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Post by triggerfish on Aug 24, 2018 12:55:35 GMT -8
Hi,
Is there a right way to group my three solar panels together? How can I safely mount the three together without breaking either of them?
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Post by triggerfish on Aug 25, 2018 2:28:56 GMT -8
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Post by triggerfish on Sept 6, 2018 11:08:15 GMT -8
I have been asked to write something more about my solar panel mount. So here it is. I was planning the disassemble it again for more pictures, but the Loctite won  I started with the idea to frame the panels, protecting them from all sides. That proved to be too difficult and I decided just to sandwich the panels between two aluminum u-profiles, held together with pieces of threaded end to keep it all together. To protect the panels from the aluminum, I used PVC protective ends on the sides of the panels.
Just take a panel to the hardware store and try the profiles for different sizes.
The profile, threaded end and some nuts.
The PVC protection
Because of the picture limit, I'll continue in the next post.
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Post by triggerfish on Sept 6, 2018 11:15:07 GMT -8
I cut the PVC ends at the size of the panels and shoved them in place. For the length of the frame, I started with a nut, put a panel in the profile and repeated that, ending with a nut. That was the length I needed. So I cut two pieces of the u-profile at that length. When I tried for size, I also marked the center of the nuts with a permanent marker, so when I cut ht lengths I put them together and drilled the holes for the threaded ends. I put two nuts on the inside of the middle two threaded ends, to make sure the sandwich was parallel end not squeezing the panels. Just rotating the nuts and trying for size. When I got the right distance, I secured the nuts with LocTite. I had to do that with the nuts loosely in the u-profile, since they fitted snugly. So basically the could not turn anyway, but better safe then sorry. The outer threaded ends just got nuts on the outside to keep the profiles together.
If you look very careful, you can just make out the inside nut.
The outside end.
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Post by triggerfish on Sept 6, 2018 11:20:57 GMT -8
I should have mentioned earlier, that I left the inside threaded ends longer than needed to keep the thing together. I want to use those two, to mount the panel on something. I can use the extra thread to bolt it to something, I still have to work out.
The inside, longer threaded ends.
That's basically it. I also use threaded end to tie-wrap the power wires from the panels to. When I figured out how to attach the whole panel in place, I'll post more pictures.
Have fun!
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