Installers reach for the Somfy Sonesse 30 DCT 24V DC (1241146) when the headrail leaves almost no room and the control wiring already reaches the wall. Somfy builds this motor to a 1.13 in minimum tube inside diameter, so it slides into cassettes and ceiling pockets that a 40 mm motor cannot enter. Dry Contact Technology covers the control side. A pair of contact closures from a keypad, a relay, or a building control panel drives the shade up and down, with no receiver to pair.
Two decisions settle this order. The tube you are using has to accept a 1.14 in motor body, and the low voltage run has to deliver 24V DC at the motor end. Everything else follows from those.
Dry contact control and what it asks of the wiring
Somfy names the control method in the model: DCT, Dry Contact Technology. You feed the motor two momentary inputs, one for up and one for down, and the motor drives to its stored limits. A commercial integrator wires those inputs to a relay card on a Crestron or Lutron system. A residential installer wires them to a two button low voltage switch beside the window. Either path uses the same six stripped conductors on the motor lead.
The motor carries no radio, so nobody pairs it and nobody programs a channel. That takes the guesswork out of a 40 shade project where every drop answers to a panel. Somfy rates the motor at Class III insulation and 0.7 W in standby, which keeps a bank of motors light on a shared 24V DC supply.
Buyers who want handheld or app control should order the RTS version of the same motor body, 1241142, or the Zigbee version, 1241970. Somfy builds all three on the Sonesse 30 platform, and they share crowns, drives and brackets.
The shades a Sonesse 30 DCT drives
Somfy lists this motor for interior blinds, interior roller shades and projection screens. The 2 Nm rating covers small and mid size interior fabrics: a 48 in wide light filtering roller on a 1.5 in tube, a blackout panel in a bedroom cassette, a screen that drops in front of a conference room display. Torque and tube diameter work together, so a wide blackout fabric on a slim tube calls for the next motor up rather than a longer tube.
The 47 dB sound level earns this motor a place in bedrooms, boardrooms and screening rooms. Somfy tunes the soft start and soft stop to protect the fabric at both ends of travel, and the speed regulation holds a row of adjacent shades in line as they run.
Verified Somfy specifications
| Somfy reference | 1241146 |
| Official name | Sonesse® 30 DCT 24V DC |
| Torque | 2 Nm (17.7 in-lb) |
| Speed | 25 rpm |
| Supply voltage | 24V DC (21.6 to 26.4 V) |
| Current | 0.95 A |
| Power in operation | 20 W |
| Standby power | 0.7 W |
| Sound level | 47 dB |
| Protection rating | IP 30 |
| Insulation class | Class III |
| Head type | Round, interchangeable color covers |
| Motor diameter | 1.14 in |
| Minimum tube inside diameter | 1.13 in |
| Limit switches | Electronic, 100 turn capacity, +/- 5 repeatability |
| Operating temperature | 32 to 140 F |
| Storage temperature | -4 to 176 F |
| Thermal protection | 5 min |
| Weight | 1.1 lb |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Figures come from Somfy's published record for reference 1241146 on somfypro.com and somfysystems.com.
Tube, crown and drive, bracket
The motor body measures 1.14 in across, and it needs a crown and drive matched to the tube profile to center it and transfer torque. Somfy publishes a kit for each common tube:
- RollEase 1.5 in Crown & Drive (9020674) for a 1.5 in RollEase tube, the tightest fit the platform supports
- Crown & Drive Kit for RollEase 2 in Tubes (9021017) for a 2 in tube on a wider drop
Brackets come next. The RollEase SkyLine Bracket Set with 2 in projection (9017910) carries the motor head and the idler end, and it gives the fabric clearance from the glass or the wall. Installers working with existing SkyLine or ZMC XL hardware add the Sonesse 30 motor bracket adapter plate in white, part 9016378, rather than replacing the bracket. Order the crown, the drive and the bracket together with the motor. A tube that arrives without its drive sits on the bench.
Setting the limits
Electronic limits store in the motor, and Somfy sets them through the Sonesse 30 ST30 Limit Setting Tool (9014599). The tool plugs into the motor lead, drives the shade to each end point and writes the positions. Somfy names the same tool for its Sonesse 30 dry contact and RS485 motors and for the Glydea ULTRA and Irismo DCT drives, so a shop running mixed Somfy product buys one and keeps it in the van.
Plan on 100 turns of capacity between the upper and lower limit, with repeatability inside half a turn. Fabric stretch shows up in the first week on a new blackout drop, and the tool lets you nudge the bottom limit without pulling the tube.
Install notes an installer asks about
Four points come up on every Sonesse 30 DCT job:
- Voltage at the motor, not at the supply. The motor accepts 21.6 to 26.4 V, and a long 22 AWG run to the last shade in a row can drop below that window. Size the conductor for the distance, or feed the run from both ends.
- Supply sizing. Each motor draws 0.95 A while it runs. Add the motors that will move together, then add headroom.
- Interior placement. Somfy rates the motor IP 30, so it belongs inside the building envelope. An exterior screen calls for a Somfy motor rated for it.
- Head covers. Somfy ships the round head with a white cover and sells black and grey covers, which matters on an exposed roll in a dark ceiling pocket.
Somfy publishes the Sonesse 30 installation guide, the DCT programming instructions and the Low Voltage Databook, and all three sit on the product page for download.
The Somfy Sonesse 30 DCT 24V DC (1241146) suits a project with control wiring in place and a slim tube to fill. Pair it with the crown and drive for your tube, a SkyLine bracket set, and the ST30 limit tool if your shop does not own one. Somfy backs the motor for 5 years.
Frequently asked questions
What tube does the Sonesse 30 DCT fit?
Somfy publishes a 1.13 in minimum tube inside diameter for reference 1241146, with a 1.14 in motor body. In practice that means a 1.5 in RollEase tube with crown and drive 9020674, or a 2 in RollEase tube with kit 9021017. Match the crown and drive to the tube profile, not to the nominal size alone.
Does the Sonesse 30 DCT accept an RTS remote?
The DCT motor takes dry contact closures from a switch, relay or control panel. Somfy builds the same motor body as the Sonesse 30 RTS, reference 1241142, for handheld remote control, and as the Sonesse 30 Zigbee, reference 1241970, for TaHoma and app control. Pick the version that matches the control you want.
How do you set the limits on a Sonesse 30 DCT?
Use the Sonesse 30 ST30 Limit Setting Tool, part 9014599. Plug it into the motor lead, drive the shade to the upper stop and store it, then drive to the lower stop and store that. The motor holds the positions in memory with a repeatability of half a turn, and you can revisit either limit after the fabric settles.
What power supply does the Sonesse 30 DCT need?
Somfy rates the motor at 24V DC with an accepted window of 21.6 to 26.4 V, drawing 0.95 A and 20 W while it runs. Measure voltage at the motor end of the run rather than at the supply, and total the current for every motor that moves at once before you pick the transformer.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
