Help a non-engineer figure out how to support this panel with gas struts

Hello smarties,

I'm trying to figure out how much extension force is needed to hold up a panel with a pair of gas struts in the current configuration. See imgur photo. I got these dimensions by choosing a strut on McMaster and positioning the unit as far down on the panel as I could while accounting for the min/max length of the strut in the open/closed position of the panel. I think ideally the strut would be lower down on the panel to form a stronger angle in the open position but I'm not seeing that it's possible unless a pivot hinge was substituted for the current hinge at the top of the panel.

In any case, I don't know the exact weight of the panel at this time but I would ballpark it at 185-200 pounds. The weight should be more or less evenly distributed within the volume.

Can anyone help me with the trig function (I guess?) that I need to figure out what type of hinge to buy for this application? Thank you!

submitted by /u/averagelemur
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