Introduction: Instant Drink Cooler Machine
In this Instructable I will build a drink cooler machine that can chill your drink in just 60 seconds! Based on the concept of the "Cooper Cooler", I will show you every step of the build and how you can make one by yourself using very cheap materials.
Step 1: How It Works
How is it possible to cool down a drink in just 60 seconds? The key is to remove the heat from the liquid inside the can. By using two electric motors, one spinning the bottle and one pumping ice water onto the drink, the warm liquid in the center will move outwards causing more of the warm liquid to interact with the cold water on the outside. Basically the icy water on the outside will absorb a lot more heat and way faster than something like a freezer or an ice bath.
Step 2: Build #1 - Water Pump
Using my favourite CAD software, Fusion360, I designed a water pump based on a couple of key measurments. The first one being the diameter of the 12V electric motor. The second one being the diameter of the PVC tube (clear tube), that I was going to use to guide the water from the pump to the drink.
After a dozen of failed attempts I eventually managed print a perfect working water pump, and has proven to work for many hours. The performance was quite surprising too, as it was capable of pushing the water several meters vertically up through the PVC tube.
Do you have a 3D printer? If not, get one! They are very inexpensive and the precision is breathtaking. I recommend this one: http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kit...
Now when you have a 3D printer you can go ahead and download the STL files and start printing the water pump: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2111988
Step 3: Build #2 - Container
Back to the drawing board! This time we need to figure out the dimensions of the container. Based on the standard size of a 50cl drink the pieces quickly took shape. Once again using Fusion360 to visualize every piece and how they are going to fit together.
The material used was found in my local hardware store. It's a 6mm water resistant board and worked out great for my requirements for the great price of only 10$. Once I had traced out the parts on the board the cutting could begin. With all parts cut out I took a piece of sandpaper and smooth out the edges.
Step 4: Build #3 - Assembly
The container consists of 6 parts total; top, bottom, back, front and 2 side pieces. I made a line 50mm from the bottom of the 2 side pieces. The line represent where the bottom piece should be glued and acs as a guide hwne attaching the second side part. With the two sides and bottom part glued together using a good amount of epoxy, it was time to make carve out the spaces for each electrical component.
What electronics do you need? You will need two electric motors (12V), a 10A controller, one switch, a 12V 6A adapter and a jack adapter. Get them here:
Controller: http://www.gearbest.com/other-accessories/pp_4632...
Motor: http://www.gearbest.com/rc-car-parts/pp_562940.ht...
Switch: http://www.gearbest.com/other-car-gadgets/pp_5759...
Jack adapter: http://www.gearbest.com/diy-parts-components/pp_5...
Adapter: http://www.gearbest.com/led-strips/pp_18066.html?...
3D printer: http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-ki...
See picture #5 for placement of the electronic components. I carved them out using a dremel tool, and remember to wear a protective mask when carving wood! The last picture shows the components successfully installed.
Step 5: Build #4 - Installation
Once the necessary spaces for the components has been made I glued the back, front and upper parts to the construction. With the container fully assembled I gave it a paint job using spray paint. Once the paint was dry I fit all the components in each space.
Step 6: Build #5 - Rotary Mechanism
In order to make the bottle spin we need a second electric motor, a 245mm long wooden dowel (diameter does not matter, though I used 15mm), a ring that the shaft will rest on.
I made a ring from two pieces of the same material the container is made of. I then drilled out a hole for the motor shaft to fit through. I also made a hole in of the ends of the wooden dowel, slightly smaller than the shaft of the motor. With the ring glued on the inside of the container the wooden dowel can be pushed onto the motor shaft.
The final step before the electrical connections is to attached the PVC tube to the water pump and the upper part of the container, as shown in picture #4.
Step 7: Build #6 - Electrical Connections
The final step before we can use the cooler is to make the electrical connections. I used 22AWG wire to connect the jack adapter to the switch and positive terminal of the controller board. The black wire from the jack adapter should be soldered to the middle pin of the switch. With a second black wire, solder one end to the top pin of the switch and the other end to the negative terminal of the controller board.
I then soldered the motor leads and even added some wire mesh guard to make it look nice. I joined the two black wires from the motors and connected them to the negativ motor terminal of the controller board. I did the same for the red wires.
This is totally optional, but will add a certain "coolness" appeal to your machine, 3D printed on and off signs. The absolutely final step was to plug in the power. Now we are done and can test it out!
Step 8: It Does Work!
With two drinks of the same initial temperature of around 17.5°C, one was put into the cooling machine and the other one was placed in the ice bath. As you can see the ice has almost melted, making the temperature of the water in both containers absolutely freezing.
Going for 60 seconds.....
Cooling machine: 9,8°C
Ice bath: 16°C
I did anticipate a significant temperature difference, but in just 60 seconds the cooling machine dropped the temperature from 17.5°C all the way down to 9.8°C. That's amazing results in my opinion!
If you did enjoy this project and would like to see more, check out my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/RcLifeOnSimon