This was far more successful than my previous attempt. These glass-encased thin-film cells were far easier to cut. Actually, I should that they were far easier to cut accurately. They certainly were not easier now that I think about it. It’s just that they held their shape a lot better.
Fancy pink tape was used to hold pieces together. Later switched to clear scotch tape. Pink is way too distracting.
For the first test panels I was able to string six cells together in series. Of the six, three of them are full-sized. The rest have been cut to some degree. To shape them I used a Dremmel with a cutting disc and first scored the cut that I wanted to make. Usually, the cell would just break along the score on its own but on occasion I would have to snap it. After that I took the ragged edge to the grinder to smooth things out. I did not end up with the cleanest edges in the world but it got the job done. So now that I had this irregularly shaped panel with odd shaped cells I needed to test it out to see if it would even work.
The pieces of green wire are only in there to get even spacing between each cell. They'll be taken out later.
Turns out it worked pretty well. In the first test, shown above, I managed to get voltages ranging from 10 to 18 with a hand-held lamp. I was honestly expecting much less but this first test is encouraging. I can’t wait to get this outside in the full sunlight without any tape holding it together. One thing that will be of concern is the fact that this sculpture will be tested in the sun. My concern comes from the fact that the sculpture was only a mockup for testing purposes. And how do you put masonite together quickly without any screws or fasteners? Hot glue. And lots of it. And what melts the glue in the first place? Heat. This sculpture is completely black and will be placed directly in the sun for further testing. I only hope that the whole thing does not melt under the sun.
This looks crude right now but once I figure out how to stand the sculpture on a pedestal I plan on securely attaching the panels to it. I don't think I'll be covering every face of the sculpture with a panel. 1) I don't have that many cells and 2) I think it would be overkill.