Peltiers, Ok....so WHAT is the power solution??

[Michael_Myers]

Ok, I have pretty much decided to go with water cooling and a pelt too. I am A+ certified and mechanicaly inclined.....I just built this PC so getting in there and moving, rigging, etc..etc...don't scare me a bit. I have already begun the process of moving "things" around in my midtower case to make room for the new goodies. I have a question. Everyone says that you need a dedicated or outside power supply for the pelt alone. (Planning on getting a 120w minimum pelt, and a 172w maximum) Don't know which yet. Anyway....could you tell me what power supply would work for that? A LINK would be fantastic. I don't really need to know all the "whys" or "hows" just a link to a PSU and a note "this one WILL BE fine" from you guys. Power voltages, amperes and math is definately NOT my thing. I hate math and wouldnt understand if you tried to explain. Then, once I get the PSU......do I leave it outside the case? Or what? help me please.

 

[It_The_Cow]

http://www.teamdelta.com/products/prod3.htm

The 12v/15v one is the one you will probably want. Know that it won't fully power a 172 watt peltier since it runs on 24v. When looking for a TEC, just make sure the VMax is either 12v or 15v

Oh,and the decision about leaving it inside or outside of the case should be your personal preference

 

[*spazzed*]

I hooked up an automotive battery charger and a car battery as a capacitor/backup with a friends system ;D It only provides about 12volts, but it has enough amperage to power acouple pelts

 

[Mord-Sith]

lol thats totaly getto

 

[Colin]

I am sorry to say that if you want to get into pelts you will need to deal with some numbers. The 24 volt pelts you mention will need a PSU that can provide the rated voltage and current for which ever pelt you choose. If you use two pelts, double the numbers. The 120 and 172 watt pelts function best between 18 and 22 volts. Look for a PSU that has trimmer to adjust the voltage. It’s not as simple as you would like it to be but it’s not that hard.

To make it easy and expensive, do a search for Astron and make your choice. If you want to take your time, MPJA has appropriate PSUs occasionally or you can search eBay.

 

[dozier768]

*spazzed* (Jul 21, 2001 10:29 p.m.):
I hooked up an automotive battery charger and a car battery as a capacitor/backup with a friends system ;D It only provides about 12volts, but it has enough amperage to power acouple pelts

lomfl! that is wonderful. this is the stuff i like to see

 

[cjtune]

Eh, pay attention to your Vmax rating on the pelt. You CAN exceed that voltage but it won't be performing with the best heat transfer as internal electrical heating rises. Below Vmax, your pelt isn't being used to its fullest. A higher Vmax rated pelt simply means that the pelt can produce a higher temperature differential given equal heat transferred compared to a lower Vmax rated pelt. If you have two 172W, 24V pelts, get a 24V PSU with at least 400W power rating -but don't be afraid to try it out at 17V. I think one guy even connected his pelt to 5V and the CPU was still alive after that. Be aware that each power line from the PSU has a max power rating of its own (ie. max amperes or current) - about 20A? for computer PSUs, I think. Stacked pelts require that a topmost pelt be about twice as powerful as the bottom one as it has to be removing both the bottom pelt's waste heat as well as your CPU's waste heat. The max. heat throughput will depend on the least powerful pelt of the two, naturally. All of this for a much bigger deltaT than just a single TEC.

 

[lemmingboy]

have a read this will help some

If you looking for PSU look at HAM radio sites, they have the kind of power supplyes your looking for, for cheap.

http://www.tedist.com/overclk.html

 

[Colin]

If you have the bucks, the HAM radio suppliers are great. I picked up my Astron from HRO. Front panel meters and controls for current and voltage makes dialing in a pelt easy.

 

[Ajira]

If you are a DIYer, you can try this post I made a while ago. http://forums.overclockers.ws/forums/UltraBoard.cgi?action=Read&BID=5&TID=18996&P=1&SID=125698#ID1 Ham radio fairs are a great way to get high-amperage power supplies and rheostats. I went looking for a DIY answer to the pelt problem in case the Team Delta supplies became a scarce commodity.