System that can get to around -40 C?

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this is a newb question, but I'm a scientist and I need a cooling system for a chip for testing purposes. I need it to go to around -40 C. My boss wanted to buy a $10k cooling system but I told her, no way, people do this kind of stuff for way cheaper. I found this thing (http://www.ldcooling.com/shop/ld-pc-v2-115v-usa/88-ld-pc-v2-115v-usa-phase-change.html) for about $1k, but it only seems to go to -30 C (which I guess is fine maybe).

My questions: Power dissipation for this chip is super low, way lower than for a CPU, so could I go lower than -30 C? Has anyone used this system, and if so do you have any reviews about the system or the company? Like, is the temperature stable, is the thing loud, etc.? And also, can anybody suggest a better and/or cheaper system? The system I linked to checks for a 12V power line to see if your computer's on. It does this thing where it tries to turn on your PC automatically, which I guess is great for its intended purpose, but it's annoying for me. A system without that "feature" would be great.

Thanks!

PS: We're not going to use any DIY solutions because it's more hassle than it's worth. Regulations and stuff.

Welcome to the forums BucketofFish!

There is a system that was just created last year by lnlcooling.com . It uses liquid nitrogen and a proprietary regulation system along with a vacuum sealed case to control condensation build-up. I don't know the price tag but I'm guessing it's over the $1k price tag of your phase change unit.

Another method you can use is Dry Ice (DICE). Since your chip is low power I'll assume it's low wattage too and DICE should be able to get you below -50C or more. This is generally only used for short runs though as you need to continually feed Dice into your cooling pot.


I hope this helps

You can buy better phase change systems that will take the temps lower.

Yea it sounds like the LNL solution would be a good fit here. If I remember correctly it is around 4k for the system and case.

For a lab environment this is the way I would go as it offers precise repeatable results and you will not have to worry about condensation. It will also give you some headroom in case you go to a higher wattage chip or want to go colder.

Thanks guys!

The lnlcooling system looks pretty good. I'm not concerned about condensation, since we were going to flow in dry nitrogen anyways. I'll bring up these systems in a meeting and see what my colleagues think. Thanks again!