Manyak

How about you just take apart an old fridge or A/C and use its parts? It cools the air and it's temperature controlled.

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twigss

An aquarium chiller still needs to change the cool water to cool air, which only replaces the Peltier ($30), PSU (free to $30) and hot side heatsink ($10-20) - plus would need tubing and (for some models) a pump.

I looked into using an old fridge or A/C unit but those both work to dehumidify (I think a fridge does, I know an A/C unit will dehumidify) the air. Some of the plants will need higher humidity (I know TEC's operate better in lower humidity but they won't dehumidify the air themselves)

Edit: I might have found a lead in the thermostat department. The LUX Smart Temp Win100 has a temp probe on it that can be extended. This is a wall plug thermostat so it would outside the terrarium and only the probe would be inside. There is a whole thread about modifiying it for a similar use... don't have the link right now but I will find it later

Ultrasonic2 (muffy)

A TEC will dehumidify the air if the cold side is below dew point

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zipdogso

True...but the moisture won't actually leave the terrarium, it will run down the side back into the substrate and during the warmth of the day be re-adsorbed into the air. And the terrarium isn't sealed anyway so it will return to at least the humidity of the room.

Twigss...I don't think you will need to worry about the humidity too much you say they are from a mountainous region well as the temp drops the humidty dips a bit too because cold air cant support as much moisture that's why these places get dew every morning.Once your night time cooling turns off the terrarium will return at least to room ambient, if it should go lower than that. Then as it warms during the day humidity will rise again.


Since we are only looking for a 6ºC drop over night A/C is a little over the top.

Yes it would of been better to use coolant and rads (less than 0.1 C/W) but it is not a sealed enclosure. You just have to do the best you can with a nice thick Alu/Cu heatsink and some good speed fans. And it is not air to air ..it is one step TEC to air.

twigss

Ok, I have most of the parts in, but I need a hot and cold plate. I did some google-ing and found FrozenCPU has a 50mmx50mm cold plate for around $5, however, my TEC is 40x40 and that would leave 5mm (on each side) for mounting the plates together and mounting to the HSF's. I'm not sure this would be enough room.

I did see this post, http://www.overclock.net/legacy-sale...ec-plates.html
which looks perfect for my use, except they would cost $75 shipped. Does anyone know where I could find a bigger coldplate? Certainly 60x60mm would be fine, and bigger would be better in case I have to move up to a 50x50 peltier.

zipdogso

Try looking up a local copper merchant they will often cut copper plate to size.
That's all they are just a bit of copper plate. Surprisingly copper bends quite easy especially if you apply 150-300 p.s.i. that TEC's require. The plate must not bend at all otherwise you wont get proper contact in the middle of the TEC. Generally you need to use at least 5mm thick plate. The hot plate can be useful for storing the heat till your method of cooling is able to retrieve it so it wont hurt if the hotplate is made from 10mm plate but it is generally not considered worth getting it any thicker. I sometimes use 12mm but that's because it is all I have laying around. BUT stick to 5mm for the coldplate.

Ultrasonic2 (muffy)

You can't just use a bit of cut down copper bar Because they aren't anywhere near flat .. they have to be perfectly flat other wise they will brake the TEC and not conduct heat well so thye have to be machined perfectly flat.

As you know i make the plates for 50 ish im happy not to sell any at that price cos it's really not worth it for me. cos 50 bucks is almost giving them away. It's totally not worth it thats for sure. people think it's just some copper it can't cost that much but it adds up very quickly and copper 12.7mm thick is expensive.

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ira-k

You can lap down a piece of C110 flat bar to make a cold plate if you would like. You can find it on eBay pretty cheap at times, just be sure to get C110, or some rate it as "Class 1", it's almost pure and has good thermal transfer, easier to work also.

Flat bar will usually have a little cup on one side and it's a little convex on the other, I just file that down a little with a smooth mill file before I start lapping, to save some time. If you have a piece of plate glass to lap on it will come out a lot smoother then if you use plain window glass.

It's easier to just buy one already made but it's really no big deal to make your own.

This one is 1/2" copper plate and it's made to be a integrated cold plate, it bolts to my block, you'll probably just want to use a loose 1/4" cold plate if you don't have a metal block. Thicker cold plates will help a little bit with temp swings, but it will cost you a couple of C to. More pic's here...+++Stinger V-8 Pelt Block

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Ultrasonic2 (muffy)

ah yeah i guess if it's only a 50x50mm TEC then you only need a cold plate !

Though he should have the more powerful 62mm TEC

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zipdogso

OK Guys...you've really gone to town on me for this......

The copper plate I bought was pretty good and did not need much lapping it was high quality copper an engineering firm bought and it was good stuff, very square cut and very flat...Ok you won't get it everywhere I digress...but simply put it just a piece of copper plate with finished edges and lapping.

I do appreciate the tolerances Melcor state for flatness to be frank Ultra even your machine wont match that.... I doubt it anyway....

That's my 2 cents....