Angled Double 68x37mm Solar Cell Mount

This is a mount for two 68mm x 37mm 60mA @ 5v solar cells that presents them at 55 degrees.  For my use it is intended to be mounted to the front door of a Meshtastic node enclosure where the panels are in parallel, fed through the enclosure door, and connected to the solar input of a RAK19007.

There are two (oversized) holes centered behind the solar cells that pass through to the rear.  These are intended for routing cables through the mount to reach the enclosure behind it.  Additional relief cuts are provided directly behind the solar cell and in the back of the mount to provide a place to store splices/connections/etc.

Printing Notes : You may be able to print this without supports depending on your printer and print settings.  I opted to go the safe route and include supports for the rear relief and cable tunnel interiors.  The additional print time and filament use when including supports was negligible.

Angle Note : 55 degrees is not the best angle for most locations but it was a good mix of “okay” while minimizing the footprint to an acceptable size.  Additionally, since the enclosure can be angled for greater or lesser degrees as part of the mounting process.   Due to how I'm mounting this enclosure, a 55 degree angle on the solar cell holder combined with an angle on the enclosure mount gets me about perfect.  Your experience may vary.

Weatherproofing Note : Obviously this is not water resistant as printed.  If using this for an outdoor purpose, be sure to seal around the solar cells to prevent water encroachment behind them.  Additionally, you'll want to seal the “back” of the mount to the enclosure to prevent water from seeping in.  Outdoor silicone caulk works great.  Hot glue is okay temporarily, with a properly prepared surface, but tends to detach due to flexing since it is not as elastic as silicone.  For additional water protection, I recommend marine heat shrink on all electrical connections.

Solar Cell Note : These small, cheap, solar cells have worked great for a nRF52 based RAK19007 Meshtastic LoRa node.  I have one that's been running with two of these solar cells in parallel, connected (via RAK) to a 2,000 mAh battery for over three months and is maintaining an excellent charge.