using rechargeable batteries, a 1u cpu-fan, a 118w peltier cooler, a cold-plate and some pretty hacked up pc parts, you too can make a beer cooler and keep that brew in the sun. not that you’d really go outside that much if your hobby was hacking up pcs to make coolers, i haven’t been outside in weeks.
What a waste of AS5! Arctic Silver 5 deserves more then that. Like being placed on non-lapped stock heatsinks.
Being a good idea and all, I would not have the patience to build that because I would have drank all the beer before the cooling device was finished. When it comes to beer … it does not last to long after leaving the fridge
Outside is way over-rated. ;-)
Dammit, very nice hack. I wonder if I can make a coffee heater if I wire it reversed, by the way…
My only complaint is that I find it hard to trust a man who can’t drink his beer fast enough to keep it from getting warm. Ok, maybe it wasn’t your first.
whatever happened to drinking stout beer at room temperature?
My industry project in senior year of college involved peltier junctions. This was one of the cooler applications we’d researched. Drawback is that the junctions are quite expensive, especially single high-wattage modules like this.
Very cool.
hmm. bumbag and a gelcell plus this.
portable, cold, beer. what more could you want?
118 watts? refrigerators run at around 70-80 watts, and they hold more beer.
“What a waste of AS5! Arctic Silver 5 deserves more then that. Like being placed on non-lapped stock heatsinks.”
It might be a waste to use it in this way, but it really excels at being placed on non-lapped stock heatsinks. AS5 actually conducts better on unlapped heatsinks. The grooves in the sink provide more surface area for the heat to transfer through, and cooling is more effective than on a lapped heatsink, which has much less surface area.
well he is using it for guinness.. ever tried to pound back a guinness? u’ll choke to death on the foam before you even get a drop of beer..
and besides.. u dont pound back good beers.. u sip them and taste they’re bouquets..
I hate to bitch this thing into oblivion, but I just can’t help myself. It’s a fine idea, but…
Number one, batteries under heavy load get warm. Wrapping the cells around the thing you’re trying to cool with their power is dumb. Wrapping the cells in black tape and then putting them in the sun does not help the situation.
Number two, the thermal sensor stuck directly to the copper plate on the peltier is hardly an accurate measure of the temperature of the beer that’s a quarter inch of glass away. The sensor should be inside the glass, near the top where the sippin’ happens.
Number three, the thermal coupling of the beer to the peltier is incredibly weak. That could be improved easily by covering the top copper plate with a large pad of that soft thermally conductive stuff, whatever it’s called. It’s commonly used to couple ICs to nearby metal in consumer junk with hot chips (CDROMS, etc.). In any case, that still sucks. Ultimately, you’d want some kind of exchanger that actually dips into the beer, like heat pipes or circulating fluid or something. It would look cooler, too.
Number four (omfg is he still griping? yes.), using an ATX power supply to power this thing is a lot like using a surgeon’s scalpel for cutting out coupons.
(and there is no “cold side” or “hot side” on a peltier. reversing the applied current will reverse the heat transfer. so, with some simple wiring changes, this thing could also keep hot drinks hot at the flip of a switch.)
I just came back from a vacation where my sister said someone should invent a way to keep beers cold in the sun. She’s a beach goddess so this would be a great thing for her and her friends. Great project, I just ordered a Peltier from goldmine electronics along with lithium ion batteries and will build my sister a improved version.
Awesome!! love this. going to build one for desk useing old PS and install a switch for coffee or caned beer. the can will be the conductor. (GF just told me she wants one for her desk.) every thing can be improved. its the proto-typ thats the innovation. Good job!!
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Very Very nice i might have to try this. Well to cool coke i am underage and don’t drink haha dam i wish i could say that with a straight face to people. Another good hack as always. might have to build one this weekend