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TEC1-12706 12V 60W Thermoelectric Cooler Peltier Plate Module
This TEC1-12706 60W 12V Peltier thermoelectric cooler is perfect for applications requiring heating or cooling such as small DIY refrigerators, custom drink heaters/coolers, and electronic component and device chillers or heaters.
TECs work very well as long as you remove the heat from the hot side. After turning on the device, the hot side will heat quickly, and the cold side will cool quickly. If you do not remove the heat from the hot side with a heat sink or other cooling device, the Peltier will quickly reach equilibrium and will no longer cool.
WARNING: The hot side of this TEC must be mounted to an air-cooled heat sink or water-cooled plate before use. Do not apply power to it before mounting it to a heatsink. Failure to do so may damage the device and will present a burning hazard (the heating side will get very hot, quickly).
TEC Mounting and Heatsinking
A Thermoelectric (Peltier) cooler is not a heat absorber that magically removes heat. It is a heat pump that moves heat from the “cold” side of the device (the side with the lettering) to the “hot” side (the blank side) when electric power is applied to the module. To complete the thermal system, the hot side of the TEC must be attached to a suitable heat sink that is capable of dissipating both the heat pumped by the module and the heat created as a result of supplying electrical power to the module.
Heatsink Considerations
Whether you use an air-cooled heatsink or a water-cooled plate, it must be capable of dissipating the power generated by the device. At full power, this can be up to 60 Watts. People often underestimate the size of the heatsink required. for example, below is a photo of a heatsink capable of dissipating several 10s of Watts with strong forced-air cooling:
Mounting the TEC to the Heatsink
There are two methods of mounting thermoelectric modules:
The Compression Method, in which the TEC is sandwiched between an air-cooled heatsink or water-cooled plate and a cold plate using a thermal interface material such as thermal grease or thermal sheets. See the drawing below for an example of a typical compression-style mount.
Adhesive Bonding Method using a thermally conductive adhesive such as thermally-conductive epoxy.
TEC Operating Considerations
Do not apply power to the TEC unless it is mounted to an adequate heatsink!
When first using the device, limit the voltage and/or current while monitoring the TEC’s temperature. If the heatsink gets hot to the touch, or the “cold” side stops cooling and gets hot, immediately reduce the input power, and/or increase the device’s cooling by providing airflow across the heatsink or by using a larger one.
The maximum power (voltage x current) applied to this device must not exceed 60 Watts, and at this power level will require a large air- or water-cooled heatsink capable of dissipating >60W in order to remove the heat from the device.
TEC1-12706 Thermoelectric Cooler Specifications
Model: TEC1-12706
Size: 40mm x 40mm x 4mm
Working current: Typically 3-4 A (rated 12V); Imax: 6A
Rated voltage: 12V DC, Vmax: 15V
Operates from 0~15V DC and 0~6A at up to 60W maximum power (requires adequate heatsinking)
Operating Temperature: -30℃ to 70℃
Maximum Power Consumption: 60 Watts
Refrigeration Power Qcmax: ~50W
Fitted with 12-inch (approx.) insulated leads
The side with lettering is the cooling side, and the blank side is the heating side.
References
TEC Installation Instructions: https://www.electracool.com/install.htm
Experiments with a Peltier Cooling Device from DroneBot Workshop on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X123rMAJuM (Go to 14:30 for an example of using the TEC with an air-cooled heatsink)
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