Phase 3 — Cell Placement & Routing
Phase 3: Cell Placement & Routing
Status: Planned — may change based on actual experience. This phase has not been executed yet. The steps below are the planned approach and will be revised once the work is underway.
1. Insulate the Frame Edge
Solar cells cannot touch bare steel or they will short out and crack under flex. Run a strip of Kapton or packing tape along the inside bottom lip of the steel frame.
2. Lay the Cells (Face Up)
Place your solar cells face-up (blue side facing the ceiling) onto the cured fiberglass skin.
3. Solder Strings
Solder your cells together in your desired series/parallel configuration.
4. Route the Bus Bars
Solder your main positive and negative flat bus bars to the cell strings. Leave the ends of the bus bars about 4 inches too long. Push these excess ends down through the two drilled holes in the back skin so they stick out the bottom of the panel.
5. Seal the Holes (The Clay Method)
From the inside (top) of the panel, pack non-sulfur modeling clay tightly around the bus wires where they pass through the fiberglass. Build a solid 1-inch mound. Do not use standard sulfur-based clay, as sulfur inhibits epoxy curing.
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