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ELECTRICS

Blocking diode dilemma

Q When the blocking diode failed on my solar panel, I wondered what benefit it had served.

We’re told it’s to stop our batteries discharging through the panels at night, but the diode also creates a voltage drop while charging. I wanted to know which was the greater, the battery discharge at night with no diode or the voltage drop with a diode during the day.

So, I measured the resistance of my small solar panel by