| What is the Electric Settings article about? | It explains the general settings for the HELIOS 3D Electric module, including maximum DC/AC power loss, system voltage, ambient temperature, inverter load, inverter balancing behavior, device areas in statistics, trench depths, fixed cable-length assumptions, cable display colors, transparency, and string label placement. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Where is the Electric Settings topic located? | It is part of the vertical menu workflow under Overview of Commands > Vertical Menu > Electric > Electric – Settings. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is the main purpose of the Electric Settings page? | Its purpose is to define project-wide electrical assumptions and default values that affect electrical placement, cable lengths, cable losses, warnings, display behavior, and labeling in the Electric module. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Are cable lengths on this page calculated automatically? | No. The article states that the cable lengths defined on this page cannot be calculated automatically. They are fixed values entered as assumptions for the electrical layout. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What happens when cable length values are changed in Electric Settings? | Changes to these length values are applied to existing electrical placements and update the total lengths and losses of the electrical structure accordingly. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Max. DC and AC Power Loss define? | It defines the maximum allowed power loss for the corresponding current type. If the specified value is exceeded, the cable is highlighted on the Electric Structure page. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Where are cables highlighted when power loss exceeds the limit? | Cables are highlighted on the Electric Structure page to alert the user to possible design issues. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Is maximum power loss evaluated only for complete paths up to a node? | No. The article states that the maximum power loss is evaluated for both module strings and sections between devices, such as combiner boxes, inverters, transformers, or the grid. It does not represent the total loss up to the current node in the structure tree. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if a cable is highlighted for excessive loss? | Check the configured maximum DC or AC power loss value and the cable section being evaluated. The warning may refer to a module string or a section between devices, not necessarily the total loss to the current structure node. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does System Voltage define? | It defines the target system voltage for the electrical layout. HELIOS 3D uses it for verification and warnings if the system voltage is at risk of being exceeded. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| When can system voltage warnings occur? | Warnings can occur when the target system voltage may be exceeded, for example due to certain device combinations in the hierarchy or long strings with high-voltage modules. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if system voltage warnings appear? | Check the target system voltage, the device hierarchy, module voltage data, and string length. Long strings combined with high-voltage modules can risk exceeding the configured system voltage. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Min. Ambient Temperature define? | It defines the baseline minimum ambient temperature used to determine the maximum possible string length for the selected module type. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Why is minimum ambient temperature important for string design? | Lower ambient temperatures can increase module open-circuit voltage, so HELIOS 3D uses the minimum ambient temperature as a baseline for determining maximum string length. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if maximum string length seems too low or too high? | Check the Min. Ambient Temperature setting together with the selected module type and module voltage data, because this temperature is used as the baseline for maximum string-length determination. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Inverter Load (100% = No Overbooking) define? | It defines how many strings will be connected to an inverter. At 100%, HELIOS 3D uses the exact inverter specifications and stops connecting strings when the limits are reached. Values above 100% allow overbooking under Standard Test Conditions. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does an inverter load of 100% mean? | 100% means no overbooking. HELIOS 3D uses the exact inverter specifications and stops connecting strings once the inverter limits are reached. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What happens if inverter load is set above 100%? | Values above 100% allow inverter overbooking under Standard Test Conditions. This permits more strings to be connected than the exact nominal inverter specification would allow at 100%. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if too many or too few strings are connected to an inverter? | Check the Inverter Load setting. A value of 100% prevents overbooking, while values above 100% allow overbooking under STC and can change how many strings HELIOS 3D connects. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Show Dialog “Balance Inverter” Always do? | It ensures that the inverter input-balancing dialog is shown during electrical placement if the last inverter has fewer strings left to connect than available inputs. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
Why should I show the Balance Inverter dialog during placement? | It allows users to balance inverter input usage across multiple inverters before finalizing the electrical layout and can avoid manual adjustments after placement. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| When is the inverter balancing dialog shown? | With this option enabled, it is shown during electrical placement if the last inverter has fewer strings left to connect than available inputs. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if inverter input usage is uneven after placement? | Check whether Show Dialog “Balance Inverter” Always is enabled. This option can show the balancing dialog during placement and help distribute inverter input usage before finalizing the layout. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Areas for Devices control? | It controls whether areas for devices such as transformers or inverters are included in PV table placement statistics, alongside areas such as fences, roads, and the PV design coverage ratio. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which device areas can be included in placement statistics? | The article mentions areas for devices like transformers or inverters. These can be included in PV table placement statistics together with other area categories such as fences and roads. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if placement statistics include or exclude device areas unexpectedly? | Check the Areas for Devices setting, because it determines whether device areas are included in the PV table placement statistics. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Depth Cable Trenches define? | It defines the default depth value for new cable trenches. The depth can later be modified for individual trenches on the Definition page. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Can the depth of an individual cable trench be changed? | Yes. The article states that individual cable trench depth can be modified on the Definition page. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Depth Row Trenches define? | It defines the default depth value for new row trenches. Manual row trenches can be changed on the Definition page, but automatically generated row-trench depths cannot be modified. