solar cell back side

yes, you need to get some conductive epoxy.

Put a glob on there and stick the wire into it and let it set.

If you can't find that locally, you can experiment with window heater element repair expoxy, that is mostly copper the last time I used it.

P.S. If you look you'll notice most likely they didn't solder it, it was expoxy ..

Jamie

I've got some aluminum flux... Alco something, you can search for it. I soldered bits of copper wire to aluminum foil with it. The type of solder didn't seem to matter. 60/40 tin/ lead was fine... (But I'm no metallugist.) The flux is nasty (I think) so do a good clean up as well as prep.

I've got SS flux too.

George H.

Oh or are you trying to solder to the silicon on the panel?

GH

sci.electronics.design back side of solar cell

One of Harbor Freight's 1 1/2 watt solar panels used for keeping a car battery charged quit. The solder connection on the back side of the glass, which looks like aluminum or zinc or silver or some other "white" appearing metal, poped off. I tried resoldering with tin/lead and tin/silver with no luck. Anyone have an idea what solder would work? Needs a flux too.

Hul

Conductive epoxy?

Cheers

Thanks Jamie, I'll give that a try. Also, do you know what metal covers the back side?

Hul

M Philbrook wrote:

Is the "white" corrosion ?

Use Silver solder, I've used Silver solder on the cheap Radioshack solar cells many years ago. Not sure what was the backing but if you delaminate the layer on the back you need to move to another clean area.

Cheers

Front is printed silver, back is aluminum.

Cheers

Confusing. Silver solder usually/often means silver braze, although some less reputable suppliers do use the term to mean silver-containing lead-free solders. Marketing.

If solder is to be used rather than conductive epoxy, ordinary 60/40 (or slightly better, 63/37) tin/lead has a lower melting point than silver containing solders.

Cheers

No Rheilly, "white" as in silvery, ie, not copper or gold.

Hul

Rheilly Phoull wrote:

Martin - by "printed silver" you mean thin deposited silver thin enough to pass light?

Hul

Mart> > >Thanks Jamie, I'll give that a try. Also, do you know what metal covers

No, the silver print does not pass light.

OK if the solder is not taking then it's aluminium I guess. You are on track with the enquiry.