Peltier Modules - Testing the 12708 and 12712
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2020
- In today's video I will be testing Peltier Modules. Also known as Thermo Electric Coolers (or TEC for short) these are fun little components that can be used for cooling or heating by using the Peltier Effect, which is when a surface of the module gets hot, while the other gets cold and vice versa, when current flows through it's different semiconductors internally.
Today I will be testing 2 different models which are larger in cooling and heating capacity then the more common modules.
These are the 12708 and the 12712 and will be powered with 12V DC using an old computer ATX power supply. These models are capable of using 8 Amp and 12 Amp currents respectively, which equal to 96Watts and 144Watts of cooling / heating power respectively.
The question is... Is bigger really better? Let’s find out!
Let me know what you think of this video in the comments below and if you like this video, please consider subscribing to my channel for more great Techo projects!
"ATX Power Supplies - Preparing and testing for use" video link:
• ATX Power Supplies - P... - Věda a technologie
I have watched countless videos and study in-depth mathematics on the TEC modules before commenting:
the 12708 is rated to have a delta T of 66°C base on the specification , so if your initial starting temp is 30°C room temp, you should get about -30°C give or take (Other youtubers have done it) , the reason why you temperature hover close to 0°C is because your heatsink is not large enough to be dumping enough heat out, also aluminum heat sink is not covering the entire 4cm x 4cm TEC (if you want good results, you should cover it 100% if possible).
Do try water cooling through a copper water block (might be pricy, but worth) , it will surly give you good results.
so I have a TEC-12712 hooked up to 12V. There is no heat load on the cold side and the heat on the hot side is dissipated by a large 6 heatpipe 120mm fan CPU air cooler. The power supply is able to provide 13A of current at 12V. The element is only drawing about 6.3A max. Is this to be expected or am I doing something wrong?
The theoretical max is 12A for the 12712 and the current used might differ from module to module, and there will be some current drop when under load, so I do not think you are doing anything wrong, however I would check if the supply is really giving you the full 13A, maybe even try another module if you have it. Also these modules are capable of up to 15VDC, in which case will use more current and in return should perform better too, at the cost of more Watts of course. What temps are you achieving on the cold side at the moment?
@@ThatTechoGuy thanks for your reply. unfortunately, I am unable to take a measurement, but there is some ice forming on the cold side so it is sub-zero or very close (my ambient is 24C/55% humidity)
The power supply is definately delivering what it's asked by the peltier. It's a modified PCIe 6-2 pin, so there is plenty of headroom.
What confuses me is the fact that with 12V which is 80% of max rated Voltage input, power draw is only at 50% of its max. Maybe I am understanding something fundamentally wrong in the function of the element?
@@desaster00 I do not think you are doing anything wrong. The only thing I can think of is maybe a faulty module that might have some couples/junctions that are damaged and therefore cannot use the maximum. These modules have 127 of those. Thats why I asked what temps you are getting as heat dissipation sounds like it is sufficient. On mine I don't get some ice but quite a bit of it. See my video on the mini fridge I built, I was getting even -9 Celsius there and the ice is very evident, although I did have insulation too. If you have another module try running that and measuring again.
@@ThatTechoGuy much appreciated, thank you. do you maybe have a comparison for V/A from one of your modules?
Do you have the cooling fan connected with the hot side blowing into or away from the heat sink?
Fans on the hotside heatsink are extracting the heat away from the heatsink, so away from it. I think that's more effective.
@@ThatTechoGuy Thanks.
@@ThatTechoGuy I've set up a Peltier based aquarium cooling system, which is situated atop the aquarium. It comprises two Peltier modules (7amps and 12 amps) whose cold side faces downward and is pressed against a water block connected with tubes to a pump in the aquarium. The pump circulates water into the chilled water block and back into the aquarium. The upwards-facing hot sides of the peltiers are in contact with another pair of water blocks that connect to an external water chamber with a pump. The pump circulates water in and out of the hot water blocks and back to the external chamber. The hot water blocks have additional cooling fans and a large heat sink connected to them. The whole system is connected to a thermostatic temperature controller that fluctuates but doesn't show a decrease in aquarium water temperature. The system runs on 12 volts and power supply is adequate at 35 amps from a power source (but I haven't checked its amperage to make sure).
The aquarium capacity is 25 gallons (94 litres).
With the above set-up, I notice that the water going to the external chamber gets pretty warm within 15-25 minutes, but the aquarium water doesn't seem to get any colder.
Some questions: a) Should I replace the low-amp Peltier? b) Use more Peltiers of 12amps each
Hi sir namaste 🙏
Your video is very helpful for me because I am also interested to make the project ,sir if you don't mine please tell me which is best 12706 or 12715
Hi thanks a lot! 12715 will cool/heat better than a 12706. 1x 12715 requires 15Amps meaning a power consumption of 180watts (12volts x 15amps). The last 2 digits are always the amps, so the higher that number the more powerful. Goodluck!
Thanks for your kindly respond sir 😍
Squeezing a blob of compound and then letting the heat sink sit there is not efficient at all...and there is zero insulation between the two sides...
The Preasure on the Peltier Element is crucial! This test is nonsens ! You could get even 10°C lower by better contact!
The test is real and these are true genuine results not nonsense!
However yes I agree that better contact will get lower temperatures but it's all about heat dissipation and surface area too not just contact!
Gettung the heat away faster will yield the best results.
@@ThatTechoGuy it's nonsense because the contact between this two elements ist different ! And it makes a huge impact ! Your mesurment ist crap! A differents of 0,2mm of thermal paste makes a different of 3-5°C ! What the hack do you measure ???
@@Pleusch maybe you can make a video yourself and enlighten us then if mine is crap!