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  • Hi Aqua we have already begun the test and trial process and would be concerned to have to many variables in terms of guinea pigs! Give me a couple of weeks, if you are in the UK then snow is on the way and not much chance for making that solar energy anyway!! I will see how things progress and then I will update here if we need more testers. The testers we have are purely those involved in builds previously but they dont get to keep the panels. All panels are going to be tested to oblivion through our UV weathering chambers and actually be pulled apart by our tensiometers to test adhesive strengths before and after. IE panels will be sacrificed for the cause.

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    • Ok am looking forward to hopefully favourable results

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      • Economical encapsulation technic

        The discussion about encapsulation materials reminded me of an economical technic. It is a paper on fool proof method that makes a lot of sense to me. I'll be using it myself shortly. Find it here.

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        • Hi LeeP - Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

          The link to the pdf file about laminating PV cells is very interesting.

          Well done!
          Russ
          [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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          • hi LeeP , Aqua and The Pu, how are the tests going? still have a few panels to make and eager to see some of the results

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            • Well I tied the "through the roof" product. I will have to say that this is my first attempt at making solar panels. It seems to work well just fighting a few problems. The stuff is very thick.
              I made the first panel by brushing some on the back then laying them back side down on my backer Plexiglas. then I poured some over top of them and put the front piece on. My problems hear are 1. I did not pour enough in so I had a lot of air pockets. 2nd It made it a sealed box then so no air can get to it to cure it and harden.
              I made the second panel like you normally would with the cells face down. I thinned the roof patch with mineral spirits(paint thinner) This did work a lot better but it was still to thick to flow totally under the cells so I had all the edges sealed but not the whole face of them. This was going well I only had a few small cracks in 2 cells till I dropped it. (Whoops) I was not happy now because it almost shattered about 4 or 5 cells.
              The biggest problems I had are this stuff takes A VERY LONG TIME to dry. Its even worse when its only 25 degrees outside. It puts off bad fumes to so you dont want it in your house. They do say 1 week to fully cure and I did jump the gun there. The panel that I thinned with paint thinner I think that damages the cells. Most of them that are not covered the blue has become dull like the chemicals have done something to them. the one without the paint thinner looks fine. I was thinking of trying to thin it with alcohol. does anyone know what will or will not hurt the cells???

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              • Longwolf

                I use dual pane windows I buy them from habitat for humanity i use 100% silicone the last tube were white Vin the summer after tabbing me sells together I can make one day I lay 6by6 seal around cells seal the edge of glass i use white paneling lay white side down let it dry for a couple hours paint the back side with indoor/outdoor MINWAX HELMSMAN spar urethane.



                these are solar panels in my array the top two long ones I were my first two panels I built with cheeped sells from evergreen yhe one left bottom are single pain window one to right under long panels I built last summer duel pain glass
                the rest are single pain which I will replace as I build more as they go bad. I run a regular refrigerator and lights Iam trying to run 12volt only. During summer I can run satellite during the day I also have a generator I charge the battery at night as you know we get 4 hrs of usable sun light

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                • The cost of my panels

                  Originally posted by Bigbirdd View Post
                  I use dual pane windows I buy them from habitat for humanity i use 100% silicone the last tube were white Vin the summer after tabbing me sells together I can make one day I lay 6by6 seal around cells seal the edge of glass i use white paneling lay white side down let it dry for a couple hours paint the back side with indoor/outdoor MINWAX HELMSMAN spar urethane.



                  these are solar panels in my array the top two long ones I were my first two panels I built with cheeped sells from evergreen yhe one left bottom are single pain window one to right under long panels I built last summer duel pain glass
                  the rest are single pain which I will replace as I build more as they go bad. I run a regulsr refrigerator and light during summer I can run satellite guring I also have a generator I charge the battery at night as you know we get 4 hrs
                  The duel pain window cost $5 4by8 paneling about $8 Thw urethane $25 I can get 3pannels out of it silicone on sale at ace for $3.39 most expensive the solar cells I get them on Ebay

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                  • that is different !

                    Well , Your way is different , end inexpensive, I liked,, do you have pictures step by step?., that will help a lot, what kind battery you used?,how old is your oldest panel ? still it working good? god bless you and tank you .

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                    • uburr in responce to

                      I use 10 6volt golf cart battery giving me 5,12 vol tiers at 105 amp hour and if I'm doing the math right I have 525 amp hrs total. I use a Macnum ms2812 inverter/charger and a Tristar60amp charge controller. Its winter so my production is down I have plans to build 6 more 36 cell panels 18v 63w 3.5 A. My oldert panels are the two long ones I built three years ago out of chipped cells.

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                      • blocking fiode

                        I would like to know if blocking diodes are needed with a charge controller . and would the panel feed back to each other if one wasn't punting out the sane voltage, like a shadow over part of the array.

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                        • Originally posted by Bigbirdd View Post
                          I would like to know if blocking diodes are needed with a charge controller .
                          None needed


                          and would the panel feed back to each other if one wasn't punting out the sane voltage, like a shadow over part of the array.
                          Panels in parallel need to be fused so backfeed can be limited
                          Panels in series, shade will limit the total current to the shaded portion.

                          Shade is bad.

                          Bypass diodes (mfg internal to the panels) can help, but the diodes can be burned out and fail.
                          Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                          || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                          || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                          solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                          gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

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                          • Thankyou Mike still bonfused

                            Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post
                            None needed



                            Panels in parallel need to be fused so backfeed can be limited
                            Panels in series, shade will limit the total current to the shaded portion.

                            Shade is bad.

                            Bypass diodes (mfg internal to the panels) can help, but the diodes can be burned out and fail.
                            I build my own solar panels 18volt 63 w 3.5a all my panels run into a combiner block I made. I was using diodes but was loosing a volt or two I was reading another thread where some talk about capacitors is this something I could wire in before the combiner.

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                            • Here are photos of my panel in this other thread:

                              http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...-Panel-Project

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                              • Save on Sylgard

                                I have been reading the forum for several days.

                                Sylgard or it European counterpart seem to be the ideal substances to use in this encapsulation process. The problem is the high cost of the Sylgard, which will add a very substantial percentage to the cost of the panels.

                                Here is a possible solution. Sylgards primary usefulness comes from its UV resistance and its ability to dry crystal clear and remain clear for a very long period of time.

                                These properties however are only necessary on the front of the cells. They are not required on the back except as an air and water seal.

                                Why not use the Sylgard on the front of the cell only, paint a thin film on the surface of the cells on an entire stringer and then lay the cells on the glass in a rocking motion until they are flat. Work hard to keep the bubbles out. Let them dry with weights to hold the entire string completely flat on the surface of the glass, perhaps use the L brackets of a future panel to do this.

                                But now the backs of the cells are not sealed. Use another cheaper substance to seal the back side where UV and clairity are not required. Here almost anything will work, plastic, paint, varnish or many other substances. Take great care not
                                not to choose a substance which will corrode the wires and connections connecting the cells. This might streach a quart of Sylgard so that a quart could concievably complete three or four panels. This would indeed be a major saving in the construction of the panels.

                                Please comment on these ideas, give me feedback before I waste money on a panel which will develop problems.

                                Here is a question I would like to have answered. What would be the effect of Sylgarding the cells to the glass untabbed? Would the heat required to solder them after the cells were attached damage the Sylgardf? This would be an effort to eliminate warping of the cells caused by the soldering action.

                                wayhopper

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