Posted by:
Upscale
at Thu Jul 24 10:14:37 2008 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Upscale ]
I'm experimenting with a thermoelectric (Peltier) chip to provide a cool spot in a cage. I'm hoping to hear from others that are thinking along these lines so we can compare notes and maybe come up with something practicle and useful.
This is the Peltier chip and heat sink as it came from Carl’s electronics, and the big piece of aluminum I am using for the cold sink.
This shows the cold sink with a piece of stick on tile used as insulation, this side will be bolted to the wooden shelf.
The chip assembly gets coated with thermal grease. The holes are metric. The cold sink will be under the shelf, the chip goes through a hole cut in the shelf and the heat sink and fan will be above the shelf.
This is view from below, with cold sink bolted in place. The shelf is in a corner of the cage.
This is the shelf installed with the Peltier and fan assembly bolted on. The big hole in the corner of the cage is to vent the heat.
This is the view from the back of the cage.
This shows with the cover screwed in place. You can see the cold sink underneath.
This is my set up with two electronic thermometers, one probe under the cold sink, the other at the other side of the cage.
Showing the thermal gradient expressed after just a few minutes. Good six degrees very easily.
The vent box along the top uses ventilated metal used for soffets, it’s six inches wide. There’s .75 inch area inside for air to vent through a round hole at the left end. I’m using a bathroom vent fan mounted above that air chamber, vents out the back of the cage. The rest of the space provides a place to conceal the wall warts that run the chip, and the small 12 volt fan.
This is the main vent fan
This shows the back, the small chip fan in the corner, the space for the wall warts and the other end has the exhaust fan. The vent in the back is for incoming air.
From the front, obviously. The plastic door track you see at the bottom is just set there, I still haven’t decided what door system to use, rollers or whatever. This was mainly to experiment with the thermal gradient possibilities. So far it is very promising, but I’d have to run it a few weeks before I would actually put something in this thing.
Hope this inspires more experimenting and we come up with something that provides better maintenance for our little snakes!
Thanks for looking, and all the contributions that inspire.
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 Peltier cooler for temp gradient (long) - Upscale, Thu Jul 24 10:14:37 2008
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