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$5 Mini USB Fridge!

by babblin5 on November 28, 2007 Table of Contents intro: $5 Mini USB Fridge! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Taking out the Peltier/Heatsink Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: The Peltier unit and Clean Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Attch a USB Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Building the Fridge! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Final Assembly and Extra Touches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: The Final Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: Tricking it out! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Magazine Special Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

intro: $5 Mini USB Fridge!

Video

Now that we're seeing those 12 volt camper coolers turning up at garage sales and thrift stores (I found one for $2.50), here's a neat little idea for turning it into a customizable mini-fridge powered by a USB port!

step 1: Taking out the Peltier/Heatsink Unit

You'll basically just need a phillips head screwdriver and thin socket or needlenose pliers to take apart the heatsink and fans, which will allow you to remove the unit from the cooler. Now, you might ask why you'd want to do this and not just use the cooler. The answer is because most of the time when you find one of these the case will be cracked and the cord is missing, but that's not a problem...

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

step 2: The Peltier unit and Clean Up

Sandwiched in between the heatsinks, you'll find the Peltier unit, which loks about the same size and thickness as a computer CPU. In between the top and bottom layer, you'll see the special substrates that have the unique properties that make the Peltier unit cool on one side while heating the other when an electrical current is applied. There will, in some cases, be spray foam insulation in between the two heatsinks, which is very easily broken away with just your fingers. You can safely remove the peltier unit from the other heatsink, as it will be held only by thermal compound. Once you've cleaned up the top and bottom heatsinks, place the peltier back in between the two heatsinks and retighten the bolts. If you have any thermal paste left over from putting together your own PC, you can optionally clean the old paste away and reapply new paste to each heatsink just as you would on a CPU heatsink/fan assembly before attaching it to a CPU.

step 3: Attch a USB Cable

Peltier units are designed to operate at a voltage between 3-12 volts, and the 5 volts from your USB port work just fine. Although the amperage could ideally be higher, the 500 mw output is acceptable. Cut away the end of an old USB cable (or pick up a cheapy) and strip back a couple of inches of the plastic covering. Inside you will find 4 wires, usually within a braided or thin aluminum shield. The wire colors will be white, green, red, and black. Trim back the white and green wires, strip off a small bit of the black and red wires, and solder them to the red and black wires of the peltier unit. Wrap with electrical tape or use heatshrink tubing. If you need information on correct soldering procedure or the use of heatshrink tubing, there are many excellent Instructables that will gve you all the information you need, simply do a search! Optionally, you can attach a 1K limiting resister in between the red and black wires, although you are quite safe at the voltage and mA to not really need one. Now, plug in your USB cable to a USB port on your PC, and within about 30 seconds you will be able to feel one heatsink become very cool while the other becomes warm. Note which heatsink becomes cool, as that's what we'll want to encase inside the mini fridge.

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

step 4: Building the Fridge!

I used foamboard because of its ease in cutting with an xacto knife and its insular properties, and basically built a box around the heatsink using a hot glue gun to attach the sides and top, and then ran a line of hot glue along the seams to ensure an airtight compartment. The bottom piece is cut into two halves, with a square section cut out in the center to make room for the peltier unit. I then glued the two halves to the underside of the cooling heatsink, then glued the left, back, and right sides of the fridge, and finally the top. See the diagram below:

step 5: Final Assembly and Extra Touches

I used white plastic tape to hinge the door, although you could certainly use small hinges from a hardware store and simply glue them into place with the door fit into the front for proper opening and closing. I glued small lengths of foamboard inside the fridge assembly and then glued cut pieces of a flexible refridgerator magnet on both the inside of the door and the foamboard lengths to make a magnetic "catch" to hold the door closed. I also threw in a battery powered White LED and used a leaf switch to turn the light on when the door was open. I ran the wiring of the leaf switch along the inside and through a small hole in the back to attach to the AA battery holder glued to the outside back of the fridge, then used white plastic tape along the wire run, attaching it to the interior side. For the handle I used a cheap hardware store drawer pull. As you can see by the door, I wanted this to look like a store "cooler" that you see for drinks, so I cut a window and hot glued a section of plexiglass in the window.

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

step 6: The Final Result

As you can see by the pictures, this cooler will hold a large bottled water, or a tall 20 oz plastic soda bottle, although my drink of choice is a Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino! The cooler will keep drinks at about 45-50 degrees and works best when your drink is already cold for obvious reasons. Optionally, you could use a 1 amp 7.5 volt DC adapter, which will lower the temperature significantly without making the lower heatsink too hot for placement on regular surfaces. In this instance, I would strongly recommend that you add the 1K limiting resistor in order to keep the DC adapter from becoming hot.

step 7: Tricking it out!

