Can I connect a peltier off of an ATX computer PS?

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H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
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I have this old 200 W ATX power supply that i used on some old computer.
I wonder if I can use it to power my peltier. If so, where do I connect the little wires to?
Any engineers in here can enlighten me pls?

thank you
 
G

GoldMember

Banned
Jan 13, 2002
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Sammo, most likely you won't be able too.. If your PSU was 350w or 400w.. then you probably could.. but it also depends on your peltier.. what watt is it? as in.. 52w? 80w? 122w? 152w? 172w?

You get the idea..

Most likely if it's above.. I believe 80w you won't be able too.. REMEMBER.. ANY PC POWER SUPPLY can only put out a MAX of 12VDC (12V) .. So if your peltier requires 15vdc to run properly.. then you won't be able to do it. You can do it.. yes. but you won't get the full potential from your peltier.

 
H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
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I want to install a 125 W peltier.
I see.
Then, what kind of power supply should I use? And what specifications should I ask for when I buy one?
Do you guys know what store i could buy it from. I mean a local electronic store. I dont want to order it online.

Thx a lot for the help
 
H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
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something else....
do you guys know where i could get a cold plate smaller than 1/4"?
dangerden sells only 1/4" size
i will cool the pelt with my present water cooling apparatus and i read that thinner is better
also, do you guys use special clamping inbetween pelt and water block? i read it has to be much tighter between pelt and waterblock than pelt+waterblock combo and cpu

thx
 
H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
214
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I read through the articles you gave me but I still dont know which power supply to get. PLs help
I lost the specs papers.
I dont remember whether it is a 80 W or a 125 W, even though I think it is 125 W.
I have to buy a power supply for it, but I odnt know what voltage it requires, and what current. I went to radio shack and they have 12VDC power supplies with 3 amps and with 10 amps. Are any of these enough, or I should get higher voltage?
Pls advice me on what power supply I should get.

Thank you

 
M

MrThompson

Senior member
Jun 24, 2001
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Without knowing the voltage and current specs for your pelt, there is no way to make a recommendation. Take a look here. Compare the dimensions of your pelt to the specs on the list. This may help determine what pelt you have. Also, where you bought the pelt would be helpfull.
 
M

MrThompson

Senior member
Jun 24, 2001
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<< Would a 400W Sparkle supply 220W Peltier without limiting it? >>



Sorry but the answer is no. Take a look at the specs for the pelt. Even running off the 12 volt line with limited performance the pelt is going to require close to 20 amps. The Sparkle can only provide 12 amps.

Specs:
Qmax = 220w
Vmax = 15.1v
Imax = 23.8A
Delta = 68c
 
H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
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ok, after lookign at the measurements i think its 120 W. I think i remember now. What voltage/amperage powersupply should I buy for this peltier?
and just in cse its a 80 W, would it burn or someting, if i plug it into the powersupply for the 120 W?

thx
 
H

h2sammo

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
214
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oooooooooooooh, sorry, im not good with physics and voltages and stuff like this. i canbarely understand ohm's law.
the table sais Vmax and Imax for a 120 W are 24.6 V and 7.9 A. Are these the voltag/current it works at? So I would have to buy a 28VDC powersupply with 10 A current?

and also, the second question still stands for me......:
just in cse its a 80 W, would it burn or someting, if i plug it into the powersupply for the 120 W?

thx
 
M

MassiveUnit

Member
Apr 14, 2002
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Those are the maximum ratings for your pelt, you want to run it at a lower voltage and amperage than that because it will last longer and will be slightly more efficient, i suggest getting a 24V power supply at somewhere around 10 amps (because then you won't be running your power supply at full tilt the entire time your computer is on; it won't do it any good if it is). If it happens to be 80 or even lower, it makes absolutely no difference to the power supply. The pelt will take as much power as it needs from the power supply, if it is lower, that just means that the power supply won't be 100% utilized, which is not a bad thing. Where you run into trouble is when you are drawing more power than the power supply can provide, which will blow that nice little fuse in the back of your ps.
 
M

MrThompson

Senior member
Jun 24, 2001
820
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Most 28 volt PSUs can be dialed down to 22 volts with an internal trimmer, so this would work fine with a 120 watt pelt. The sweet spot for pelt voltage is different for each application. The Kryotherm software can help you play with this although real world results may vary a bit.

If the 80 watt pelt is an ICE-71 with a 15.1 volt maximum, a 28 volt PSU will smoke it very quickly.
 
G

GoldMember

Banned
Jan 13, 2002
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Not pelt on the market is going to take 20amps.. 20volts.. yes.. not 20amps.. my 172w pelt takes 24vdc @ 12.5amp.. that's a very realestic number.

Your PC power supply can only supply 12VDC.. that's like at 15amps.. You got the amps.. just not the volts. I can snag you a 24vdc @ 12.5amp PSU for round 80 bucks.. I'd have to ship it to you though.. I use one.. works great for my 172w pelt. Goes from 24vdc to 18vdc.
 
M

MrThompson

Senior member
Jun 24, 2001
820
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The PSU from Jameco will work for the 120 watt pelt but the voltage will fry an 80 watt pelt. A cheaper alternative would be to look on Ebay or take up GoldMember on his offer. I like the extra voltage adjustment on the PSU GoldMember mentioned. I believe the Jameco one will only go down to 22 volts.
 
G

GoldMember

Banned
Jan 13, 2002
454
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Well, Thompson.. that's fricken amazing.. 20amps.. well :)

Anyway those are power suckers and I wouldn't waste my money on them. The vapochill system would be better off in the long run.. first off less electricity use.. and better. Now, MassiveUnit is wrong..

Peltiers are designed to run at their max ratings for 20 years of continual use. When you get your peltier.. run it at the max.. with the PC on.. Since you will be buying my PSU.. you can do this.. I did the exact same thing:

With your PC on and OC'd to your final settings

Use a small screw drivers to turn the voltage screw down.. use a multimeter to watch the voltage fall.. Start off at the max rating of your peltier and go down .. see if your CPU gets hotter or colder.. turn it down a little bit and let it sit.. just watch the temp if it starts to go up a whole lot.. then turn the voltage on the PSU back up.. I found out that running mine at 24v @ 12.5amp was the best. I read that this dude was using a 172w peltier.. same kind as me.. he got better temps at a lower voltage.. at 18v ... I found this to be wrong for me. It all depends. Besides.. run it at full power .. I mean all the PSU is going to do is use a resistor to joke the extra energy.. which just creates heat in the PSU.. Still uses the same amount of AC electric though.. so you aren't saving on your electric bill.. that extra energy just turns into heat. Another thing I'd recommend is to use a real quiet fan.. and set it on top of the PSU.. to get the heat out.. the cooler you can keep the PSU the longer it will last. I used a really quiet 80mm PSU fan and sat it on top of the peltier PSU.. kept the air flow going and it was really quiet fan so it didn't bother me.
 
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