[RE-wrenches] "Name that solar module" guessing game!

[Allan Sindelar]

Jim,

I believe that all of the Solavolts were single-crystal, and Mick has noted
polycrystal. I can check - my "next door neighbor" has a couple on her old
system. J-boxes weren't round, though.

Allan

 

Allan Sindelar

Allan at positiveenergysolar.com

NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer

EE98J Journeyman Electrician

Positive Energy, Inc.

3201 Calle Marie

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507

505 424-1112

www.PositiveEnergySolar.com <http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/> 

 

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of James A.
Hartley
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 7:20 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] "Name that solar module" guessing game!

 

Could these modules be old Motorola Solavolts possibly?  That's what
Photocomm switched to marketing at one point in between its ARCO days and
their later Kyocera times.  That was when Motorola sold the entire Solavolt
operation to us.  I  was the person who managed the Motorola account for
Photocomm then and that was during the late 1980s and early 1990s.  That was
also a very strange time as well.  My Motorola client had discovered that
Pcomm was bootlegging Kyocera modules to them with the Solavolt labels
attached after Pcomm ran out of their purchased Solavolt inventory and
suddenly had no "official" module supplier anymore.  Did the Solavolts have
round J-boxes?  I don't recall now.  Maybe so.  What's the module
application involved?  Is it telecom or something else?

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Bob-O Schultze <mailto:bob-o at electronconnection.com>  

To: RE-wrenches <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>  

Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:43 PM

Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] "Name that solar module" guessing game!

 

Mick, 

The predecessor to the K-51 was the J-51 which had round Jboxes as you
describe. They were located about 1/3rd of the way down from the edge of the
module. Before those were the J48 and before those were the J45. That would
be circa 1988-1994. Haven't seen any recently, but I recall the EVA would
brown right in front of the Jbox. Looked like a coffee cup stain. Dunno
about the yellowing.

Quite a few of us old grey beards sold them for some time back in the days
when Al Panton ran Kyocera US. Then they had a bright idea, got into bed
with Photocomm exclusively and quite selling directly to us. Japanese
marketing 101. Pissed everybody off and worked out so well for Kyo that they
had to eventually take over PComm to keep it from going under.

Bonus points AND a history lesson!

Cheers, Bob-O

 

 

On Oct 22, 2009, at 2:59 PM, Mick Abraham wrote:


Set the dials on the Wayback Machine, Wrenches!

The modules which I wish to identify had bright blue polycrystal square
cells, before the yellowing and discoloration occurred. 

They are 50' high on a 12:12 metal roof, and 45 minutes from the nearest
emergency room. I am not anxious to make that climb but a friendly helper
was going up anyway, so he took some photos. Unfortunately, the labels could
not be read or photographed. Dimensions of the frames are, sadly,
unavailable.

There is one telltale clue, however, which will no doubt yield the Correct
Answer from one of the Mechanics: The junction boxes are round with a
bayonet mount cover that rotates to liberate the cover. The boxes are big
and deep. (I hate to mention that because some of us liked things better
when we had big and deep junction boxes, and I don't want this thread to go
off topic.)

My own guess is Kyocera brand, possibly earlier than the venerable K-51.
Alas, my little gray cells are not what they used to be, so I'm polling the
group. The yellowing does point away from my own guess because I had not
seen that on Kyocera brand, nor on other polycrystal brands.

All Correct Respondents have my permission to take the rest of the day off!
Bonus Points if a Correct Respondent can also state approximate time of
manufacture.

Thanks for helping,

Mick Abraham, Proprietor
www.abrahamsolar.com <http://www.abrahamsolar.com/> 

 

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