Short answer: The Somfy Power Distribution Enclosure Kit, 20 Motor (1870198) is the largest Somfy power distribution panel for 24V DC shade motors. One 120V, 60 Hz feed drawing 10.6 A max supplies twenty fused Class 2 outputs at 24V DC, 2 A each. Somfy lists it for Sonesse 30 RTS, DCT and Zigbee motors and the Sonesse ULTRA 504 A8 DC RTS.
Sixteen to twenty low-voltage shades from one closet
A whole-house job with twenty roller shades on 24V motors needs power at twenty windows. Plug-in transformers at that count mean twenty outlets, twenty wall warts and a lot of patching behind drapery. The Somfy 24V Power Distribution Enclosure, 20 Motors (1870198) moves that power back to one grey box in a mechanical room or a utility closet. A home run of two-conductor cable then feeds each shade.
Installers search for it as a power distribution panel or a 24V power panel. Somfy names it the Power Distribution Enclosure Kit and builds it in 5, 10, 15 and 20 motor sizes. Size to the next capacity above your motor count. A seventeen-shade house lands here with three spare outputs, and a small office wing of low-voltage shades fits the same box.
Somfy describes the kit as power distribution for up to 20 24V DC motors, radio or dry contact. That covers the RTS, Zigbee and DCT versions of the Sonesse 30, plus RS485 jobs wired to Somfy's own detail for this kit.
Specs from Somfy's 20-motor kit sheet
The figures below come from Somfy's product page for ref 1870198 and Somfy's Power Distribution Enclosure Kits RTS guide (7/2022).
| Somfy name and reference | Power Distribution Enclosure Kit, 20 Motor, 1870198 |
| Input | 120V AC, 60 Hz, 10.6 A max (2 x 5.3 A) |
| Outputs | 20 fused Class 2 outputs, 24V DC, 2 A max each |
| Status | LED power indicator for each motor output |
| Connectors | Plug-in connectors included |
| Enclosure | NEMA Type 1, indoor use only, IP 20, grey, UL listed |
| Size | 15.125 x 18.125 x 6.1875 in |
| Motor cable limits | 100 ft on 18 AWG, 150 ft on 16 AWG |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Somfy writes the input as 2 x 5.3 A, the same 5.3 A it prints for the 10-motor kit. Give your electrician the 10.6 A total for circuit planning. On the output side, the 2 A rating per output sets the count. Plan one motor per output and twenty motors per box.
Motors Somfy lists for the 20-motor kit
Somfy's compatible-motor list opens with the 24V DC Sonesse 30 line. The Somfy Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC motor (1241142) suits a large bank of radio-controlled roller shades, with 2 Nm of torque in tubes from 1.13 in inside diameter. Pair a remote per room, or group the whole floor on one channel.
For a wall switch at each window, the Somfy Sonesse 30 DCT 24V DC motor (1241146) takes the same power connection and adds a data connector for a dry contact switch. Smart-home projects use the Somfy Sonesse 30 Zigbee 24V DC motor (1241970), which draws power from the enclosure and takes its commands from a Zigbee hub.
Somfy also lists the Sonesse ULTRA 504 A8 DC RTS (1134023) for bedrooms and media rooms where noise matters. Its kit document set adds wiring details for the Sonesse 30 V2 RS485 and the Irismo drapery motors, so a mixed job of roller shades and motorized drapery can share one panel.
The kit outputs 24V DC only. Line-voltage motors such as the LT50 and the 120V Sonesse 40 and 50 families wire to a 120V circuit. The 12V WireFree motors run on their own batteries and chargers.
Electrician notes and twenty cable runs
Somfy prints one rule in capitals on the kit guide: only a licensed electrician connects incoming power and energizes the circuit. Book that trade before the shades go up. Somfy's guide lays out the job in this order:
- Check cable gauge and length against Somfy's limits, and follow local electrical codes for terminal blocks and wiring.
- Have the licensed electrician land the line-voltage service, using AC service conductors rated 60°C minimum and following the product labels for the AC connections, ground included.
- Leave the 24V DC input to the power panel as shipped. Somfy pre-installs it.
- Connect each motor to +24V DC and -24V DC on its output through the motor distribution panel, following that motor's instructions.
