Discussion
I'm thinking of building a large playhouse for the children down the end of the garden and I've been mulling over whether to install lighting etc
Obviously you can buy wind up lanterns and radios but in time they will go walk-about so I was starting to think about wiring in the kit and connecting it to a 12v generation source (via a car battery as a store). Ie the children will need to hand or foot crank a generator if they want power.
Having a long ok around for dynamos I was surprised that there don't seem to be a lot of options around?
Obviously you can buy wind up lanterns and radios but in time they will go walk-about so I was starting to think about wiring in the kit and connecting it to a 12v generation source (via a car battery as a store). Ie the children will need to hand or foot crank a generator if they want power.
Having a long ok around for dynamos I was surprised that there don't seem to be a lot of options around?
brilliant idea!
I would guess the best method is using a car alternator as these already charge car batteries and are readily available, cheap and easy to replace should it break.
should be easy to find a common type from breakers (Ford Focus for example) and rigging this up to a bike system.
Add in a voltage meter on the handlebars for added encouragement. I would also add some solar panels on the roof so that it is not the only source as the kids may get bored quickly if they have to exert energy before they can 'play'
This would be a good method to teach the kids about where electricity comes from, and how and when to save it.
I would guess the best method is using a car alternator as these already charge car batteries and are readily available, cheap and easy to replace should it break.
should be easy to find a common type from breakers (Ford Focus for example) and rigging this up to a bike system.
Add in a voltage meter on the handlebars for added encouragement. I would also add some solar panels on the roof so that it is not the only source as the kids may get bored quickly if they have to exert energy before they can 'play'
This would be a good method to teach the kids about where electricity comes from, and how and when to save it.
simple solution. small solar panel connected to car battery. small inverter off the battery to power anything 240v. easy to run a transformer from the inverter to power 12v lighting if needed ( or just have a 12v lighting set up off the battery and do away with the inverter ( if it's just lights you want ).
modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
Yup. Thought about solar on the roof but I fancied the idea of making them graft for their electricity. Plus, they would learn that leaving the lights on is a ball ache.
The car alternator is a good idea. I'd already thought about using an old bike as the means to convert leg power as I can envisage the handle of a hand wheel connecting with a head at some point.
The children are only 5&6 so one question is could they honestly produce enough to power LEDs and a portable radio/MP3 player without it being too much of a chore and keeping it fun?
The car alternator is a good idea. I'd already thought about using an old bike as the means to convert leg power as I can envisage the handle of a hand wheel connecting with a head at some point.
The children are only 5&6 so one question is could they honestly produce enough to power LEDs and a portable radio/MP3 player without it being too much of a chore and keeping it fun?
DonkeyApple said:
The children are only 5&6 so one question is could they honestly produce enough to power LEDs and a portable radio/MP3 player without it being too much of a chore and keeping it fun?
sounds more Victorian workhouse than fun to me get a couple looms in there while you're at it. MDMA . said:
DonkeyApple said:
The children are only 5&6 so one question is could they honestly produce enough to power LEDs and a portable radio/MP3 player without it being too much of a chore and keeping it fun?
sounds more Victorian workhouse than fun to me get a couple looms in there while you're at it. 
Besides, knowing my offspring they will probably arrange play dates to get kids to charge up their house for free. Thus, also teaching capitalism and labour exploitation.
Going back to the bike idea, I'm guessing the rear wheel needs to be adapted to work as a flywheel rather than a lightweight, conventional wheel?
MDMA . said:
simple solution. small solar panel connected to car battery. small inverter off the battery to power anything 240v. easy to run a transformer from the inverter to power 12v lighting if needed ( or just have a 12v lighting set up off the battery and do away with the inverter ( if it's just lights you want ).
modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
Just to say I have 2 sheds with LED lighting running off discarded car batteries, kept topped up with a cheap solar panel. Charge controller is a cheap handy thing to have wired in too. I haven't bothered with an inverter but one of these is handy straight off the battery terminals for charging phones/ipads or even powering cool boxes for summer drinks...modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
http://www.nabendynamo.de/english/index.html
Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
MDMA . said:
simple solution. small solar panel connected to car battery. small inverter off the battery to power anything 240v. easy to run a transformer from the inverter to power 12v lighting if needed ( or just have a 12v lighting set up off the battery and do away with the inverter ( if it's just lights you want ).
modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
I would stick firmly to a 12v system - avoid mains voltage for efficiency and more importantly safety reasons (kids, trees,outside, moisture etc)modern 12v cree LED's are really low power/consumption now so wont kill the battery. stick a VS relay between so it wont drain the battery completely. have it set to whatever you feel necessary
Love this thread!
captainzep said:
Just to say I have 2 sheds with LED lighting running off discarded car batteries, kept topped up with a cheap solar panel. Charge controller is a cheap handy thing to have wired in too. I haven't bothered with an inverter but one of these is handy straight off the battery terminals for charging phones/ipads or even powering cool boxes for summer drinks...
