home made solar panels

hi, i thought I would share with you my home made solar panels.
I made these ones on the shed 2 yrs ago a total of 4 now and as you can see they are working really well.
they are 21.7v * 8.9 amps (193) watts each and made by encapsulation using Silguard 184@ a Down Corning product made for solar applications onto a old shower screen, being toughened glass then frame and wire.
I import my cells and bus wire buying the new technology 8.9 amp mono crystal cells from silicon valley and hand soldering these in series to form strings of 9 cells + (top) to  _ (underside), 4 of these strings are linked via buss wires terminating at the rear junction box then I incorporate two bypass diodes for shade protection and wire to a controller.
cost is hard to get under $200 each not including time so you can buy a panel for a little more but this is about what you can do.
sometimes i get air bubbles under the cell where the silguard didn't flow completely, as i coat each cell prior to final encapsulation they are sealed so this is not an issue.
if anyone wants any further info on this just PM me.
Martin.
the panels on my shed.

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the battery bank

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my little cheap regulator going off its tree...


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martin I have a couple of 80w solar panels that need a bit of TLC --not charging properly

do u want to have a look at them 4 me..and see if u can give them a boost or at least get them going properly..

regards
oneday

sometimes the chances of getting full power out again is pretty low oneday, depends on the fault but some are dead just of because bypass diodes dying or one bus wire has arced out and burnt through or a single cell has died, these can be repaired by scratching off the EVA and re-soldering the damaged join or replacing the diode.
pm me if you want me to have a go, I am happy to try for ya buddy, take a look and asses it. you may end up with a slightly smaller wattage but functional panel rather than scrap.
unfortunately though, some repairs are just too damaging to the panel to do any good.
cheers
Matin