Soldiering cells together.

[crxvfr]

I just got my first cells today and it's not like I had imagined them.

I was shocked to find out they feel thinner than playing cards.

I practiced on one and it wasn't easy to stick the silver tape conductor to the cell with soldier.

The movies I have seen, they didn't even need soldier. ..like it was part of the tape.

In anycase, I found it easy to load the tape up with soldier but not so easy for it to spill over onto the cell.
Yes, I used flux. Am I missing something? How hot can you get the cell?

Then, when I soldiered the other side, the heat unstuck what I had done - on the other side.

Is it necessary to run the tape completely down both sides?
The entire surface of the cell, back and front, sends .5 volts to the meter.
Can't I use just enough tape to connect them together?

Also, I have a 180 watt gun with a trigger. I would imagine that is hot enough yes?

[Mike90250]

the metal layer on the cells, is not designed to be thick enough to carry current from other cells, you need the tab wire soldered the whole length. Sorry.

[crxvfr]

Tab wire, ok.

Can you get the cells too hot while soldiering?

Is there tab wire that has soldier on it so you don't need three hands?

EDIT ADD: I figured out what I was doing wrong.

It takes 12 seconds for the iron to get hot enough to fuse the wire to the cell.

I was trying to stay off the trigger so I don't burn things up.

If I stay on the trigger, the tip of the iron gets cherry red, which I think would be too hot.

Happy medium works better. This is easy now.

[Mike90250]

Can you get the cells too hot while soldiering?

Yes, you should use a temperature controlled soldering iron. A solder gun
is WAY too uncontrolled. Higher temperatures quickly dissolve the metal on the cell, and when that is gone, the cell is useless.
Spent the $90 to get the right tool. Use old fashioned 63-37 solder, it melts at lower temps than lead free solders do.

Is there tab wire that has soldier on it so you don't need three hands?

You may have to prep a 3 ft length for yourself.

[crxvfr]

Yes, you should use a temperature controlled soldering iron. A solder gun
is WAY too uncontrolled. Higher temperatures quickly dissolve the metal on the cell, and when that is gone, the cell is useless.
Spent the $90 to get the right tool. Use old fashioned 63-37 solder, it melts at lower temps than lead free solders do.


You may have to prep a 3 ft length for yourself.

Thanks Mike. As I said somewhere else, you tend to lead people to where they need to be if they work it out for themselves a little.
As you might have seen from another post I made, I'm not afraid to show my work.

A couple of times I heard a cell fracture, but didn't show signs of breakage.

Now I may understand why. Maybe I wasn't breaking the crystal, but the bond between the crystal and the conductor.

In any case, this stuff is really neat. Even the pieces I break off make .5 volts, only I would imagine at much lower amperage.

I think I'm pretty pleased with the cells. .5 volts at 2.25 amps under a 15 watt CF.

[crxvfr]

OK, ...there is a sweet spot where it's hot enough to soften the tab wire AND get a good stick.
At this point I noticed a certain feel and sound coming from the soldiering gun.
It kind of squeaked and moved along in very fast starts and stops. Heat, time, speed. It got me to thinking.

Here is an idea I think you could make some money on, and if they make it already, please show me where.

How about a George Foreman solar panel cell solderer.

These big cells have 12 spots on the back.

You could spring load the contacts with springs from pens.

..and for the other side, just a couple strips of brass or something.

Braze a threaded rod onto heat contacts or something to hook it to iron or wires.

I am think about making one for myself but don't have the motivation to machine everything so I can sell it.

Ceramic floor tiles rigged up for each side of the cell. Have tiles for 3x6 and 6x6, or maybe adjustable.

The tabbing wire is on a spool at the hinged side.

You pull it out to an adjustable stop on the other side that pinches it.

Pinch the hinge side somehow and it will hold the tabbing wire taught.

There could be a fan on the lid, pointed so it cools the cell as it makes the welds.

Insert cell. Pull Tabbing wires. Close the lid and watch your watch.

George Foreman cell arrays.

[Mike90250]

The brass will quickly corrode, and not make contact. SS springs may work, but steel is a high resistance metal (that's why it welds so nicely)

There is one way that works for 20 years+ soldered tab wire, hermetically sealed.

[longwolf]

I'm about to start my tabbing too.
I already have a flux pen.
The lowest temp solder I've found is 60/40, 361-F.
But it's rosin core, is that a problem?

[Mike90250]

Rosin is good, it's fairly inert when below 100C. If you get too much on, rubbing alcohol will take it off after you've soldered.