

 

[BerndL]

Rotate some panels 180 degrees?

I guess that would at least put the positives right next to each other, but the negatives would be 10' apart and definitely need an extension cable. At least it would only take one, I guess?

Cable length seems like it should be a fairly common issue, but I can't find many posts about it.

 

[Hedges]

I think it would work for the panels I have. Junction box with both cables coming out, those long enough to skip every other panel.
Data sheet for yours?
And a sketch of intended layout.

 

[BaylentheSky]

As Hedges suggested, it should work.

 

[BerndL]

As Hedges suggested, it should work.

They're in a row of 6. I'd definitely do it that way if I could go two high.
The panel wires are actually long enough I wouldn't have to put them upsidedown.
It's frustrating because I only need another 6" or so to connect them 4 panels apart in the row (pos 1 & 4, neg 3 & 6)

I'll just do a butt splice on the y-connectors.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

3S2P in a string of 6. The wires on your panels should be long enough to do this with any set of splitters.

 

[BerndL]

3S2P in a string of 6. The wires on your panels should be long enough to do this with any set of splitters.

View attachment 284564

That's genius, I'd never considered having the panels alternate strings. Thank you!

The modern mppts I've tested don't seem to lose much more than proportionally from partial string shading, so there's no real downside I can see.

That'll keep me going until I get the finished rig set up, with one string switching to west-facing in summer (way overpaneled). It'll be nice to have all my premade wires untouched to simplify that job.