What should i look for in a PSU?

Hey guys, im new to the whole TEC thing. I have a pentium 4 2.4 running at 3.3, water cooled (mini fridge chiller). it runs nice and cool (about 23 degrees), but i want cooler! How big a pelt do i need? like 220w? and most importantly, what am i looking for in a PSU? like 12 volt 25 amp? the meanwell s-320-12 is a little expensive for my taste, what else is there?

questions questions questions.

thanks

sounds like you got it,

If your purchasing one I would look for a switching power supply, they area almost always smaller and lighter, I have a 12v linear power supply I built and it weighs probably 30lbs.


Jon

That supply is about perfrect as far as buying it goes. If you have any electronic knowledge at all you can build your own supply for really cheap though. There are guides around the net, here is one of the better ones:

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1054/

just make sure you design it to handle more current than you are actually going to use it for. I would design for at least 30 amps if I was going to draw 20, and designing for 40 amps wouldn't be a bad idea.

matt, the only problem with that is you will need a voltage regulator or a lower voltage transformer, You will be seeing 16-17v comming out of that power supply after its rectified and filtered, thats not good for a peltier. I had my peltier hooked up to mine I built by that guide and the transformer was soo hot I thought I could have cooked an egg.

I was pulling around 28+ amps on a 25a transformer

Jon

JFettig said:

matt, the only problem with that is you will need a voltage regulator or a lower voltage transformer, You will be seeing 16-17v comming out of that power supply after its rectified and filtered, thats not good for a peltier. I had my peltier hooked up to mine I built by that guide and the transformer was soo hot I thought I could have cooked an egg.

I was pulling around 28+ amps on a 25a transformer

Click to expand...

Exactly, cant remember his exact name, but a member here made one with the exact same component and bust it while powering a TEC. IMO it is a crappy design. As Jon said, you need a voltage regulator (with a few transistors) in order to have a good stable output. IMO, this design is far better. There is also this one , not as good as the previous one, but still better than the one in the article.

oh, yea, the actual parts there arn't suitable, just the design.

You have to pick the right parts for what you are doing, which would mean getting a transformer that goes from 120V to about 14V or so, and can handle at least 30 amps for that TEK. Then a rectifyer that can handle about 40 amps and 20V to be safe, and some capacitors rated at at least 30V is probably a good idea.

Sorry I wasn't more specific, the link I gave you is a good design, but you have to make it work for what you are doing, which means getting the right parts.