flaked laminate on small solar panel?

[markbeer]

20160703_155143[1].jpg 20160703_155122[1].jpg hey all, I have two patio light strings from the same company. one panel is posted in a different spot than the other but both receive the same amount of sunlight. I noticed that one s ing failed to light up and found that its panel seemed to have the laminate on it that dried up and got flaky. there are bits coming off but are very stubborn, even when I use a plastic card and a warm damp rag. what is the best way to remove them?

above are the photos to see the differences. thanks in advance.
Mark

[bcroe]

Just throw that bad panel away. Bruce Roe

[sensij]

I've used string lights like that too. They don't last. They have a low capacity AA sized NiMH battery in them... you could replace it with a higher capacity eneloop and charge externally, maybe. I decided it was too much trouble and cut my lights down.

[littleharbor]

Looks kinda like the peel off protective film was left on one of them.

[markbeer]

Looks kinda like the peel off protective film was left on one of them.

inadvertantly. I believe that this is why the string is not charging up completely, hence my inquiry on how to safely remove the stuck laminate. or film, as you call it.

[littleharbor]

If that IS a left on protective film then it's very likely the surface it was protecting isn't glass. Maybe it's epoxy or some kind of plastic. There are many probably incorrect and possibly a few non damaging ways to clean this. Maybe a blow dryer or heat gun on low would soften the residual adhesive enough to get it moving. WD-40 can actually work well in similar situations. I guess the point being trying to not damage the surface in the process.