''USB Beverage Cooler''

or just put some ice in your drink for free.

DarkVirusVx said:

You can find mini frigs close to that price that keep a 6 pack cool.

45F isn't really cold. I like my drinks ice cold.

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Mini fridge all the way.

Blast from the past...

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1045/

Esteban said:

Blast from the past...

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1045/

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how times change

orionlion82 said:

i am not really sure who this Kyle guy is, but i am not one for his articles...
is the kyle from [H] or something?

i fail to see what a USB beverage chiller (and an absurd one at that) has to do with overclocking. i think its tec based, and what sort of moron would attach a TEC to a USB port anyway? COME ON!

just because it is a device with a TEC does not mean it belongs.

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think this falls under the "Water cooling" catagory for OCing...

Sorry couldnt resit

Btw when the last time we have seen a waterblock been tested around here?

Put it on your NB LOL. thats a great idea cooling the average persons drink with a peliter Wo0t.


boy how times change

Interesting review. I thought TECs took alot more power.

I'm not bashing the reviewer, since 5.75W is probably a manufacturers spec., but how can any TEC take up so little power? Even the low-end ones.

While I can't say anything about the rated wattage...A device can only draw as much current as it can get from the supply. Since USB on an unpowered hub is limited to 500mA....It can only draw 5v at 500mA. It can't draw more than that. It's just not there to draw. The danger of this would be that it would draw the max available, possibly straining the power circuit for the USB. TEC devices need more than this to be EFFICIENT. They will work at lower voltages/amperages...just not as well as they can. Based on this the wattage would be (5v x .5A =) 2.5 watts. Unless there is some sort of circuit in there that can boost BOTH the voltage and amperage 5.75 watts just can't happen.
that figure would have to be on a powered brick(where I suspect these would work much better)

Epox4life said:

Mini fridge all the way.

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I agree with this idea the chiller only good for 1 ... mini frig good for 24 , if you stack well

i saw a thing like this a long time ago. seems cool but pricey

no review of a device like this is complete until the unit is destroyed finding the outermost limitations of its design.

Deadbot1_1973 said:

While I can't say anything about the rated wattage...A device can only draw as much current as it can get from the supply. Since USB on an unpowered hub is limited to 500mA....It can only draw 5v at 500mA. It can't draw more than that. It's just not there to draw. The danger of this would be that it would draw the max available, possibly straining the power circuit for the USB. TEC devices need more than this to be EFFICIENT. They will work at lower voltages/amperages...just not as well as they can. Based on this the wattage would be (5v x .5A =) 2.5 watts. Unless there is some sort of circuit in there that can boost BOTH the voltage and amperage 5.75 watts just can't happen.
that figure would have to be on a powered brick(where I suspect these would work much better)

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this makes no sense, things draw more current than they're given all the time. only [relatively] complex circuitry can detect when this is happening and intentionally shut it off [which most -if not all- usb ports have]. otherwise the device draws whatever it desires to draw, damaging everything in its path. perfect example, recently i used a 12v 600mA power brick for my LCD monitor because i couldn't find the official power supply (12v 2.5A). i plugged it in and it worked perfectly fine at first. eventually, the backlight in my display went out (about 20 hours of use before hand) but the LCD was still working without a backlight. the power brick was so hot to the touch that it could easily leave a burn mark and it no longer worked properly. i found my original power brick for my LCD and the LCD began working again without error.

this is one of the most basic concepts of electricity, amps are taken, not given. you CAN draw too many amps (short circuit, for instance), and it normally will break things.

Most well designed ports(even the ones on the motherboard) that are following the USB specs, have a built in current limiter. The spec calls for an initial 100mA, with boosts being given in 100mA intervals, to a max of 500mA per device. Some devices(the one in question probably being one of them) avoid this, but the USB spec still calls for a cap of 1A total on any device. Powered hubs can deliver more than this as they usually don't have the built in limiters and have stand alone power supply bricks to allow for higher drain devices. If this device is dumb(having no circuitry to tell the port what it's current requirements are) the port SHOULD still cap it at 1A. The complex circuitry is in place and generally works well.

As stated in my explanation, it's dangerous to plug this into a motherboard based USB port, as it WILL try to draw at the max available for the port(1A). If the current limiter was to fail, then it would draw whatever it could from the 5V line. This would likely result in fried traces through the motherboard.

In your example of the lcd power brick...You're lucky it didn't burst into flames. A device will draw whatever it can. You are correct. The power brick you were using was rated for a SAFE 12v at 600mA. It could probably DELIVER closer to 1.2A. However in doing this it created enormous amounts of heat. As you stated the LCD didn't get fried...the power brick did, being driven way beyond specs. The correct brick is rated for 2.5A, and can probably deliver closer to 4A for short times. If you hooked up a device to it that wanted more than the 2.5A rating that it is designed for...magic smoke will ensue. It wasn't that the devices drew more than the power supply could give, just that you exceeded the safe limits of the supply in question. The maximum current that can be drawn in any case is that which the power supply CAN supply.

Example....

Battery A has a storage capacity of 14.4v at 1000A(typical car battery). It's cold outside and you go to start your car. The starter wants ALL of the current it can get. The battery has 1000A to give. The starter gets....1000A. No more. The starter needed 1200A to get the car started...the car doesn't start and you curse under your breath. Even though the starter needed(could draw) 1200A the battery(power supply) can only DELIVER 1000A. If you were to put in battery B that has a storage capacity of 14.4v at 1400A, the starter would draw 1400A and the car would start and purr like a kitten...yay!!!! lets go cruise for chicks.

there's the explaination i was looking for

yea, i knew what using the wrong power brick for my LCD would do -- i have tons of extras laying around and figure i'd murder one. i will admit though, i probably shouldn't have risked damaging anything else for my laziness, but i thought it would be a good illustration that devices do draw more than they're given (under the right conditions).

edit: alright, i now see that i'm using bad words. let me re-phrase, devices draw more current than they're supposed to (or as you stated, is safe to draw). hopefully that clears things up

My new Drink cooler. 80W peliter off ebay, old AT PSU and a thermatake HSF. works awesome.



SG

what do you do to get the AT PSU to come on? i have an AT PSU lying around and i'd like to put them to some use.

I just used the AT PSU's power switch...Thats why i used a AT PSU. cause with a ATX PSU it has to have a signal from the mobo to tell it to come on...or atleast thats what i think. im working on writing up a couple of paragraphs expalning what i did. LOTS of pics too. gunna put it on my web site.

Alright here is the site. there may be a pop-up if your using IE. (its being hosted for free...)
Site: http://www.sg.onecoolhost.com

Any Q's you can e-mail me at [email protected]

now thats more like it!
a pelt drink cooler done right! (or at least way better).

That only cost me around $15 to make vs. the little POS USB thing that cost me $40. although I did get the HSF for free...
theres a ton of pics of it on that site.