I purchased some small 3.6 v 70mA solar panels online. I have no experience with solar panels. I am confident of the layout of the parallel circuit I want to create, however I don't know how to properly connect the tabs that come from the sides of the panels. Any help on connecting them?
You must connect solar cells the same way you would connect a couple of batteries, in series. And you cannot connect any form of voltage source in parallel to one another, this doesn't work, if you need a specific drop in voltage from the cell, use a voltage regulator and some capacitors. Hope I helped.
Each solar panel will be wired to each other in parallel if you have more then one. When you wire in parallel the amps(current) from each panel will add to the total sum of current, but the total voltage stays the same. The voltage must match the rest of your system. For example, if your are using 2 volt solar panels you must be using 2 volt batteries and voltage regulator. Voltage regulator must be rated above maximum voltage and current(amps). Connect the output from the solar panels to a properly rated regulator, solar panel voltage regulators are rated by maximum voltage and amps, that will shut off the current flow to the batteries once the batteries are sufficiently charged there by preventing damage to the batteries. The way that you figure the rating needed for the regulator is by adding the maximum amps for each solar panel, this should be listed on the solar panel, and if they are 2 volt panels and they are connected in parallel then max voltage should be around 22 volts. It's the amperes that is most importance when choosing a regulator
Okay okorder /... That metal strip up top is negative, if you turn it around and look on the back you will see another metal strip there which would be positive. When it comes to wire, I use 24awg audio wire I got from radio shack, they only have solid wire at this gauge at my local radio shack but stranded is preferable. Solar cells are super fragile too so you're going to want to be extra careful. I then take a length of stripped wire and lay it over the silver tab, I hold it in place with some electrical tape at each end. Here is where experience comes into play, you can't use just any solder when making these connections. Well, you can but it takes a hell of a lot more time and effort to get it right. Make sure to use 96/4 silver-bearing solder. I'm not sure why but 60/40 solder does not adhere very well to the cell and usually the soldering iron has to stay on the cell for far too long which ends up discoloring it. If you need help on how to solder send me a message, you need to know how to properly tin the iron, since this is such a meticulous and unforgiving soldering job.
