- 1). Planning is essential. Make sure you have gathered and organized the materials. Also prepare your kitchen in order to bathe the solar cells in hot water.
- 2). Build a 3/8 inch thick box with 3/4 x 3/4 inch pieces of wood that should surround the edges. When the pieces are placed together with glue and screws, the panel will hold thirty-six 3 x 6 solar cells.
- 3). Create a cut of masonite peg-board and fit it into the wells of the panel. If you don't have masonite peg-board, any thin and non conductive material will work.
- 4). Cut a plexiglass front to protect the solar cells. Remember, the solar cells are very fragile and need extreme care. Be careful when drilling the plexiglass; it can break.
- 5). Paint the wood with primer. Then use waterproof paint to protect it from the elements. Make sure you do the same with the masonite peg-board.
- 6). Place any cells that have wax into heated water until the wax melts off. Afterwards, take the clean cells and place them on a towel so they can dry.
- 7). Draw a grid pattern on the masonite peg-board to determine the layout of the cells. Lay the cells upside-down in order to solder them together. Do not solder them in a parallel format; solder them in a series from top to bottom in order to connect the negative and positive charge.
- 8). Glue the panels into place using silicone caulk. This needs to be placed in the middle of each cell.
- 9). Repeat steps 1-8 in order to construct two half panels that will be placed in the panel box. Test the power outage.
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