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Can the depth of manually created row trenches be changed? | Yes. The depth of manually created row trenches can be changed on the Definition page. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Can the depth of automatically generated row trenches be changed? | No. The article states that the depth cannot be modified for automatically generated row trenches. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if trench cable lengths seem wrong? | Check the default trench depth settings and the individual trench depths on the Definition page. Cable trench depth contributes to cable-length calculation in the Electric module. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if an automatic row trench has the wrong depth? | Check the Depth Row Trenches default setting before generating row trenches, because automatically generated row-trench depth cannot be modified afterward. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Wire Length by Module Row define? | It represents the cable run between cable ducts and the connection points of the module rows. Multiple values correspond to module rows from front to back and must be separated by semicolons. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How do I enter different wire lengths for multiple module rows? | Enter multiple values separated by semicolons. The values correspond to module rows starting from the front and extending to the back. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does the example 1.9;0 mean? | It means that the first module row requires 1.9 units of extra cable, while the second module row requires no extra cable. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if extra row cable length is wrong? | Check the semicolon-separated Wire Length by Module Row values and make sure they match the physical module rows from front to back. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length Between Devices in the Same Array Row define? | It defines the cable length between devices inserted in the same table row, for example between the output of a DC combiner box and the input of a string inverter. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
When is Cable Length Between Devices in the Same Array Row used? | It is used when devices such as a DC combiner box and string inverter are inserted into the same table row and a fixed cable length between them is required. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Lengths Soil – Upper Array Edge define? | It defines the cable length from the soil to the cable duct on the table. The article states this distance can vary greatly and is therefore not calculated automatically. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Why is the cable length from soil to upper array edge not calculated automatically? | The article states that this distance can vary greatly depending on the layout, so HELIOS 3D uses a defined value instead of calculating it automatically. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What assumption is used for underground cables near tables? | For consistency and independence from post layout, underground cables are assumed to start and end at the center axis of the table and at the closest point to the trench. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length Soil – String Combiner / Inverter Input define? | It defines the cable length from the soil connection point to the input of a DC combiner or string inverter. This is used for cables that use a trench to reach a target device in a rack structure. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Where is the soil connection point for cable-to-device calculations? | It is the nearest point to the trench along the center axis of the table. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length Soil – String Combiner / Inverter Output define? | It defines the cable length from the output of a DC combiner or string inverter to the soil. From the soil connection point, the cable continues vertically to the depth of the trench it connects to. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length String Combiner / Inverter Input – Upper Array Edge define? | It defines the cable length from the input of a DC combiner or string inverter to the upper edge of the array where the device is located. Incoming string cables from the same table row are always displayed along the upper array edge. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Why is there a length from inverter input to the upper array edge? | Because incoming string cables from the same table row are displayed along the upper edge of the array, and this value accounts for the distance down to the actual device position beneath the table. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length String Combiner / Inverter Output – Upper Array Edge define? | It defines the cable length from the output of a DC combiner or string inverter to the upper array edge when the cable does not go directly to the soil to enter the nearby trench. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| When is the output-to-upper-array-edge length used? | It is used for cables that run from the device output back to the upper edge of the array instead of going directly to the soil and into the nearby trench. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length Between Devices in the Same Device Area define? | It defines the cable length between devices located within the same device area. No additional cable lengths are calculated for connections inside device areas. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Are device positions inside a device area used for internal cable length calculation? | No. The article states that no additional cable lengths are calculated for connections inside device areas; the defined setting represents the length between devices in the same device area. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length from Trench to Device-In Inside a Device Area define? | It defines the cable length from the trench to the device input inside a device area. The surface length calculation ends at the device-area border, and this value is added regardless of the device’s position inside the area. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does Cable Length from Device-Out Inside a Device Area define? | It defines the cable length for outgoing cables inside a device area. The surface length calculation starts at the device-area border, and this value is added regardless of the device’s position inside the area. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Are exact device positions inside device areas used for trench-to-device lengths? | No. For trench-to-device and device-out lengths inside a device area, HELIOS 3D adds the defined value at the device-area border regardless of the device’s position inside the area. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if cable lengths inside device areas look too generic? | Check the fixed values for cable length between devices, trench-to-device input, and device output inside device areas. The article states that exact device positions inside the device area are not used for these added lengths. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What are the selected colors used for? | The selected colors are used to display cable segments. This helps users distinguish cable segments visually in the electrical layout. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does hatch transparency for temporary objects control? | Hatch transparency prevents rectangles or triangles used for selection sets and string layouts from fully covering arrays and string texts, improving visibility and clarity. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if selection set or string layout hatches cover too much of the drawing? | Check the hatch transparency setting for temporary objects so that rectangles or triangles do not fully cover arrays and string texts. