DIY DIY Peltier Res Cooler

[TxOld Dude]

Well, now I've gone and done it! I've dropped a pair of Dragon eggs and they fell right on a wet paper towel! Damn, somebody oughta just hosswhip me!

Before this gets cranking, I've ordered some parts to make a Peltier res cooler. For those of you not familiar with the term (those of you with water-cooled CPUs may be), here is the wiki on the topic.
Thermoelectric Cooling

Now here is a video from the guy that came up with this wonderful idea!
Water Chiller For Hydroponic Reservoirs
[video=youtube;gfmyOHHoprw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfmyOHHoprw[/video]


For this little project I'll be using these parts (bold items linked to Amazon). I know a lot of you computer guys and gals are like me and have tons of spare fans and heatsinks around!

Thermoelectric Refrigeration Semiconductor Cooling System Cooler fan Kit $22.99


The reason for the pre-fab is simple, I need it now. Right now. I'll remove the smaller bottom heatsink and replace it with an aluminum water block as seen in the video.
VvW DIY Aluminum Water Liquid Block kit for PC CPU GPU SB North Bridge-Screws Clip $21.99

I'll be using the one with the perpendicular barbs.

And let's not forget a couple of pumps to move the water around!
VvW 2 Phase 12v Dc CPU Cooling Car Brushless Water Pump Waterproof Submersible- Dc30a-1230 $12.94


If or when the thermoelectric cooler itself craps out, it's always good to have spares. isn't it a good thing they're cheap!
Vktech TEC1-12706 Thermoelectric Cooler 12V 5.8A 5Pcs $11.39


I'll be using a temperature controller to turn the peltier cooler device on and off as needed. I've chosen to use a 12v controller as this gives me better flexibility and... it seems it's the only one they had in Fahrenheit!
:Grrr:
And here it is...
Okeler DC 12V LCD Display Digital Temperature Controller Sensor Thermostat Farenheit


Now, to power all this crap, we need a power supply!
So I found this nifty little gadget...
12v 30a Dc Universal Regulated Switching Power Supply 360w for CCTV, Radio, Computer Project $19.95


Ok! This thing will sit on top of a 5 gallon bucket in the manner you saw in the video. I'll be converting two DWC buckets to RDWC by changing the 3/8" elbow for the sight gauge to a tee, leaving the sight tube in it's natural spot but giving me an outlet for a gravity drain to the res. The small pumps in the res will feed the water block on the cooler and feed to each bucket. The controller is only attached to the thermoelectric device and will control the temp in the res, keeping it between 65-75f. Hope you'll pardon my crappy drawing skills (or the lack thereof...).


Gotta love Amazon! Free shipping on nearly everything here!!!! I think those baby Dragons will like it much better with cooler feet!
ragonMasters:

Fish

 

[pop22]

That's so cool! Thanks for the great post! I was just thinking about the use of a peltier cooler, as I’ve used them in overclocked PCs. In fact, isn't this how some of the small aquarium chillers are made? Hmmm. Wonder if there are higher powered peltier devices out there???...

 

[TxOld Dude]

Pop!

Yeah, these are like 58-65W per the info, but YES I've seen them on Amazon all the way to 340w!! We're looking at using them to rebuild the reefer/freezer on a 34 foot sailboat. They are NOT very power efficient though. As you can see the small devices can use up to 6 amps!

 

[pop22]

Pop!

Yeah, these are like 58-65W per the info, but YES I've seen them on Amazon all the way to 340w!! We're looking at using them to rebuild the reefer/freezer on a 34 foot sailboat. They are NOT very power efficient though. As you can see the small devices can use up to 6 amps!

True they are not efficient, I i'm not sure they'll be cost effective in your reefer. Be interesting to see how you make out with both projects! For your DWC it6 should work great. You got me scheming now...lol!

 

[briman]

"kudos"

 

[Anthropolis]

Peltiers have been pretty popular with the cpu modding / overclocking guys, and those tiny things can get really hot. With some work, should do alright in a res, but it could be a pain in the arse lol

 

[TxOld Dude]

It's a means to an end. This little project will familiarize me with the device and it's operation. The next step is multiples in various arrays; banks and stacked. i'm not sure yet how it's done, but they can be stacked in a "sandwich" that's supposed to multiply their capability. Working toward refrigerated air miniaturization to replace the old style compressor units on a boat. We've the power to spare for the reefer unit, but a conventional aircon is pushing it. Going to use this for the reefer as it's more efficient than the existing unit. On the aircon, I'm trying to see what can be done for just the berthing compartment.

 

[pop22]

take a look at this....

http://www.customthermoelectric.com/Titantecs.html

 

[TxOld Dude]

Man, they've got all kinds don't they? And the bigger ones aren't as expensive as those on Amazon. Nice link!

 

[TxOld Dude]

Shit, looks to be a while. Two of the parts coming from China, which puts the whole operation on hold.

:no: