Flexible Solar Panel - Will This Wire Cause Problems

MFG error ?
Test the panel make sure it's working
and
If it's not used for anything, snip it off and cover it with polyurethane sealant

IMHO Use AMAZING GOOP. Then forget about it. The repair will outlive you

I own two of these panels and I just looked at them and there is no such wire extruding--it appears to be a mfg defect. As others have said, test it on a multimeter to verify it is not shorted out, and then goop it up or tape it over.

You can try calling Renogy tech support but they are very busy and it's just one guy. If you test the panel in sunlight it should show 19v give or take. They are rated at 5amp on full blast. If you hook it to a cheap PWM charger like I do, it should put out a steady 60 watts to your battery at 12v. Mine have been doing that since 7am this morning.

IMO, the real value of these panels is their portability. I've got mine paralleled at the end of 50 feet of 12 ga wire, so I can camp in the shade and still get solar power. I reposition them every hour and get peak sun performance all day.

greenrvgreen wrote:
I've got mine paralleled at the end of 50 feet of 12 ga wire, so I can camp in the shade and still get solar power. I reposition them every hour and get peak sun performance all day.

Did you build some sort of mount for them (maybe PVC?)

Here's another issue when I was testing the panel (I had to watch a video on how to do it - Testing PV Panel

I took the panel outside, with my trusty-yet-unknown-to-me-how-to-use-it multimeter...

Even though it wasn't close to noon, the voltage measurement appeared to be working.

However, when I got to the isc (short-circuit current), I don't know if it's a panel problem, or a multi-meter problem, or a Michelle problem.



I had it set like the pic above. I put the red lead into the positive thing on the panel. The meter would either read "1" or fluctuate between a bunch of decimal numbers. when I put the black lead into the negative panel thing, my meter went blank. Every time.

So, do you think it is the panel, me, the meter, or perhaps because it's not close to noon (although I had the panel full facing at the afternoon sun).

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Michelle

0.43 = 430 milliamps
That's way off, does the panel info list "short circuit protection"?
I wonder if you blew the fuse in the meter
The 10 amp dc circuit, has a fuse inside the meter for protection
It should not have blown, but in the Sun disconnected, maybe it spiked the meter

Well, when I had both leads into the panel, my meter just blanked out. Every time I did it. When just the positive lead was connected to the panel, that .43 number just kept jumping around...

I'll go see if I can figure out if the fuse is blown...

OP HERE - I just checked the fuse inside the meter - it's finer than a human hair, eh? Anyway, it is not broken.

I just now turned the meter to DC10A and it's moving almost constantly, now at about -12.09 and rising. The leads are just laying on each side of me, not touching each other...

? ?

Why not just measure DC voltage? If you have a cell out or that connector wire is at fault, it will show up right away in the voltage measurement.

Michelle
Sounds like a meter malfunction
Do you have a 9v radio battery
You can use it too test the 10 amp dc meter circuit
Just set to dc amps and read straight across the 9v battery contracts

Not related to the OP's inquiry, but ... in the photo that panel looks a bit rigid. How do you kindof fold it up so as to store it in an RV?