Freedom from Leonardo Da Vinci - Perpetual Motion-gravity engine. Gravitational engine - two. Rotational Inertia. Extraordinary Toroidal Vortices. Cool underwater trick. Solar sphere. Homemade Solar Panels. This is the fabrication technique that has evolved out of my trials and errors. I'm sure there are many different ways to build solar panels that would work just fine. I have tried to keep mine as simple as possible. This shows the cells upside down in a jig made from strips of mat board stapled onto a piece of 1/4 inch plywood. At this point, the tabs can be soldered to the cells. I found a 30 watt iron to be the minimum acceptable and a low temperature solder to be the best. Here the cells are all soldered and a dab of silicone caulk is placed on each one. I used 1/2 inch plywood for my backing. The next step is to flip the rig over. Power is brought to the back of the panel using bolts counter sunk into the plywood.
The terminal bolts are soldered to the copper strip to ensure a good connection. The finished panel has plexiglas screwed down into the foam tape every six inches. --Tom. Mythbusters - Creamer Cannon. Sawdust Cannon.