Video

Now, add graphics from your favorite game or website and make your mini-fridge a one of a kind creation. I printed out on a sheet of inkjet transparency film to create the see through graphics you see here. Have fun, and watch the video for the nice ending... ;)

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 305 comments
Aug 6, 2008. 9:45 AM REPLY

iideetee says:
Good instructable. Below is my fridge. It is not rdy yet, but working on it =)

blackcaboftucson says:

May 23, 2009. 8:54 AM REPLY http://www.myspace.com/blackcaboftucsonI really really like this, it would be perfect for my cab. I have a small area that connects to my trunk. I might add more peltier pads and a fan but it would be worth it. Awesome build.

bowmaster says:
DUDE!!! That version would be great for my lair!!! (I am building an underground lair)

Jan 28, 2009. 5:11 PM REPLY

OwinchO says:
Hi im trying to make a fridge like yours so could you make a instructanble

Jan 28, 2009. 4:29 PM REPLY

volquete says:
holy crap thats cool!

Nov 15, 2008. 10:33 AM REPLY

ironsmiter says:
PRETTY! how well does that plexi hold the cold?

Nov 14, 2008. 7:19 PM REPLY

Roflolommo says:
where do you live? i want to steal that.

Aug 18, 2008. 5:47 PM REPLY

pipe_girl says:
Okay, now that is just cool!! I hope you post more on it when complete.

Aug 6, 2008. 5:39 PM REPLY

Killa-X says:

Apr 16, 2009. 8:58 PM REPLY I need help my self. I got a peltier with a MAX 15v 9a (1.5 inches) and re power is my error. Y stereo transformer as 10v isn't enough amps at all. 20v is over the limits. But like not much amps at all, doesn't get as cold still. I only have a 5*3*3 inch heatsink. Thermal pasted it on, and have a 30CFM 24v blower fan on the heatsink running at 6v (lots of wind still). My 200W stereo transformer just gets hot. I'm direct connecting my peltier to a diode bridge for DC with filter capacitors. I lack a big amp power source!!!!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

SniperInTheDarkness says:

May 21, 2009. 9:24 PM REPLY go get a 250 watt computer power supply and then apply the atx bench supply mods and hook it up to the 12 volt leads yellow and black

HADJISTYLLIS says:
What devices have this peltier unit?

May 18, 2009. 4:57 AM REPLY

geemarc12 says:
im 13 years old but i cant seem to find a cooler

Mar 9, 2009. 7:39 AM REPLY

Killa-X says:

Apr 16, 2009. 8:45 PM REPLY If you don't mind spending money you go eBay. I got 2 peltiers off eBay for 16$ new. But then you got to buy thermal paste and a heatsink. I already had a mega heatsink from a stereo. I'm sure they got many minifridges off eBay. Should check!

podginater says:
why did you put your age it's completely irrelavant. I'm 14 and i just posted a comment

Apr 13, 2009. 11:33 AM REPLY

pyromanizak says:
I'v spent a while hacking at my xbox to get the heatsink out lol. (i don't have the six point screw required to open it). lol i should send it to Microsoft and say it inst working for some reason.

Mar 18, 2009. 10:37 PM REPLY

alex-sharetskiy says:
it's called torx

Mar 21, 2009. 3:41 PM REPLY

roffenburger says:

Jan 16, 2009. 7:07 AM REPLY If I were making this fridge, I would put the heatsinks at the top...cold air falls, hot air rises. I would think it would be more effective.

json12795 says:

Mar 15, 2009. 11:52 AM REPLY what i would do is make another fridge on the other side of the heatsink which wouldn't really be a fridge but a toaster(kinda) that way hot air goes up cold air goes down.

kingalexl says:
yep. but if you touch the top you'll burn yourself... lol

Feb 24, 2009. 10:00 AM REPLY

Lew8 says:
use a low noise fan? lol

Feb 25, 2009. 10:26 AM REPLY

ctm53 says:
you should add the heatsink on the side and stick a fan on it

Mar 4, 2009. 6:18 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

klingoncowboy4 says:
keep in mind the current drain

Mar 9, 2009. 12:24 AM REPLY

5V is fine for powering a fan (well duh you can get USB powered fans comercially). I am not sure how much current a USB port can handle. Too be safe I would buy a cheap USB Hub with its own power supply and power the "fridge" off of that. It may or may not be as reliable but since it is powered off the hubs power supply you won't fry the power on your computers usb. I have two notebooks that have fried power on their usb ports (data connectivity still works but you need external power on the device, such as a hub). For temp control couldn't you build a switch with some resistors to regular the current going into the module? Also, for a desktop hack perhaps you could wire the module directly to the power supply on the computer by routing the cable through an expansion slot. Of coarse with that you might get two effects. Firstly you might end up with a freezer rather than a fridge, and two the heatsink will could get extreamly hot. In that case you would def need some additional cooling. Thanks for this instructable it has given me some ideas. Such as building a custom case (perhaps using styrofoam as an insulator) and a brand new module. Such as this one http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/QK66

