Short answer: Somfy lists the SDN PowerConnect Surface-Mount Panel (1871026) as the replacement for every earlier SDN motor power panel, the obsolete 1870259 included. Order one surface panel per 10 motors, or the rack-mount 1871027 at 8 motors per half-U panel. Keep the existing home runs: each port reaches 240 ft, and Somfy publishes a PowerConnect wiring detail for each common cable type.
A dead 1870259 takes a whole floor of shades down at once. The owner calls, the part is obsolete, and the clock starts on a service visit you cannot bill as a remodel. The fix is a panel swap. The cable in the walls stays, provided you count ports and land each run to the right Somfy detail. This guide walks the swap in the order you do it on site.
Free spec package
Somfy SDN power panel retrofit spec package
- Selection schedule: surface 1871026 or rack 1871027
- Published elevations for both PowerConnect panels
- Retrofit riser, motor cable and RJ45 schedules
- Editable 3-part guide spec, BOM and swap-day checklist
Somfy's replacement for the 1870259
Somfy marks the Power Panel for SDN (1870259) obsolete. Its successor is the SDN PowerConnect family, and Somfy states on the 1871026 product page that PowerConnect replaces all previous motor power panels for SDN motors. You get two formats:
- The Somfy SDN PowerConnect Surface-Mount Panel (1871026) for walls, closets and ceilings: 10 isolated motor ports and 2 isolated device ports.
- The Somfy SDN PowerConnect Rack-Mount Panel (1871027) for an equipment rack: 8 isolated motor ports in a half-U chassis.
Both feed each motor port with 24V DC at 2.2 A and drive one motor per port on runs up to 240 ft. Both add a sequence button for testing motors at the panel, status LEDs for bus power, bus activity and end of line, and miswire protection. Somfy backs each with a 5-year warranty. The old panel listed a 90-240V input. The surface PowerConnect lists 120V AC at 7.2 A, 230V AC at 4.2 A and 277V AC at 2.7 A, so the electrician has a published number for every common commercial circuit.
Surface or rack: decide by where the old panel hung
The surface panel is a powder-coated steel enclosure, 12 in wide by 12 in high by 4.05 in deep. Somfy rates it UL 2043 for plenum spaces and lets you mount it on the wall or in the wall between studs. Knockouts sized for 1/2 to 1-1/4 in conduit repeat on each side of the enclosure. Somfy describes it as about 50% smaller by volume than earlier SDN panels.
The rack panel stands 1.71 in tall, 8.56 in wide and 12.29 in deep, half the width of a rack unit. Somfy's dual kit, 1871312, puts two panels side by side in 1U for 16 motors. Somfy lists an input range of 85 to 264V AC for the rack panel.
Our rule: mount the new panel where the old one hung. Every home run already ends there, and moving the panel 30 ft down the corridor can push your longest run past the 240 ft limit.
Count home runs before you order
Count motor cables at the old panel. Drawings drift over the years and shades get added; the cables tell you the truth. Divide by 10 for surface panels or 8 for rack panels and round up. A 24-motor floor takes three panels in either format. PowerConnect panels pass the SDN bus through Bus In and Bus Out, so several panels sit on one bus.
PowerConnect retrofit numbers
- 1871026 surface panel: 10 isolated motor ports, 2 isolated device ports.
- 1871027 rack panel: 8 isolated motor ports, half-U. Dual kit 1871312: 16 motors in 1U.
- Motor ports: 24V DC at 2.2 A, one motor per port, 240 ft maximum run.
- Device ports: one SDN device per port, 200 ft maximum.
- 1871026 input: 120V AC 7.2 A, 230V AC 4.2 A or 277V AC 2.7 A. 1871027 input: 85 to 264V AC.
- Bus-powered devices such as the Data Hub V2 need a separate bus power supply.
Re-landing the existing motor cable
The surface panel ships with 10 female Weidmüller motor connectors and the rack panel ships with 8. Somfy publishes a separate wiring detail for each motor family and cable method. For the surface panel the Sonesse 30 details are ST30DC-WIRING-06 (SDN low-voltage cable), -07 (2-conductor plus Cat 5e) and -08 (4-conductor). The rack panel uses -09, -10 and -11. Sonesse 50 motors follow the matching ST50DC numbers.
The old 1870259 carried details for the same three cable methods. Most existing runs therefore have a PowerConnect detail waiting for them. Pull the detail for the cable in the wall, then land one conductor at a time. On Somfy's SDN low-voltage cable the colors read: orange/white RS485 (+), orange RS485 (-), brown RS485 ground, red power (+), black power (-) and silver drain.
