Cooling

Many people use thermoelectric modules, commonly called Peltier modules, to make small things colder.

(Compressor-based air conditioners and refrigerators and freezers are often more practical for cooling larger things).

Both radio and optical astronomy seems to work better when the receiver is cold.

• "Open Source Thermal Cycler" Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) uses the Peltier for both heating *and* cooling.[1][2]

[3] [4] [5]

• "Smart Dew-Point Water Harvester".

• Open Source Peltier Fridge Project: [6]; [7]; [8]; [9].

[10] [11]

• Another Peltier fridge project: "How to build your own dirt cheap fridge" ("My most important consideration is that it can be service-able by me") [12]

• "Open source DIY Thermoelectric cooler and Fan controller"

• "DIY PROGRAMABLE WATER BATH"

When a Peltier element is attached to a voltage source, it pumps heat energy from one side to the other, making one side colder and one side hotter. In principle you could use a Peltier element just for heating ( see [13] )

• "Arduino Controlled Cooling/Heating System for Beer Fermentation"
• "BrewPi"

• "How to use a Peltier with Arduino"
• "Make Your Own Temperature Controller with an Arduino"

Typically Peltier projects use a 1-wire digital thermometer or a thermistor to measure the temperature at the important parts, and

FIXME: maybe say a few more words about heatsinks, such as the (open-source?) PowerPeg Thermal Management System ?

• Yang Zhang and James Ashe. Analog Devices. "Designing a High Performance TEC Controller".
• Maxim. "APPLICATION NOTE 3318: How to Control and Compensate a Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC)".
• "Peltier" questions.
• "cooling" questions.
• Jim Williams. "Application Note 89: A Thermoelectric Cooler Temperature Controller for Fiber Optic Lasers Climatic Pampering for Temperamental Lasers".
• "The big TEC driver thread!".
• "W's simple high power PWM TEC controller".