Lew8 says:

Mar 9, 2009. 9:14 AM REPLY please say you haven't bought that module yet? if you've got the time to build your own custom case (I know i haven't) buy a peltier from virtual village.com! ive got a 400watt one on its way that only cost 12 pounds! i'm guessing that if you want to make your own custom case your either a keen gamer or just want external power from the psu? if you just want external power from your psu you could adapt a spare pci slot on the case to be a dc power outlet? btw the max current that can be drawn from a usb is 100ma without request (there's no way to request 500ma other than through hardware, so don't even go there.

klingoncowboy4 says:

Mar 9, 2009. 12:23 PM REPLY thanks for the link/info, no I havn't bought any of the parts yet, I just tought this project up as soon as I found this instructable, currently I have a limited budget and upgrading my harddrive is a bigger priority sorta a keen gamer, but mosty just like building electronics wanna get my advanced amateur radio licence so I can tinker with transmitters *evil grin*

Et Infinidum says:

Mar 8, 2009. 10:34 PM REPLY if you spill water then your basically screwed... why not put the heatsink on top, and glue plastic around it, you could hide the heatsink and all the wires... and why not just make the usb activate the led also?

bwpatton1 says:
Uhhh. do you know how many amps this pulls? I had one that pulled 3 and I didnt know it and it burned out my transformer. But this was a completley different application

Feb 23, 2009. 12:55 PM REPLY

Lew8 says:

Feb 23, 2009. 1:54 PM REPLY the amount of amps drawn depends on how much voltage you put through the peltier and the resistance of the peltier. if you have a multimeter, just connect it in series with a high power power source e.g. a modifyed computer power supply (there is an instructable on how to mod one sumwhere) and take a reading. these are the equations you can use to get rough measurements from peltiers (although this wont give you the thermal power transfered, it will give you the power requirements at a given voltage for your particular module). watts=volts*Amps Resistance=Volts/Amps I hope this helps. btw you can modulate the average power transferred to the peltier electrically by using p.w.m. its just a matter of getting a transistor that can handle that kind of load...

Lew8 says:
btw Does anyone know a good site to get cheap aluminium heatsinks for this kind of project?

Feb 23, 2009. 10:46 AM REPLY

kingalexl says:
I think there is an instructable on how to make your own heatsink... just do a search for it....

Feb 23, 2009. 11:24 AM REPLY

Lew8 says:

Feb 23, 2009. 10:45 AM REPLY If anyone is wanting to get a peltier unit other than the ones found in camping fridges, virtualvillage.co.uk has a range of them going from 45watts at 5.99 and even a 12 volt one rated at 400watts! for only 11.99!!!! I have only experimented with the 45 watt peltier using a modded 300watt atx power supply and have been able to easily freeze drops of water and cool liquids ver quickly compared to when i put a drink in the fredge for example. I am guessing that the higher power peltier units will require a much larger heat sink for the hot side, as the 45watt one i have gets warm even with a 92mm fan goin full blast.

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

Dr.Hax says:

Feb 16, 2009. 1:22 AM REPLY Wouldn't it be wiser to take advantage of thermal convection to increase cooling efficiency by placing your TEC on the top of the enclosure, with the hot side radiating upward and away from the unit and the cold side heat sink receiving warmer air inside the unit and sending it to the bottom, colder, forcing more warm air up to itself?

Dr.Hax says:
Some other issues, one I know was mentioned below.

Feb 16, 2009. 1:58 AM REPLY

Burns... With the heat sink for the hot side sitting on the desk, it could eventually ruin your desktop. I like my leather desktop. However, moving the TEC to the top would solve that problem at least. You might want some swort of cage to protect against accidental burns though. Overheating... A cheap PC fac mounted on the heat sink would keep it cool and increase its effectiveness, and should continue to run for a bit after turning off the cooler. Condensation... If the cooler reaches a temperature below dew point, you will have a water condensator too :P I remember fighting the environmental humidity was a pain back in the day when I cooled my Pentium II 400MHz down to -36' F for overclocking. That was more easily solved since the cooler was in contact with the item to be cooled. In this case, perhaps an absorbant material, periodically wrung out, would work. Like a sponge in the bottom of the interior, and a permeable shelf for cooled items. If you don't live in a very humid environment, it may not matter.

ReCreate says:
Whats the temperature inside the frige?

Feb 2, 2009. 2:49 PM REPLY

abadfart says:
nice i was looking for a way to make a portable wine cooler

Jan 6, 2009. 4:24 PM REPLY

Capt. Fat says:

Best idea thing bread and butter espically for those computer reaks or people who work on a computer all day

Jan 6, 2009. 3:56 PM REPLY

Neil Patrick Harris says:

Do you think it would be possible to draw 1 W by using two USB jacks?