A damaged or short run gets new cable by part number: Somfy SDN Low-Voltage Power and Data Cable, Non-Plenum (9020126) in open areas, or the plenum-rated version (9020127) above a return-air ceiling. Our rule: measure any run you suspect is long before you land it. A run past 240 ft is out of Somfy's limit, and the new panel will not fix that.
Device ports, the bus and bus power
Each PowerConnect panel has two isolated device ports, one SDN device per port, up to 200 ft away, powered from the panel's internal supplies. A keypad or two plugs in there with no extra hardware.
A Somfy SDN Data Hub V2 (1870951) or any other bus-powered device changes the math. Somfy calls for a separate bus power source, and the Somfy Bus and Sensor Station Power Supply (1822440) fills that role. If the existing system has a Data Hub fed by the old panel, put the supply on the order.
Device and bus cable stays Cat 5e or higher to T568B: pins 1 and 2 carry data, 4 and 5 carry power, 7 and 8 carry ground. The surface panel terminates its segment automatically and lights a yellow EL LED at the end of the bus. If an SDN 0-10V Interface V2 shares the bus, Somfy's programming guide calls for its bus power switch OFF with PowerConnect and the Data Hub V2.
Swap day, in order
- Back up the SDN configuration with Somfy Set pro through the Somfy USB to RS485 Adapter for SDN (9015260).
- Photograph the old panel and label every home run with its port number and opening.
- The electrician kills the circuit, removes the 1870259 and lands line voltage on the new panel.
- Land each motor run, one per port, to the Somfy detail for its cable type.
- Land the bus on Bus In and Bus Out.
- Power up. Check the green MP LED on each motor port, then BP and BA for bus power and activity.
- Run every motor from the panel: UP, STOP, DOWN and SEQ on the surface panel, SEQ on the rack panel.
- Re-discover the network in Set pro, verify groups, and save a new backup for the owner.
Keep the Somfy RS485 Setting Tool (9017142) in the truck for any shade that needs a limit checked or an address read at the bracket. A port that fails the panel test today costs ten minutes. Found after you leave, it costs a second trip.
Take the spec package to your submittal
Somfy SDN power panel retrofit spec package
- Selection schedule: surface 1871026 or rack 1871027
- Published elevations for both PowerConnect panels
- Retrofit riser, motor cable and RJ45 schedules
- Editable 3-part guide spec, BOM and swap-day checklist
FAQ
Is the Somfy 1870259 power panel still available?
No. Somfy lists the Power Panel for SDN 1870259 as obsolete. Somfy names the SDN PowerConnect Surface-Mount Panel 1871026 as the replacement for all previous SDN motor power panels, and the PowerConnect Rack-Mount Panel 1871027 covers equipment racks.
Do I need to rewire the motors when I replace the panel?
Most jobs keep the existing home runs. Somfy publishes PowerConnect wiring details for SDN low-voltage cable, 2-conductor plus Cat 5e, and 4-conductor runs, the same three cable methods documented for the old panel. Each run must stay at or under 240 ft with one motor per port.
How many motors does one PowerConnect panel run?
The surface-mount 1871026 runs 10 motors on isolated ports. The rack-mount 1871027 runs 8 motors in a half-U chassis, and Somfy's dual kit 1871312 puts two rack panels, 16 motors, in one rack unit.
Does a PowerConnect panel power a Data Hub?
The panel powers its own two device ports, one SDN device each, up to 200 ft. A Data Hub or any other bus-powered device needs a separate bus supply, such as the Somfy Bus and Sensor Station Power Supply 1822440.
Sources: Somfy product pages for 1871026, 1871027, 1871312 and 1870259 (somfysystems.com); Somfy e-cat pages for 1871026 and 1871027 (somfypro.com); Somfy SDN PowerConnect Surface-Mount Panel spec sheet and Rack-Mount Panel spec sheet; Somfy PowerConnect wiring details ST30DC-WIRING-06 to -11 and ST50DC-WIRING-06 to -11; Somfy SDN 0-10V Interface V2 programming guide; Somfy SDN bus wiring guide.
Ryan Towns writes the Somfy Integrator Guides for ShadeMotorsDirect, an authorized Somfy distributor. Questions on a spec or a retrofit: 859-414-6872 or colin@shademotorsdirect.com, 8:00 AM - 7:30 PM ET.
