Solar Cell Repair

[MelTx]

  Hello. After reading about repairing the solar cells, and it being almost imposible to solder them,I have an idea.while making the flux cores from black sand,all I did was mix elmers glue and black sand,it got harder than a rock and stuck to the copper real good....The store bought silver epoxy seems expensive.Couldnt you just take some bar silver and use a rasp to grind it, then mix a batch with epoxy and apply it to the solar cells?

                                         MelTx

[iFred]

NO. It won't work.

[Dan M]

I found that it's almost inpossible to make a "conductive glue" from ground up metal and epoxy.  I have several failed attempts in my garage from trying to repair a trace on a circuit board.

I don't know if this will help at all, but I did find a "paint" that conducts really well and sticks to almost anything (including glass).  Go to the local autoparts store and get a vial of rear window defroster repair stuff.  It's about $6 for a really small vial with a brush.  It's gold in color (and maybe content as well).  If you have 2 PERFECTLY matched surfaces it might work as a glue of sorts.

Have Fun,

-Dan M

[Norm]

   Hmmm! Where is the one that posted on this board about putting them in the oven with a kind of paste made of lead and rosin flux? Made a whole solar panel from a bunch of cells this way .. I guess I'll do a search and see if I can find it....

                   Have fun guys!

                     ( :>) Norm.

[Norm]

  Okay this isn't the one I was looking for but...

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2003/12/3/55551/3829

    I ran across what I think you had in mind...he mentioned some ribbon foil that he at first thought was the packing material but turned out to be what you used to connect the cells

          Hope this helps...

            Aw...Shucks Guys I'm not that good..

      just gotta do some searching once in awhile...9 times out of 10 the answers are right here all the time....LOL

                ( :>) Norm.