It’s a beautiful, cool sunny day here in NW Florida and you’re right, John, you can knock a hole in a solar panel and it’ll still work. Just don’t try it with a hammer, because there is a tough plastic layer under that glass and another on the backside. You need to be forceful to get a hole. I started with a Suntech STP280 that got hit with a tractor. Yup, that’s a busted one!
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 1](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-001-1024x683.jpg)
The frame is bent, the glass is cracked, the J-Box and all the wires were ripped off, the cells are cracked and it has been left out in the weather for a few years. I soldered on some wires and new diodes, then I took it down to a safe place and wired it up to some batteries on the solar jalopy. It was making a decent charge
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 2](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-002-1024x576.jpg)
I had a little test in mind.
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 3](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-003-1024x683.jpg)
So I shot it with a .45 pistol and it was still making a charge.
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 4](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-004-1024x576.jpg)
So I thought I’d try to make a bigger hole with a 12 gauge “ring load”. Nice, but no change. So I went with straight bird shot and that was better. Then I backed up and gave it some more bird shot. Then I shot it some more with the .45. Hey, I could go broke on ammo before this thing quits!
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 5](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-005-1-1024x576.jpg)
Since I was out of ammo, I unhooked the batteries and connected an offroad driving light to it… it still works!
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 6](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-006-1024x683.jpg)
Now it is really busted up, but still runs. Hey John, is this still under warranty for output?
![You could void your warranty doing this stuff 7](http://sunelec.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Suntech-STP280-007-1024x683.jpg)
Now we know. Look for test results under the “Inquiring Minds” post.
By Neal Collier