$5 Mini USB Fridge!

Step 1: Taking out the Peltier/Heatsink Unit

You'll basically just need a phillips head screwdriver and thin socket or needlenose pliers to take apart the heatsink and fans, which will allow you to remove the unit from the cooler. Now, you might ask why you'd want to do this and not just use the cooler. The answer is because most of the time when you find one of these the case will be cracked and the cord is missing, but that's not a problem...

Comments

[jelte1234]

what kind of mail would I need to send to melcor to get a good peltier for free, whitout lying??

[testzor]

I want to make one of these, but it will hold 4 full-size Arizona cans (6" high 3.25" across each). Since I assume I will need heatsinks, I plan to buy 4 of this:<br /><br />http://cgi.ebay.com/Aavid-Aluminum-Heat-Sink-3.5-in-X-6-in-w/-Stand-Posts_W0QQitemZ270458409702QQcmdZViewItem#ht_2822wt_1165<br /><br />and also I plan to buy Peltier units from Melcor. It will be powered by wall power. What kind of Peltier units should I buy? Also, is 4 heatsinks the right amount? They are 6.18" by 3.5" each, and the extra ~0.8" I plan to make up with some extra Styrofoam.

[EleriK]

Last I remember www.sciplus.com has some reasonably cheap peliter units for sale.

[H3xx]

http://www.sciplus.com/search.cfm?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=search&utm_content=cf&utm_campaign=celsearchtest&formfield1234567891=&formfield1234567892=&formfield1234567894=&term=peltier&btnHand.x=0&btnHand.y=0 Not exactly as cheap as the cooler.

[bg01au]

Just in case you don't have the computer, can you use the mobile phone power adapter or laptop power adapter connect directly from your power outlet to the mini fridge? If I remember correctly, input for laptop/mobile charger is 100-240V and output to 12V. Do you think it will work no problems? Please correct me if I am wrong!

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Do you think it would be possible to draw 1 W by using two USB jacks?

[DualPhase]

Ya you aren't going to get cold with a USB, but really how much farther away is an AC outlet. You could make the Peltier happy and live up to its "full potential" if you just used one of those thousands of AC/DC converters I know you have laying around. The unit is rated for a LOT more power than 1 watt! Did I say a LOT?! For mobility I'm putting a female square USB jack on mine so I can use the usb with any usb cable if I wanted mobility.

[cd41]

thats exactly what i'm doing(without the mobility part, i am making a bigger fridge though one Aquafina bottle isn't enough for me, i am actually gonna ge a free Peltier unit from a website (Melcor if your interested send them an email with a polite letter requesting a free sample they will send if you ask for a smaller one) the model i am getting is the DA-045 hopefully it will work good i checked it out and it reuires 12v for optimal cooling)

[hleon]

I am ordering one, too, for a science project.

[DualPhase]

Good Idea. Its not hard to wire in a female usb port though just in case. After all what is cooler than a USB powered device

[cd41]

i guess just like the USb powered popcorn popper that has so many things for it :) the only thing i'm having a problem with is finding a w.w. with the right power ratio and most peltier units are at max limits about 12v which the one i'm getting , as i said before, will keep my drinks cold, not sure how to read the chart on their page but i think it says that it will get below freezing which is perfect(i was looking again at it and i gave you guys wrong unit no. its a DA-024 not 45) sorry for such a big and possibly confusing comment(this oplace has turned into a forums for peltier units

[ironsmiter]

you can draw power from multiple usb ports(many portable harddrive enclosures do just that) BUT... you'll need isolating circuitry to keep the ports from faulting. IN "negotiation" mode, a standard usb port is only gonna pumpout ONE unit of power(100mA) at 5 volt. you CAN negotiate with the host bus for 5 units(1/2A) per port. but running at the low volt/amperage limits of usb, you'll never get "cold" ... only "cool".

[hubi]

Ok, you won´t get really cold Beer with 5V 1A , but I use it only to keep the Beer Cold

[Neil Patrick Harris]

I was thinking something like that might happen. Thanks, I'll check it out further.

[DualPhase]

I'm pretty sure you can wire two USB's in series to get more power. You can also modify a normal ac/dc power adapter to get more power.

I got my Peltier unit form a car powered cooler and it was rated at (12v)(4A) = 48 watts. My fridge isn't getting that cold so I'm going to wire it up to a different power source than USB. I might wire the adapter together with the USB power to have the ability to use either. My fridge will likely stay stationary so the mobility the usb power offers isn't as important to me.

I found temperature charts on a USB fridge (graphs near the bottom): Temperature Graphs

[hubi]

2USB in series is not a good idea, this will damage the ports. You can use 2 or more Ports in parallel to get more Amps at 5V. If you need higher voltage one way is to use a step up (boost) converter. I have salvaged another Peltier 12V/12A from an old cooling box. This works well on an 400W ATx Power supply. This is used to get cooled dehumidyfied air into my PC Case..

[DualPhase]

oops I meant parrallel, thx (i don't know how you would do it in series, lol) Thats a good idea with a step up converter.

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Have a look at the Melcor site mate. They have everything you would want to know about peltier devices. You may not be using one of their units, but the principles remain the same.

[DualPhase]

I checked out that site, thanks. There's a lot of information. I would like to get the most power that my Peltier can handle but the specs vary QUITE a bit depending on your unit. Is there a way that you or anyone knows either to find out my "model" or find the max voltage/amps it can handle without melting it into a pile of carbon?

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Check the intrernal resistance of the device. Then use V=IR to determine the max current draw @ whatever the voltage is. Most of them are 12 V. Now you can determine the power consumption using P= I^{2R. This should get you started, anyway. BTW, nice to see my original question has sparked a little discussion.}

[rocketman221]

you only need 1 usb port. a usb port is 5 V .5 amps that would give you 2.5 W