Array Assembly

Start with a plan.


Add some Aluminum tube stock.


Add some bolts.


Add more Aluminum stock.



After the first day the beginnings of a frame emerge. Note the vicious guard dog we hired to protect it.


After a few more days, we had both of the basic frames built.



Ron invented a novel means to get all of the notches cut in the right spots for the support structure.


With some mild acrobatics, we managed to get all of the strings into the frames.


Then we spend a weekend making jumper cables and lacing up the strings.


Lots of jumper cables.


When your hand is about to fall off from all the crimping of cables, you get to make the second half.


Dan's creative approach to mount the cells, use bits of tubing. It works great!


Adam opens the array while we blow the last of the chips out. We have to make very certain we don't leave any stray aluminum chips anywhere inside the array as they could cause a failure.


Both halves of the array put together in the high voltage cage for testing.


Chris and Adam make the connections while Ron supervises.