3. Motor loads can damage the ProStar over time.

If there is no diode across the

load terminals, install one to clamp inductive spikes. A normal recovery diode
with a forward current rating equal to or greater than the inductive load curren
t, cathode (-) to load (+), anode (+) to load (-), will suffice.
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15amp Bypass / Blocking Diode for DIY Solar Cells Panel
Due to popular demand, we are making our 15 amp Bypass / Blocking Diodes that ar
e part of our solar cells kit available for purchase individually for DIY solar
panel makers.
When making high power panels, it is very important to include bypass diodes in
your panels construction. And we are very happy to include the exact same diodes
that are used in 70% of the professionally made high power panels in the world
in this listing.
We are the exclusive distributor of these diodes in the United States. We actual
ly personally visited the factory that made the No. 1 dominant diodes. These dio
des, when installed in parallel in your junction boxes, they are actually as byp
ass diodes; but you can also use these diodes as blocking diodes if you connect
one of these diodes in series at the positive lead of your solar panel. Make sur
e that the diode's side with a ring points towards your battery if you want to p
revent power from leaking from the battery to the panel at night.
Our 15 amp diodes are powerful enough to be used between panels and make sure th
at electric current goes one way. You can use these higher rated amp diodes in l
ower amperage environment, but not the other way around.
Please also note that these diodes are schottky barrier diodes that superior to
other rectifier diodes which incur a LOT more power loss than the ones we are se
lling here. Please keep in mind that these are the EXACT same diodes that bigges
t pros used in their panels, so you can not go wrong with these. Pros buy millio
ns of these at a time, and now you can buy 3 or 4 at a time from us, and since t
he total size of business of selling diodes is so small, we are really doing thi
s at the request of our customers, with public service as the main consideration
.
Item details:
Voltage Range: 45 Volts
Current: 15.0 Amperes
Features
* Metal silicon rectifie,majority carrier conduction
* Guard ring for transient protection
* Low pwer loss,high effciency
* High current capability low VF
* High surge capacity
* Plastic package has UL flammability classification 94 V-0
Mechanical Data
* Cases: JEDEC R-6 molded plastic
* Polarity: Color band cenotes cathode
* Weight: 0.07ounces 2.1 grams
* Mounting position: Any
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Diodes allow electricity to flow in only one direction. This makes them useful f
or numerous electronic and electrical projects...
Voltage Ladders
Solar Panels
FM Demodulation
Linear Power Supplies
AC to DC Converters
DC to DC Converters
Switch Mode Power Supplies
Multiplexing / De-Multiplexing
Circuit Protection
And Many More Uses
Solar Power Customers!! Some dealers on eBay suggest paralleling small diodes wi
ll multiply there current handling ability. In practice, this is not exactly the
case. Without individual current limiters on each parallel path, the circuit is
vulnerable to cascade failure. We recommend using a single diode that is rated
for no less than 120% of your maximum predicted current.
The recommended placement for blocking and bypass diodes in your circuit will va
ry depending on the exact configuration of your system. For your convenience, we
have included these three models for reference, however these are only "basic"
configurations. In general, blocking diodes are placed at one end of each serie
s before being paralleled. Bypass diodes are placed in parallel to each panel (o
r section in the event of split panels). Note: some prefabricated solar panels w
ill have blocking or bypass diodes built in. Check with your panels specificatio
ns to determine the suitability or need for additional diodes.
----
Rated 10A, 1000V
Diodes function:
- blocking reverse flow down damaged modules from parallel modules during the da
y.
.. blocking diodes placed at the head of separate series wired strings in high v
oltage systems can perform yet another function. If one string becomes severely
shaded, or if there is a short circuit in one of the modules, the blocking diod
prevents the other strings from loosing current backwards down the shadad or dam
aged string (hot spot effect). The shaded or demaded string is isolated from the
others, and more current is sent on to the load. In this configuration, the blo
cking diodes are sometimes called "isolation diodes"
- blocking reverse flow of current from the battery through the module at night.