That's handy. Any risks involved eg fire hazard? It sounds too good to be true.roofer said:
http://www.nabendynamo.de/english/index.html
Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
I suspect it's going to need a solar panel to keep it reasonably topped up as I don't think a winding mechanism suitable for children will do the job on its own. They seem pretty cheap but are quite ugly.Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
roofer said:
http://www.nabendynamo.de/english/index.html
Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
Agreed - alternators are, very roughly speaking, designed to put out about a kW. They take quite a bit of turning when connected to a load (like a dead battery) and I'm pretty sure their pulley is usually significantly smaller than the crank pulley so even at tickover they're probably doing 2-3000 rpm.Be surprised if you can get an AC alternator to spin fast enough.
Fantastic project though, I would have loved that as a kid, good luck!
Hoofy said:
That's handy. Any risks involved eg fire hazard? It sounds too good to be true.
Solar power would be my suggestion too.My sheds have a couple of solar panels on the roof, a pair of batteries (one leisure, one just a car battery from eBay), a couple of lights inside and some floodlights on the outside to light up the garden. All done with 12v, standard car LEDs etc. Switch on the door so the lights are only on when it's open.
Mines a bit OTT with lights so in the winter it struggles to keep fully charged but good in the summer.
Nice project!
Make a load of these - http://www.creative-science.org.uk/gensimple1.html For storage http://www.creative-science.org.uk/gensimple2.html
Then give them lots of carrots.
Make a load of these - http://www.creative-science.org.uk/gensimple1.html For storage http://www.creative-science.org.uk/gensimple2.html
Then give them lots of carrots.
For wiring up 12v shed lighting from car/bike battery with solar panels I used the diagram on this page: http://www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/solar/put-together... which also details the stuff you need (easy via ebay). All pretty straight forward to do given that I struggle to differentiate elbows and arses with electrics. Most solar panels come with blocking diode built-in these days.
I also add a charge controller:
...which costs about £7-£10, stops over-charging, very easy (self explanatory really) to wire up.
Spare kit also came in handy when we had powercuts/winter-storms because it's so easy/quick to rig up basic lighting for a kitchen/lounge/hallway/upstairs landing when kids are afraid of the dark etc.
I also add a charge controller:
...which costs about £7-£10, stops over-charging, very easy (self explanatory really) to wire up.
Spare kit also came in handy when we had powercuts/winter-storms because it's so easy/quick to rig up basic lighting for a kitchen/lounge/hallway/upstairs landing when kids are afraid of the dark etc.
It's a nice idea in theory - but in practice batteries need to be kept in a fully charged state to have any hope of them lasting...especially lead acid/gel/AGM. As soon as they start losing charge, the plates sulphate and the battery eventually dies.
All you need is a small solar panel on the roof (3-10 watts is ideal and no charge controller required as long as it's under 500mA charge) a 12v led strip light and a small sealed 12v 4.5 Ah battery.
All you need is a small solar panel on the roof (3-10 watts is ideal and no charge controller required as long as it's under 500mA charge) a 12v led strip light and a small sealed 12v 4.5 Ah battery.
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
It's a nice idea in theory - but in practice batteries need to be kept in a fully charged state to have any hope of them lasting...especially lead acid/gel/AGM. As soon as they start losing charge, the plates sulphate and the battery eventually dies.
All you need is a small solar panel on the roof (3-10 watts is ideal and no charge controller required as long as it's under 500mA charge) a 12v led strip light and a small sealed 12v 4.5 Ah battery.
Yup. But it's the child labour element that is at the heart of exploring this idea. All you need is a small solar panel on the roof (3-10 watts is ideal and no charge controller required as long as it's under 500mA charge) a 12v led strip light and a small sealed 12v 4.5 Ah battery.
My concern is the kids enthusiasm for it all.
At first it will be fun for them, seeing who can generate the most power, seeing who can pedal the fastest, seeing how much stuff they can plug in at once etc.
but the novelty will quickly wear off. and once the 'system' is left to stand that is when you will start to get problems, batteries go flat, parts seize etc.
Maybe start on a smaller scale to ensure it would still be 'fun' for them?
At first it will be fun for them, seeing who can generate the most power, seeing who can pedal the fastest, seeing how much stuff they can plug in at once etc.
but the novelty will quickly wear off. and once the 'system' is left to stand that is when you will start to get problems, batteries go flat, parts seize etc.
Maybe start on a smaller scale to ensure it would still be 'fun' for them?
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