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does the centered string label option do? | It allows string labels to be inserted at the center of a string or at any part of the string across multiple tables. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How can string label placement be changed? | Use the Electric Settings options for string label insertion position, choosing placement at the center of the string or across the string parts over multiple tables. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What must be done after changing string label settings? | The labels must be refreshed either through a new placement or by using the Renumber command. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if string labels do not move after changing settings? | Refresh the labels by running a new placement or using the Renumber command, because label setting changes are not applied visually until labels are refreshed. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does “string labels centered” mean? | It means the string label is placed at the center of the string. The article contrasts this with label placement for all parts of a string across multiple tables. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does “string labels for all parts” mean? | It means labels can be placed at any part of a string across multiple tables, rather than only at the center. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if cable loss values changed after editing Electric Settings? | Check whether any fixed cable-length values were changed. The article states that changes to length values update existing electrical placements, including total lengths and losses in the electrical structure. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if cable lengths are different from physical measurements? | Check the fixed cable-length assumptions in Electric Settings. The article states several lengths cannot be calculated automatically and are applied as defined values, especially around tables, trenches, and device areas. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check before changing Electric Settings in an existing project? | Check whether existing electrical placements already exist, because changes to cable-length values are applied to existing placements and update total lengths and losses. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if automatically generated row trench depths are wrong? | Set the correct default Depth Row Trenches value before automatic generation. The article states that automatically generated row-trench depths cannot be modified afterward. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if manual row trench depths need adjustment? | Modify the depth on the Definition page for manually created row trenches. This is possible for manual row trenches but not for automatically generated ones. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if a cable between combiner box and inverter in the same row seems wrong? | Check the Cable Length Between Devices in the Same Array Row setting, because this value is used for cases such as a DC combiner box and string inverter inserted into the same table row. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if cable lengths to or from string inverters seem wrong? | Check the fixed values for soil-to-input, output-to-soil, input-to-upper-array-edge, and output-to-upper-array-edge lengths, depending on whether the cable uses a trench or runs back to the upper array edge. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if cable lengths inside device areas seem independent of actual device positions? | This is expected according to the article. HELIOS 3D adds fixed values at the device-area border for input and output connections, regardless of the device’s position inside the device area. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does the article describe exact units for every cable length field? | Not explicitly in the text. The examples use numeric values such as 1.9;0, but the page does not state every unit in the extracted text. This should be checked in HELIOS 3D project/unit settings before documenting exact units. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does the article describe decimal separator rules for semicolon values? | No. The article shows 1.9;0 but does not explain locale-specific decimal separator behavior. This should be checked technically before adding detailed input rules. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does the article describe how cable colors are configured in detail? | Only generally. The article states that selected colors are used to display cable segments, but it does not list every color option in text. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does the article describe all Electric Definition settings? | No. It describes general Electric module settings. Device hierarchy, selection sets, cable trenches, device areas, and placement workflow are described in the Electric Definition article. |
| Does the article describe the full Electric Structure Tab behavior? | No. It references cable highlighting on the Electric Structure page, but the detailed Electric Structure Tab behavior is covered separately. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to Electric Definition? | Electric Settings provides default and general values such as trench depths, system voltage, minimum ambient temperature, inverter load, and fixed cable lengths. Electric Definition uses these values during device hierarchy setup, string placement, trench routing, and layout creation. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to Electrical Structure Tab? | Electric Settings defines limits and cable-length assumptions that affect total lengths, losses, and highlighting in the Electrical Structure. The article specifically mentions cable highlighting on the Electric Structure page when loss limits are exceeded. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to string definitions? | Electric Settings provides values such as system voltage and minimum ambient temperature, which are used for string-length verification and voltage warnings in the electrical workflow. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to inverter placement? | Electric Settings defines inverter load and whether the Balance Inverter dialog is shown during placement, directly affecting how strings are connected to inverters and whether input usage can be balanced before finalizing the layout. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to cable loss calculation? | Electric Settings defines maximum loss thresholds and fixed cable-length assumptions. These values affect total cable lengths, loss calculations, and warning highlights in the electrical structure. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to cable trenches? | It defines default cable-trench and row-trench depths. Individual cable-trench depths can be changed on the Definition page, while automatically generated row-trench depths cannot be modified afterward. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How does Electric Settings relate to device areas? | It controls whether device areas such as transformer or inverter areas are included in PV table placement statistics and defines fixed cable-length assumptions for connections inside and at the border of device areas. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is the main takeaway from the Electric Settings article? | Electric Settings defines global electrical assumptions and display options for the HELIOS 3D Electric module. These settings influence string verification, inverter overbooking and balancing, loss warnings, trench depths, fixed cable-length additions, device-area statistics, cable colors, transparency, and string label placement. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
