-- A Guide
To Peltiers
-- 1.13.2001
-- By: Winterstick
Warning:
Using a peltier can be dangerous if done incorrectly, and I
will not be held responsible if you damage anything in your
computer.
Before we show you how to add one of these bad boys into your
system, we are going to educate you about peltiers.
How they work, how to choose the right size, and what you
need to have to have one running on your system, along with some
other goodies…
The Theory Behind Peltiers:
French physicist Jean-Charles-Athanase Peltier first discovered the
peltier effect in 1834, when he connect two pieces of copper wire to
a length of bismuth wire to a battery.
Peltier noticed were the current passed from the copper to
the bismuth the temperature increased, and were the current passed
from the bismuth to the copper the temperature decreased.
This effect is called the Peltier effect and is the principle
that all peltiers work off of…
This effect is amplified when two different semi-conductors
are used.
How a peltier works:
It is simply a “heat pump” that pumps heat from one side to the
other when an electrical current is applied to the peltier.
A peltier itself is made up of paired up p- and n- type
semi-conductors wired in series that are sandwiched between two
ceramic plates.
As an electrical current is applied to the peltier one side
gets very cold while the other side gets extremely hot.
It is not uncommon that there will be a 65şC difference
between the hot side and the cold side of any peltier without a
load.
So what does this mean for us
overclockers? Well it
means you can finally go after that gigahertz machine that you
always wanted to have. It also means a lower operating temp, which also increases
your CPU’s life span so you can have your gigahertz machine
longer.
How to Power a Peltier:
Not only will your chip now
consume more power when you overclock it but now you have a peltier
leaching off your power supply as well.
Chances are that your peltier will consume 60+ watts
(depending on how big your peltier is, take the wattage rating of
the peltier is how much power you peltier consumes.) out of you
power supply so if you have a 300 watt power supply, your out of
luck as soon as you kick on your peltier you will probably
experiencing brown outs. “So
no problem” you say “I’ll just slap in an old AT power supply
that I just have lying around”.
Sorry that won’t work either.
Peltiers require a power supply that can supply at least 14
amps at 12 volts to work efficiently; most AT power supplies won’t
supply the required 14 amps at 12 volts.
So what do you have to do now?
Get another power supply, there a lot for sale on the
internet that will provide the need 14+ amps at 12 volts, hell
I’ve seen an AT power supply that can supply a whopping 24 amps at
12 volts!!!
Note:
I am currently powering a 72 watt peltier with my 400 watt power
supply that produces 15 amps @ 12volts with no problems what so
ever.
So
how big of a peltier do I need? >
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