.. In battery charging systems, the module power out put drops to zero at night,
and battery could discharge all night backwards through the solar panel. This w
ould not be harmful to the module, but would result in loss of energy from the b
attery. Diodes placed in the circuit between the module and the battery can bloc
k any night time leakage flow.
----
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS (See also the technical data at the bottom of this listing)
Super high current capability. Rated to handle up to 10 AMPS!
Rated to handle 50 Volts. Will work on 12 or 24 volt systems.
Super low voltage drop (See technical data at bottom of listing)
Extremely reliable (Epoxy:UL 94V-O rate flame retardant encased)
MECHANICAL DATA
Axial leads solderable per MIL-STD-202
Polarity: Color band denotes cathode end
High temperature soldering guaranteed (260 C for 10 seconds)
Weight 2.10 gram
Simply put, this is a reliable diode with a high current rating and a low forwar
d voltage drop. And we are able to offer it at an extremely competitive price.
Diodes will prevent electricity from flowing back into solar panels (at night an
d on very cloudy days) or into wind generators (when there is little or no wind)
. In short, they prevent your battery banks from losing their stored energy. Th
is diode is especially useful for solar panels where it is important to keep for
ward voltage drops to an absolute minimum.
----
The diode should be fitted into the positive leg of the circuit between the fuse
and the battery (neg del diode a pos de bat). If more than one battery is being
charged from the same panel(s) then a diode (and a fuse) should be fitted for e
ach battery.
.. One situation where diodes are essential is with bypass diodes. Here a diode
is fitted across each panel (in parallel) in a multi panel set up. Most larger s
olar panels have bypass diodes incorporated into them. When one of the panels in
the system is damaged, weak, or (most likely) under shade, there is the risk th
at full current from the rest of the panels will pass through the shaded panel a
nd cause overheating (hot spot) damage. Bypass diodes are not essential for 12 a
nd 24 volt systems, but for systems over 36 volts they should always be used.
-------
a 'AA' Duracell 2650mA needs 270mA for 16h in order to charge to its full poten
tial.
----
Solar Panel Diodes
We are often asked about blocking diodes and bypass diodes and how or why they a
re used with solar panels. Unfortunately, there seems to be a little confusion a
bout this subject, so we thought we'd try and clear up the solar panel diode que
stion...
What are diodes?
A diode is a small electronic component that, ideally, has a very very low resis
tance to electrical current in one direction and a very high resistance to flow
in the other direction. There are a couple of different types: a 'vacuum tube' t
ype and the more common 'semiconductor' type. Effectively, both work by allowing
electricity to move in one direction, but not the other.
What are solar panel blocking diodes?
Older designs of panels and many cheaper modules can suffer from electrical curr
ent flowing back into the solar cells from the batteries, especially at night wh
en they are not producing solar power. To prevent this, a blocking diode is some
times fitted between the positive terminal on the panel and the battery.
Do you use or recommend blocking diodes?
Our monocrystalline solar cells have an inherently high resistance due to their
high quality of manufacture and the general structure of the silicon crystals. T
his means that we don't have to use a blocking diode to stop current flowing bac
k into the panels. Also, we only use and recommend high quality charge controlle
rs and, 99% of these are fitted with electronic measures to prevent current leak
ing out of the batteries at night.
What are bypass diodes in solar panels?
All solar panels have bypass diodes fitted in the junction box on the back of th
e module. Solar panels are actually a collection of solar cells that are connect
ed 'in series' (i.e. positive to negative). Each cell produces about 0.5V, so if
we want an 18V panel, we would typically use a total of 36 cells all strung tog
ether. The problem with a 'series' connection is that the string is only as good
as it's weakest member, so one solar cell being in the shade will result in the
whole string of cells not working properly. To overcome this, we split the larg
e string of 36 into smaller strings and use a diode to allow current to flow aro
und a string if it is not performing well. In effect, this means that instead on
one shaded cell causing the whole panel to under-perform, only the smaller stri
ng containing the shaded cell is affected.
How many diodes do you use?
Most standard solar panels are fitted with one bypass diode every 18 cells, so a
Kyocera KD140 panel, for example, has 36 solar cells and 2 bypass diodes; there
fore one shaded cell will reduce the output of 50% of the panel. To improve the
low light performance of our panels, we often use one diode for every 12 cells,
so a shaded cell will only affect 33% of the panel
Why don't you use more diodes?
The bottom line is cost and practicality... If we used one diode for every cell,
the junction box would become a lot larger and there would be so many wires tha
t it would turn into a spider's web of cable.
--------
What are Bypass Diodes?
Sometimes, the real world can get messy. Shade, bird droppings, dust, or even mo
dule-damage are all factors that can affect the current output of a PV module qu
ite significantly. Since the cells in a module are almost always all connected i
n series, as well as the modules in a string, a single PV cell with some shade c
an cause the entire string to stop producing power.
Its because of this incredible susceptibility to loss of power that additional co
mponents were added to bypass the damaged or shaded areas, allowing the rest of th
e string to continue producing power normally. These components that allow the c
urrent through when the PV cells are not producing power are called bypass diodes
. They are very similar in concept to the diodes that make up the solar cells, ex
cept these diodes are designed to allow a lot of current through them with very
little losses. They are typically connected across several of the solar cells, i
n such a way that no current is allowed through while the cells are being produc
tive. The bypass diodes are only used in situations where the cells they are hoo
ked to arent able to output their own current. When that happens (from shaded mod
ules, for example), the voltage being produced by the solar cells collapses, rev
ersing the current flow across the bypass diode, opening it and allowing current
to pass. This prevents the entire string from losing power, allowing the solar
array to handle real-world conditions more effectively.
Bypass diodes are typically contained within the junction box on the back of the
module, where the terminal wires come from. They are passive components that re
quire no maintenance. There is almost no circumstance in which a solar professio
nal would have to enter the junction box unless experimenting on the raw cells,
which should only be done be specialists. Under no circumstances should a non-pr
ofessional ever open a junction box, as the terminals are almost always live and
can cause lethal voltages if connected in a string.
If a module is left partially shaded in such a way that one of the bypass diodes
is left continually in use, excessive heating in the junction box and module-da
mage can occur. The best and easiest means of avoiding problems caused by bypass
diode overheating is to simply keep the modules clean and free of debris such a
s leaves or bird droppings.