DIY air conditioner based on Peltier elements
This is a full-fledged and real air conditioner, unlike those that are given in large quantities on the Internet. There are no bottles of ice water, nor ice itself. And the principle of operation is quite similar to household models. I will say more that earlier, similar air conditioners with low-voltage power supply based on Peltier elements were used on trucks.
If you are not familiar with this element, I highly recommend taking a closer look. In a nutshell, this is a thermoelectric module. It looks square, flat, with two wires coming out. When voltage is applied to which, one side of the module begins to heat up and the other to cool, and in direct proportion.
The cooler device, which will be discussed below, is based on this principle.
This is from the main one, see the text for other details and tools.
We will have a fairly powerful model, consisting of 6 elements, each 40x40 in size. For them, you need to select two massive radiators to compress the elements on both sides. I will use one large and two small ones.
This is roughly what they will look like when combined.
You need to cut a rectangle out of chipboard.
In which to make another rectangle for two radiators so that they fit tightly into it.
On the back side.
This will be a dividing barrier - the cold side from the hot side.
To prevent radiators from slipping into the hole, you need to glue two strips of aluminum profile to the side. Buying it is not difficult at a hardware store.
We dilute two-component glue based on epoxy resin (cold welding). And first we glue two radiators together, and then we glue the profile pieces to them.
We also glue the profile to the large radiator. This is what it looks like. The sides of the profile on both sides should be approximately in the same plane.
We drill this sandwich right through: two strips on both sides along with chipboard.
Next, lubricate the radiators with heat-conducting paste and install the elements in a row. We do not confuse the sides; all modules must face the bottom.
We cover them on top with a new layer of heat-conducting paste.
And press it with the second radiator. We carefully tighten everything with screws and nuts.
The result is this design with 12 pins.
For ease of connection we use a terminal block.
As you may have noticed - three-pin. And all the modules in it are connected in common to the lower bus. And with red leads there are 3 elements to the top contact, and the other three to the middle one. This division was made specifically for our computer power supply, which has two 12 V buses and is in no way necessary.
We drill a hole in the chipboard for the wire and connect it to the block.
We will screw fans to the radiators on both sides.
On the power supply unit, the negative wires and positive wires are also collected together in two channels.
We also connect to the output through the connecting block.
Everything is almost ready.
To start the block, in our case, it is necessary to short-circuit the switch outputs with a jumper.
An air conditioner can be installed in any window. To do this, such a bracket is made from a shaped aluminum profile.
Which will clearly rest on the doors and prevent the entire structure from falling out.
To close the gap not to the closed window, a strip of polycarbonate or other plastic is cut along the width of the air conditioner. And is inserted into the window groove.
We press the entire structure with the equalizer.
As you can see, I have a sliding window, but you will have to come up with your own mounting design.
The main thing is that one side of the device is on the street, and the other at home. And there was no draft through the cracks.
The air conditioner is quite powerful; after all, 6 Peltier modules are used. The entire electrical power was 360 W, which is not small. Although it cannot be compared with a heat pump due to its very low efficiency. But even this model is enough to cool a small room.
Here is the result when running for the first time: the initial room temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.
After about an hour of work, the temperature dropped to 20 degrees, which is, in my opinion, an excellent result!
If you are not familiar with this element, I highly recommend taking a closer look. In a nutshell, this is a thermoelectric module. It looks square, flat, with two wires coming out. When voltage is applied to which, one side of the module begins to heat up and the other to cool, and in direct proportion.
The cooler device, which will be discussed below, is based on this principle.
Will need
- Peltier elements - 6 pieces. Model TEC1-12705 designed for 12 V and 60 W, you can buy it here - AliExpress.
- A power supply from a computer or any other with 12 V and a power of at least 400 W, you can buy here - AliExpress.
- Wires 2.5 sq. mm. - a couple of meters.
This is from the main one, see the text for other details and tools.
Manufacturing an air conditioner using Peltier elements
We will have a fairly powerful model, consisting of 6 elements, each 40x40 in size. For them, you need to select two massive radiators to compress the elements on both sides. I will use one large and two small ones.
This is roughly what they will look like when combined.
You need to cut a rectangle out of chipboard.
In which to make another rectangle for two radiators so that they fit tightly into it.
On the back side.
This will be a dividing barrier - the cold side from the hot side.
To prevent radiators from slipping into the hole, you need to glue two strips of aluminum profile to the side. Buying it is not difficult at a hardware store.
We dilute two-component glue based on epoxy resin (cold welding). And first we glue two radiators together, and then we glue the profile pieces to them.
We also glue the profile to the large radiator. This is what it looks like. The sides of the profile on both sides should be approximately in the same plane.
We drill this sandwich right through: two strips on both sides along with chipboard.
Next, lubricate the radiators with heat-conducting paste and install the elements in a row. We do not confuse the sides; all modules must face the bottom.
We cover them on top with a new layer of heat-conducting paste.
And press it with the second radiator. We carefully tighten everything with screws and nuts.
The result is this design with 12 pins.
For ease of connection we use a terminal block.
As you may have noticed - three-pin. And all the modules in it are connected in common to the lower bus. And with red leads there are 3 elements to the top contact, and the other three to the middle one. This division was made specifically for our computer power supply, which has two 12 V buses and is in no way necessary.
We drill a hole in the chipboard for the wire and connect it to the block.
We will screw fans to the radiators on both sides.
On the power supply unit, the negative wires and positive wires are also collected together in two channels.
We also connect to the output through the connecting block.
Everything is almost ready.
To start the block, in our case, it is necessary to short-circuit the switch outputs with a jumper.
Air conditioner installation
An air conditioner can be installed in any window. To do this, such a bracket is made from a shaped aluminum profile.
Which will clearly rest on the doors and prevent the entire structure from falling out.
To close the gap not to the closed window, a strip of polycarbonate or other plastic is cut along the width of the air conditioner. And is inserted into the window groove.
We press the entire structure with the equalizer.
As you can see, I have a sliding window, but you will have to come up with your own mounting design.
The main thing is that one side of the device is on the street, and the other at home. And there was no draft through the cracks.
Result of work
The air conditioner is quite powerful; after all, 6 Peltier modules are used. The entire electrical power was 360 W, which is not small. Although it cannot be compared with a heat pump due to its very low efficiency. But even this model is enough to cool a small room.
Here is the result when running for the first time: the initial room temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.
After about an hour of work, the temperature dropped to 20 degrees, which is, in my opinion, an excellent result!
Watch the video
Similar master classes
Particularly interesting
Comments (6)
