Recent content by Tommohawk

Right - just to tidy this up! I guessed that the diode might be in the centre of the 3 horizontal ribs in the above pic. So I drilled with a 5.5mm right there and struck gold! It was difficult to see what I was actually drilling but it appeared grey/ceramic. At a depth of about 6mm I could see...

Nice idea... sadly I don't know anyone with an x-ray!

Yeah I'd like to keep the junction box if I can - but I think drilling it out could make a right mess. If I new what the innards looked like it would be easier. Also, as above, is there any point in a diode in this setup?

OK - well, that was my conclusion. You would think someone would make panels without diodes for those who only want a parallel setup then - to avoid the risk of one failing. That said, if you have a proper junction box, then diode replacement is quite easy I guess. So next step is try and...

OK, that's reassuring. The only concern is that I thought bypass diodes are supposed to minimise the risk of overheating? Isn't there a risk that if I install it without any diode, current from the good panel could pass through it if it's shaded and cause damage?

So I have 2 x 100W TopSolar brand panels on the roof of my campervan, wired in parallel, connected to a Renogy Voyager charger, and 100Ah battery + inverter. this all worked great until a week ago, and I notice I have no charging voltage. I separated the panels, and found one was working fine...