On 05/06/09 22:38, m II wrote:
Anyone ever solder to the traces on these things?
Any good things to say about conductive epoxy?

I have a couple of broken panels and want to fix them if easily
possible. (To power my radios, of course...)

Any insights most welcome.


mike




Soldering to them takes a light touch, and a low watt iron. I use
a Wahl rechargeable for that sort of thing.

The traces lift easily, so you have to have your iron clean, your
wires tinned and be able to make one smooth motion to get it done.

Conductive epoxy isn't for this kind of application. Usually
resistance is too high for practical power uses. However, once the
wires are back on the traces and the system appears to be working, a
little epoxy, conductive or otherwise, makes a fine strain relief.

Doing this kind of work is much like repairing the electrostatic
tweeters in european desk sets. In that case, tabs are held onto the
back of the foil element with a clear conductive lacquer. The kind
you find in auto parts sections of Walgreens, or at Auto Zone for
repairing the conductive strips on an automobile rear window
defogger. If your solar cell is similarly constructed, you may have
a couple of repairs to make. One is the wire to the trace. The
other...the trace to the element.

Inspect carefully before you begin.