Go Power SC-OUTPUT-3 Solar Panel to Controller Cable, 3 Foot

The Go Power SC-OUTPUT-3 is the short output cable that ties your Go Power solar panel to your charge controller. Three feet of MC4-terminated wire, nothing fancy, but it's the piece that actually gets power from the roof or the arch down to where the controller lives. If you bought a Go Power panel and a Go Power controller and found yourself missing the run between them, this is the part you're looking for.

Here's how it fits into a typical setup. Your panel puts out DC through a pair of MC4 connectors. This cable plugs straight into those, and the other end lands at your solar charge controller's input. From the controller, power goes to your battery bank. So the SC-OUTPUT-3 is the middle link, panel to controller, and it uses the same MC4 standard Go Power builds their panels around. No cutting, no crimping, no guessing at polarity. You click it together and move on.

Now let's talk length, because three feet is short and you should know that going in. On a small setup, a cockpit-mounted panel on a dinghy or a tender, or a controller mounted right below a deck panel, three feet is plenty. That's exactly what this cable is built for. But if your panel lives up on a bimini or a radar arch and your controller is belowdecks near the batteries, three feet won't reach. You'll want to add an MC4 extension to bridge the gap. We stock those too, and they click into this same cable end. Plan the run before you order so you're not short on install day.

A word on voltage drop. On a 12-volt system, every foot of wire costs you a little, and thinner solar leads add up over a long run. Three feet is short enough that drop is a non-issue here. It's the long extensions where you want to size things carefully. If you're running a 100 or 200 watt Go Power panel into a PWM controller, keep the total run as short as the layout allows and you'll keep more of your harvest. On a boat where every amp back into the bank counts, that's not a small thing. Short leads, tight connections, and a controller close to the panel are how you get the numbers the panel is rated for.

Marine installs ask a little more of any connector. Saltwater and MC4 don't love each other over time, and corroded pins mean lost current or a dead panel you didn't expect. We tell every customer the same thing: hit the connector pins with a dab of dielectric grease at install. It keeps the moisture out and the connection clean for years. Takes thirty seconds and saves you a headache down the road.

One more install note. This cable, like most MC4 leads, doesn't have its own strain relief. Anywhere it passes through a deck gland or over a hard edge, give it support and protect it from chafe. A little cushion clamp or a bit of split loom where it crosses the deck goes a long way on a boat that pounds. It's the kind of detail that separates an install that lasts from one you're redoing in two seasons.

Who's this for? Anybody running a Go Power solar setup who needs the panel-to-controller connection. First-timers rigging their first panel on a weekend, and folks who've done a dozen installs and just need the right part without a trip to three stores. It's a simple piece. But the right simple piece, matched to the Go Power panels and controllers it was made for, is what keeps the whole system honest. Buy it with a matching extension if your run is long, grease the connectors, support the cable, and you're done.