Somfy draws a separate landing-terminal arrangement for the 15 and 20 motor kits. The 5 and 10 motor kits use a single hot and neutral terminal. Your electrician should read the label inside the 1870198 before landing the feed. Mount the box indoors, since Somfy rates it NEMA Type 1. Leave wall space for the 18.125 in width plus twenty cables entering through the conduit knockouts.
Twenty home runs make cable the biggest labor line on the job. Somfy sets the limits by gauge: 100 ft on 18 AWG and 150 ft on 16 AWG, measured along the cable path to the motor head.
Measure the longest run first, vertical drops included, then pick one gauge for the job so the crew pulls a single cable type. Somfy's Sonesse 30 RTS wiring detail puts positive on pin 1 (white/black wire) and negative on pin 2 (white wire) at the motor end. Label both ends of each run with the room and window. Twenty unlabeled cables in a closet slow down each service call that follows.
The LED on each output shows its power status. A dark LED points you to a fuse or a cable. A lit LED with a silent shade points you to the motor or its control.
RTS, DCT, Zigbee or RS485 control
The enclosure carries power. Control rides on the motor. RTS and Zigbee motors take commands by radio, so two power conductors finish the wiring at each window. DCT motors add a cable to a dry contact switch.
RS485 jobs on the Sonesse 30 V2 RS485 follow Somfy's dedicated wiring detail for this kit. Limits and addresses on those motors get set with the Somfy RS485 Motor Limit Setting and Address Reader Tool (9017142). For laptop commissioning, the Somfy USB to RS485 Adaptor for SDN (9015260) connects a computer's USB port to the RS485 line.
20 motors, 15 motors or two smaller boxes
The 15 and 20 motor kits share the 15.125 x 18.125 x 6.1875 in enclosure. The 20-motor kit adds five outputs in the same wall space for 2.5 A more input current (10.6 A against 8.1 A). Our 15-motor enclosure guide covers the Somfy Power Distribution Enclosure Kit, 15 Motor (1870197) for jobs that stop at fifteen shades.
Split floors sometimes suit two smaller boxes, one per level, which shortens the cable runs and puts each box on its own circuit. A two-story house with ten shades up and ten down can run two 10-motor kits instead of one 20-motor kit. Price the cable against the second box before you choose.
For plug-in transformers against enclosures, read our Somfy power supply guide for 24V motors. The full range sits in our Somfy power supplies and distribution panels collection, and install guides for each motor live in the Somfy spec library.
Somfy 20-motor power distribution panel questions
Can one output run two motors?
Plan one motor per output. Somfy rates each of the twenty outputs at 24V DC and 2 A max, and each output carries its own fuse and LED. Doubling up motors on one output stacks their start current on a single fuse. Twenty motors need twenty outputs, and a twenty-first shade means a second box or a plug-in supply.
Does the 20-motor kit power 12V WireFree motors?
No. The kit outputs 24V DC, and Somfy lists it for 24V DC motors: Sonesse 30 RTS, DCT and Zigbee, plus the Sonesse ULTRA 504 A8 DC RTS, with wiring details for Sonesse 30 V2 RS485 and Irismo. WireFree motors run on 12V batteries with their own chargers, battery wands or packs, so they stay off this panel.
How much current does the 20-motor enclosure draw?
Somfy's kit guide lists 120V AC, 60 Hz at 10.6 A max for the 20-motor kit, written as 2 x 5.3 A. The 15-motor kit draws 8.1 A max. Hand the 10.6 A figure to the licensed electrician who connects the incoming power, because Somfy reserves that step for a licensed trade.
How far can a motor sit from the enclosure?
Somfy's kit guide sets 100 ft on 18 AWG cable and 150 ft on 16 AWG, measured along the cable path to the motor head. Measure the longest of the twenty runs first, vertical drops included, and size the gauge for the whole job. Shorter runs to a second box on another floor are the other option.
Sources: Somfy product page for ref 1870198 (Power Distribution Enclosure Kit, 20 Motor); Somfy Power Distribution Enclosure Kits RTS guide, 7/2022; Somfy wiring details PDEK-WIRING-01 (ST30 DCT), PDEK-WIRING-02 (ST30 RTS), PDEK-WIRING-03 (ST30 V2 RS485) and PDEK-WIRING-04 (Irismo); Somfy Low Voltage Databook.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
