Couple questions about Pelts...

#1: How do YOU pronounce Peltier? Pell-tee-ay, pell-tee-er?

#2: I plan on getting that*points to link*, to go with a Maze 3-1 AMD waterblock, but there are a few things im not sure of. It says it is 225 watt Pelt, does that mean that a 250 watt PSU will be sufficient for the job? In the picture, there arent any 4 pin connectors attached to the pelt. Instead of hooking one up, can i hook up a wall adapter so i dont have to go buy a $10 psu?

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/2250pelun.html


Thanks.

1) The name peltier originates from the scientific term "Peltier effect". "Peltier" was the last name of a scientist involved in recognizing or inventing this phenomena. More can be found on google.

Anyways, I believe the gentleman was french and it would be pronounced similar to bustier ( ) ... so that would mean your first pronunciation would be correct - boos-tee-ay and pell-tee-ay. That is kind of extrapolating and guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if its right. Regardless though, I Americanize it and use the second pronunciation - it's nicer to say.

2) NO! j/k But the answers still no. The important statistics to look at to figure this out for yourself in the future are Vmax and Imax. Vmax is the maximum amount of voltage you can power the pelt with, and Imax is the amount of amperage the pelt will draw at Vmax.

A pelt draws a certain amount of amperage depending on the amount of voltage given to it. A peltiers efficiency is greater at 80% Vmax than 100%, so often times people will power pelts that have a Vmax of ~15V at a voltage of ~12V. A 226 watt peltier will draw ~25 amps at ~15 volts and it will draw ~20 amps at ~12 volts.

To find a psu to power the pelt you need to find one that can deliver those amperages at those voltages.

Peltiers (same thing as a TEC) do not come with molex connectors (the connectors that are on your usual PSU leads). Your run-of-the-mill pc psu will not be able to power a peltier. Most psu's can not deliver ~20 amps on their 12 volt rails, and power the computer at the same time. You will likely need a dedicated psu for the TEC or a more expensive power supply to power the PC and the TEC.

The wires coming from the TEC usually are not very long, so you will need to get some wire to run from those to the power supply and make a connection.

The TEC will likely produce temps that are well below ambient... This means that it is also necessary for you to look into appropriately insulating because below ambient surfaces can produce condensation. There are many instructions on insulating on the forum... here are instructions by me:

originally posted by imog
Insulating your rig is really not a very large obstacle. Plan to insulate during a time when you have no other plans and will not be rushed for any reason, and getting it right will be easy.

Supplies:
You need neoprene (or old/free mouse pads do the trick), dielectric grease. and silicon.

Procedure: fill part of the inside of the socket with dielectric grease. insert a pad of neoprene on top of that to fill most of the area, top off inside socket with dielectric grease. cover back of die area on chip with dielectric grease. insulate the pins with dielectric grease (in holes of socket). cut neoprene to fit pretty snugly around socket. use silicone to adhere it to mobo. fill any gaps between neoprene and socket/mobo with dielectric grease, leave no air. put waterblock on and do the same around that as you did with the socket, leaving no air inside neoprene. leave no pathway, no matter how small, for air to travel from the case to inside the neoprene. take dielectric grease and cover the back of the mobo corresponding to the socket. take a pad of neoprene and adhere it to the mobo over the dielectric grease. leave no gaps for air. be VERY liberal with dielectric grease through the whole process. You shouldn't have any problems if you take your time. that's it. unless i oversited something.

Click to expand...

Here's a link to information on appropriate coldplate thickness: www.overclockers.com/articles305/

Sorry for the length, I am on my way to class now that I finished this... I was procrastinating.

I.M.O.G. said:

1) The name peltier originates from the scientific term "Peltier effect". "Peltier" was the last name of a scientist involved in recognizing or inventing this phenomena. More can be found on google.

Anyways, I believe the gentleman was french and it would be pronounced similar to bustier ( ) ... so that would mean your first pronunciation would be correct - boos-tee-ay and pell-tee-ay. That is kind of extrapolating and guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if its right. Regardless though, I Americanize it and use the second pronunciation - it's nicer to say.

