Solar playhouse project

[iconrl]

I have two daughters that are very young and I'm thinking about building a playhouse this year or next. I've always wanted to play with solar power, but have never gotten around to it. I started thinking this would be a good opportunity to start the process and understand how to set up a BASIC solar system. Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but I'm attempting to learn.

I would only need to run a few LED lights and maybe a small fan. Thinking of 1 or 2 PC fans just to move a little air.
Any recommended sites to buy 12v LED lights?

I was looking at maybe just a 40w panel or something similar, a small battery (35ah?), and a cheap ebay charge controller.

Please don't just tell me to jump off a bridge, but let me know where I need to make changes. Like I said, I'm trying to learn here with a super small project.

I'm really looking for direction and to get a little solar experience under my belt for little investment.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[OregonSolar]

If you just wanted a light you could just get this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...2028_200422028.

But knowing that you want some fans, you could finish this for as little as $200. A little much for a playhouse, but if you're really devoted go for it.

For example, I'll take it that you will order these items for Northern Tool+Equipment, which has a good stock of small simple supplies for something like this.

Knowing that this will most likely maybe used for 1hr a day or less, you can get away with this solar panel: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...1894_200511894. Don't forget a bypass diode.

Then, so the light and fans will run at night (which is the obvious reason for this), add a small AGM battery: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...1071_200361071. Even as it is, this battery is probably overkill, but it will help prevent overcharges without the use of a charge controller. At this point, a smaller panel and a larger battery is probably the better way to go, since the usage is so low.

An LED lightbar like this: (http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...-fixture/1310/) at 33inches long or bigger should be enough depending on the size of the playhouse. A fan like this: (http://truck-hardware.orrorr.com/ite...lt-fan/m-5474?) would work; I would recommend a cab fan that has a grille on the front if this is for little kids, using PC fans is NOT a good idea for little hands.

But otherwise, on the fact of all the exact numbers for charge rates, discharge rates, and all that technical stuff, i defer to the real experts. This is just a generality.

[SolarPartsPro]

I would get a battery rated at at least twice the amp hours that you think you need, you never want to discharge a battery more that 50%. If you get a controller that has load connection terminals (most do) to run your loads through, the controller will automatically disconnect the loads when the battery gets too low, everybody forgets to turn lights off. You can always parallel a second battery later on also. I would not use a Gel battery with a cheap controller.

Please don't forget to fuse the battery!

[Mike90250]

if it was me, I'd use a battery operated LED light, sometimes called "tap lites" because you just tap the
lens, and it switches on. And replace the AA batteries when they die. $15 should do it.

Panels, fuses, charge controllers, lead acid batteries, have no place in a playhouse with kids under 10, in my opinion.
If I wanted to spend a lot of $ on it, I'd use the cheapest panel in 30 - 90 watt range, and the cheapest box store "deep cycle marine battery" , with fuses, charge controller, panel mounts, wiring in conduits (because kids are not careful) and a marine battery box to hide the battery terminals.

[PNjunction]

Even as it is, this battery is probably overkill, but it will help prevent overcharges without the use of a charge controller. At this point, a smaller panel and a larger battery is probably the better way to go, since the usage is so low.

Unfortunately, this just confuses the op since small panels with oversized batteries is diametrically opposed to what this board is about, and is about the most common and most expensive mistake begining solar users do.

Instead of putting out a shopping-cart list of products, the most valuable cost-free thing to have under one's belt before they buy anything is to see the faqs and stickies here, and then fine-tune their needs with the threads. IMHO.

Unless one KNOWS what their power needs are up front, the rest is all expensive speculation bound for the constant-upgrade train.

[iconrl]

I found 20 watt panels (not the exact same as listed in the first reply) for a pretty good price so I bought 2 of them. Can I wire them in parallel to a controller?
I think I like the idea of a basic deep cycle marine battery. That way I won't feel as bad if I ruin it.
I would spend a couple dollars and put wires in conduit and box off a part of the playhouse to hide the controller and battery in, not just open to the kids. I would agree that wouldn't be a very wise move, and not expensive to put in place.
With such low wattage, can I use basic 16gauge wire on this project?
Thanks again everyone! Hopefully I can continue to study some of the stickies and continue to learn through this basic project.