Electrical Structure Tab

The Electrical Structure tab provides an overview of the electrical hierarchy and cable information in the current drawing. It helps users inspect connected devices, review cable types and lengths, control the visibility of cable layers, and visually trace module-to-device relationships in the layout.

On the Electrical Structure tab, you can view a cable list and toggle the visibility of layers for cables connected to the selected electrical device. For each cable, you can find details such as the number, length, and specific type.

The following tools control how electrical connections and related objects are displayed in the drawing. They are mainly intended for visual inspection, checking connected modules and devices, and making electrical structures easier to understand during review.

Show/hide all outgoing cables

This option shows or hides the outgoing cables of the selected entry.

Show/hide all ingoing cables

Shows or hides ingoing cables of the selected entry.

Show modules

This option shows all modules connected to the selected object in the same color.

Show modules of devices

This option shows all modules connected to the selected object in the same color. When multiple objects are selected, a separate color is used for each object and its connected modules.

Show modules of parallel devices

This option shows all modules connected to the selected object in the same color. If the object has parallel connected objects with the same parent (e.g., string inverters sharing the same transformer), a separate color is used for each parallel object and its connected modules.

Change color

This option changes the color for the selected entry.

Zoom to object

This option zooms in on the selected object.

This option shows or hides the colors on modules indicating the maximum loss of a module string, array, or inverter.

The structure tree groups cable and device information so that users can inspect the electrical structure from different perspectives. Cable-related entries summarize used cable types and lengths, while device-related entries help control the visibility of cables connected to selected electrical devices.

Cables Node

This lists all cable types used in the drawing, including their total length.

G1 – Grid Node

This lists any device used in the structure tree, allowing you to toggle the visibility of layers for individual cables or for all cables connected to the selected electrical device. If multiple grid connections are used, there will be more than one grid tree listed.

Calculation of Cable Lengths

Cable length calculation depends on the cable section and on how the connection is routed through the electrical structure. The article distinguishes between single-wire sections near the module strings and twin-wire sections after the combiner box or string inverter.

Please note that there are two basic cable sections. In the first section, Helios 3D uses two single wires—one for each path/direction. In the second section, a twin wire is used for both directions. These two sections are clearly separated by the combiner box or string inverter. The distinction between the sections is illustrated in the drawing for easier understanding.

Single Wire / Twin Wire

For the wiring between the module strings and the combiner box (or string inverter), Helios 3D uses single wires for each direction. One wire carries the positive („+“) connection from the module string to the back end of the table and to the combiner box connection point, while the other wire carries the negative („-„) connection from the module string.

From the combiner box or string inverter (target device), you can configure the device hierarchy to specify how many physical cables are used for the outgoing phases. When the target device is placed on a table that isn’t next to the cable trench, the cable is routed back to the cable duct on the table.

If the table is the first one next to the trench, the value set on the Settings page inside the Electric module is used to determine the cable distance between the device output and the ground. The following figure illustrates this distance. The calculation for the cable continues from the closest point on the ground to the trench, along the center axis of the table.

From the ground point, the cable is routed vertically to the trench depth and then to the cable trench.

At the device areUse this tab to verify whether cable connections, cable visibility, connected modules, device relationships, and summarized cable lengths are displayed as expected. If a cable or module group is not visible, first check the selected entry in the electrical structure tree and the corresponding show/hide options.a, the cable is routed vertically from the trench up to the ground.