Sep 25, 2008. 9:26 AM REPLY

Seraph101 says:

Oct 18, 2008. 7:17 PM REPLY Ya you aren't going to get cold with a USB, but really how much farther away is an AC outlet. You could make the Peltier happy and live up to its "full potential" if you just used one of those thousands of AC/DC converters I know you have laying around. The unit is rated for a LOT more power than 1 watt! Did I say a LOT?! For mobility I'm putting a female square USB jack on mine so I can use the usb with any usb cable if I wanted mobility.

cd41 says:

Jan 5, 2009. 6:02 PM REPLY thats exactly what i'm doing(without the mobility part, i am making a bigger fridge though one Aquafina bottle isn't enough for me, i am actually gonna ge a free Peltier unit from a website (Melcor if your interested send them an email with a polite letter requesting a free sample they will send if you ask for a smaller one) the model i am getting is the DA-045 hopefully it will work good i checked it out and it reuires 12v for optimal cooling)

Seraph101 says:

Jan 5, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY Good Idea. Its not hard to wire in a female usb port though just in case. After all what is cooler than a USB powered device

cd41 says:

Jan 6, 2009. 1:26 PM REPLY i guess just like the USb powered popcorn popper that has so many things for it :) the only thing i'm having a problem with is finding a w.w. with the right power ratio and most peltier units are at max limits about 12v which the one i'm getting , as i said before, will keep my drinks cold, not sure how to read the chart on their page but i think it says that it will get below freezing which is perfect(i was looking again at it and i gave you guys wrong unit no. its a DA-024 not 45) sorry for such a big and possibly confusing comment(this oplace has turned into a forums for peltier units

ironsmiter says:

Oct 17, 2008. 7:05 PM REPLY you can draw power from multiple usb ports(many portable harddrive enclosures do just that) BUT... you'll need isolating circuitry to keep the ports from faulting. IN "negotiation" mode, a standard usb port is only gonna pumpout ONE unit of power(100mA) at 5 volt. you CAN negotiate with the host bus for 5 units(1/2A) per port. but running at the low volt/amperage limits of usb, you'll never get "cold" ... only "cool".

http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/

hubi says:
Ok, you wont get really cold Beer with 5V 1A , but I use it only to keep the Beer Cold

Nov 17, 2008. 5:24 AM REPLY

Neil Patrick Harris says:

I was thinking something like that might happen. Thanks, I'll check it out further.

Oct 20, 2008. 3:12 AM REPLY

Seraph101 says:

Oct 15, 2008. 11:37 AM REPLY I'm pretty sure you can wire two USB's in series to get more power. You can also modify a normal ac/dc power adapter to get more power. I got my Peltier unit form a car powered cooler and it was rated at (12v)(4A) = 48 watts. My fridge isn't getting that cold so I'm going to wire it up to a different power source than USB. I might wire the adapter together with the USB power to have the ability to use either. My fridge will likely stay stationary so the mobility the usb power offers isn't as important to me. I found temperature charts on a USB fridge (graphs near the bottom): Temperature Graphs

hubi says:

Nov 17, 2008. 5:44 AM REPLY 2USB in series is not a good idea, this will damage the ports. You can use 2 or more Ports in parallel to get more Amps at 5V. If you need higher voltage one way is to use a step up (boost) converter. I have salvaged another Peltier 12V/12A from an old cooling box. This works well on an 400W ATx Power supply. This is used to get cooled dehumidyfied air into my PC Case..

Seraph101 says:
oops I meant parrallel, thx (i don't know how you would do it in series, lol) Thats a good idea with a step up converter.

Nov 17, 2008. 6:23 AM REPLY

Neil Patrick Harris says:

Oct 15, 2008. 2:43 PM REPLY Have a look at the Melcor site mate. They have everything you would want to know about peltier devices. You may not be using one of their units, but the principles remain the same.

Seraph101 says:
I checked out that site, thanks. There's a lot of information.

Oct 15, 2008. 11:22 PM REPLY

I would like to get the most power that my Peltier can handle but the specs vary QUITE a bit depending on your unit. Is there a way that you or anyone knows either to find out my "model" or find the max voltage/amps it can handle without melting it into a pile of carbon?

Neil Patrick Harris says:

a little discussion.

Oct 20, 2008. 3:10 AM REPLY Check the intrernal resistance of the device. Then use V=IR to determine the max current draw @ whatever the voltage is. Most of them are 12 V. Now you can determine the power consumption using P= I2R. This should get you started, anyway. BTW, nice to see my original question has sparked

rocketman221 says:
you only need 1 usb port. a usb port is 5 V .5 amps that would give you 2.5 W

Sep 25, 2008. 11:11 AM REPLY

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http://www.instructables.com/id/5-Mini-USB-Fridge!/