Materials, parts & consumables
The materials and parts a machine runs on
31 categories of materials, parts and consumables, judged the same way as the machines: by what they change, and whether the cheaper option already does the job. A part only helps if it matches the installation exactly — a connector has to mate with the one already on the panel, and a fuse holder rated for alternating current protects nothing on a battery lead.
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- MC4 connectors Two connectors that mate are not always two connectors that seal 3
- MC4 crimping tools A crimp is a cold weld, and the die size decides whether it is one 4
- Solar cable Sunlight destroys ordinary insulation, slowly and invisibly 6
- Solar extension cables Every metre added is a little voltage lost 5
- Battery cable Low voltage means high current, and high current needs copper 2
- Anderson connectors Genderless housings, and a contact that has to match the cable 5
- Battery terminals A loose terminal is a resistor, and a resistor is a heater 5
- Fuse holders The fuse protects the cable, not the appliance 7
- DC circuit breakers Polarity marked on the case is there for a reason 2
- Battery isolator switches Switching under load is what wears a switch out 7
- Busbars One bar instead of five terminals stacked on a post 3
- DIN rail energy meters Direct or through a transformer, and the two are wired differently 7
- Plug-in energy meters Accurate at 2 000 W, and often not at 3 7
- USB power meters It shows which profile was actually negotiated 2
- DC clamp meters Only a Hall-effect clamp reads direct current 5
- Ferrule crimping tools A stranded wire under a screw terminal wants a ferrule 7
- Cable glands The seal is rated for a cable diameter range, not for a hole 2
- Earthing kits What earthing is required is decided by the rules, not by the kit 2
- Battery boxes A box that fits the battery and the locker, with somewhere for the cables 6
- Solar panel mounts Wind load is the specification, and it is rarely printed 7
- Balcony mounting kits A railing is not a structure, and the landlord has an opinion 7
- Solar panel cleaning Soft, soft water, and never a hot panel 4
- Type 2 charging cables The cable tells the car how much it may draw 7
- 12 V sockets Cigarette, DIN or USB-C, and each has its own current limit 4
- Solar trickle chargers A few watts on the dashboard, to replace what the car leaks 4
- Cable reels Coiled and loaded is the case the rating is written for 4
- Outdoor extension leads An IP rating is earned with the lids shut 7
- Generator accessories Covers, wheel kits, parallel leads and the right oil 5
- Fuel cans Approval marks decide where a can may legally be carried 7
- Power station cases A padded bag that still lets the fan breathe 3
Being written
These families are still being written up. They appear here so the shape of the catalogue is visible, and so you know what is coming, and deliberately not linked until there is something to read.
- Battery shunts