2) NO! j/k But the answers still no. The important statistics to look at to figure this out for yourself in the future are Vmax and Imax. Vmax is the maximum amount of voltage you can power the pelt with, and Imax is the amount of amperage the pelt will draw at Vmax.

A pelt draws a certain amount of amperage depending on the amount of voltage given to it. A peltiers efficiency is greater at 80% Vmax than 100%, so often times people will power pelts that have a Vmax of ~15V at a voltage of ~12V. A 226 watt peltier will draw ~25 amps at ~15 volts and it will draw ~20 amps at ~12 volts.

To find a psu to power the pelt you need to find one that can deliver those amperages at those voltages.

Peltiers (same thing as a TEC) do not come with molex connectors (the connectors that are on your usual PSU leads). Your run-of-the-mill pc psu will not be able to power a peltier. Most psu's can not deliver ~20 amps on their 12 volt rails, and power the computer at the same time. You will likely need a dedicated psu for the TEC or a more expensive power supply to power the PC and the TEC.

The wires coming from the TEC usually are not very long, so you will need to get some wire to run from those to the power supply and make a connection.

The TEC will likely produce temps that are well below ambient... This means that it is also necessary for you to look into appropriately insulating because below ambient surfaces can produce condensation. There are many instructions on insulating on the forum... here are instructions by me:




Here's a link to information on appropriate coldplate thickness: www.overclockers.com/articles305/

Sorry for the length, I am on my way to class now that I finished this... I was procrastinating.

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the response. You say i need a dedicated psu, what i meant by the 250 watt is that it wouldnt do anything but the peltier. Or do i need one of those speicla $100 ones that fits in the drive bay? Couple questions about the insulation process. What would be "used liverally" mean? And where can i get dielectric grease and are there any local shops i could buy it at? Thank again for your lengthy and detailed response.

try radio shack for dielectric grease. and "used liverally" really means "used liberally." (a lot. if you think you put enough on, put some more on)

as far as the psu goes, i'll explain a little more.

my psu is a 430 watt psu.

it does not put out 430 watts at every voltage, but the total power from all of the voltages add up to 430 watts. it's also easier to deal with amps when talkin' about tec's. my psu puts out 36A at 5V, 20A at 12V, and 28A at 3.3V. the other voltages are negligable. since i would want at least 20 amps alone to power my tec, i obviously cannot use this psu alone. my two cd drives, and two hdd (12v power suckers) would not operate along with the tec. if you buy another psu, and want to power a 226 watt tec, a 250W psu would not be nearly enough. my 430W would give you just enough amperage at 12V to survive. a lot of people use an antec 550W to power a tec and pc, but i wouldn't. i would get a seperate one. look at electronic surplus stores, and the like. look at ebay under "radio equipement" and such. if you can, get a psu that only puts out 12V. no sense in paying for 36 amps at 5V, when you have no 5V equipment.

i'll be here for a while if you need anything else cleared up. also, try the search, you can learn a lot that other people have already learned.

http://becooling.safeshopper.com/7/cat7.htm?957

This is what you need for that 226(bottom of the page), and there only $69, i have had one for a while now and they work great keep that cpu nice and frosty

I picked up my fridge today, and luckily the big panel that actually gets cold looks like it can be unscrewed and placed into my res. *Dances* But now comes the hard part of getting a 2 tubes and a power cord out of the side. Does anyone have any ideas of how i would do this. My dad doesnt think its a good idea to cut a hole because moisture will get in, and all the insulation that keeps the fridge cold will be useless. Basicly i need a kit or something with little rubber seals to put around the tubing. If anyone knows where i can get these, or anything that would work, id appreciate the info.

Thanks

just destroy the fridge... do whatever it takes to get the tubing, evaporator, condensor, and compressor out alive.

screw the fridge casing, just saw it open.

So what should i do?

Just unscrew the doors and walls, take out everything and put it all in a box full of water?