Help Storage cooling solution..

[LunarPyotr]

My poison arrived and I noticed that it should be stored in temperatures bellow 8°c / 46°F which basically means that I should store it in a refrigerator but what if my friend or family comes visiting me and discover those "strange looking bottles"?

I was thinking about taking one of those polystyrene boxes (found a small one on Ebay) and a TEC1-12706 module where one side can cool down to -4°c/24°F and other one heats up to a certain temperature. Since it's reaching those temperatures if powered with 12v/3A, I was thinking about trying to power it with lower voltage and it should theoretically bring higher temperatures on the colder side. Since it's an DIY solution which I would deploy in my basement storage room, I thought I would ask y'all if you would know any better solution. The thing is that I will have only access to 14v power source in my basement since I will be tapping the thermostat wires of the central heater since I'm too broke to use the mains socket : P

So, any better ideas?


edit---
here are the specs of that module for the curious souls out here

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Hiding it within large containers of food in the fridge.

 

[LunarPyotr]

Hiding it within large containers of food in the fridge.

Doesn't really help in my case since my fridge itself is almost empty. Only the refrigerator is full of microwave food but there it would be too cold since the minimum temperature is -3°c : P

 

[Odwin]

Fill your fridge up. Hide it in the back not easily accessable without a hassel. Put so much stuff in the way so that even you are getting annoyed

 

[LunarPyotr]

Fill your fridge up. Hide it in the back not easily accessable without a hassel. Put so much stuff in the way so that even you are getting annoyed

If that would be that easy :| Unfortunately I'm broke right now. I went to the town hall like 04.03 and said there that I have no job and my insurance stopped paying me money and they keep asking random shit form me. I'm currently like -300€ on PayPal and like 4€ on my bank account I'll have to ask my stupid dad for some money or otherwise some loan shark will try to get inside my apartment and get some money out of me.
If that would happen, I'll most likely get my 3D printed fully functional 9x19mm AK and first kill that person and kill myself by injecting myself with that poison or by putting a bullet through my head.

Luckily I'm owning a server in Switzerland and if I don't login to it like every 2 days, it will automatically run a script that will create a goodby post here and a 5hours later it will disable my account..
or at least it supposes to open the link that disables the account. I only tested the posting part of the script here

 

[Odwin]

Mhh, well put it in the fridge. take a piece of paper glue it on it. Write Deadly Poison on it. Maybe someone thinks thats a joke.

 

[LunarPyotr]

Mhh, well put it in the fridge. take a piece of paper glue it on it. Write Deadly Poison on it. Maybe someone thinks thats a joke.

Then I would to explain everything XD but yeah, could work for some with "normal" parents.

It was already hard to explain the bloody rag under the sink after my pathetic self harm sessions

 

[UterEntonaur]

.....and a TEC1-12706 module....

If that's what I think it is (peltier tech) then you're gonna find it extremely difficult making it work.

I've used things like that for work-related stuff before, and the cold-side will indeed be cold, but you'll have to cool down the hot side too (that's litterally how the tech works). I'll try to find a video to help you cos I know one of my fav youtubers did a video on it.

EDIT: found two that should help (even if you decide to go ahead with it)

(Simplified Version) Linus Tech Tips - Thermoelectric Cooling is a Bad Idea
(Detailed Version) ElectroBOOM - Making Cooler/Generator with Thermoelectric Device

 

[LunarPyotr]

the cold-side will indeed be cold, but you'll have to cool down the hot side too (that's litterally how the tech works). I'll try to find a video to help you cos I know one of my fav youtubers did a video on it.

I planned on using a passive cooled heatsink on the cold side (would cut a hole in the container for that and seal it) and the other side I planned on cooling with an aliexpress CPU cooler that I had laying around, which looks very similar to the Noctua NH-U12S one

 

[UterEntonaur]

I planned on using a passive cooled heatsink on the cold side (would cut a hole in the container for that and seal it) and the other side I planned on cooling with an aliexpress CPU cooler that I had laying around, which looks very similar to the Noctua NH-U12S one

That might work... providing everything is sealed up correctly to prevent ambient air from getting into the polystyrene box. The only way you'll know for sure is to try it out I guess.

Btw, if you're looking for a 12v 3amp transformer, you could try asking friends if they have any old satilite/freesat/freeview/cable TV boxes that they don't need, the ones that don't have inbuilt PSU's tend to use them.

Otherwise, if you want something with more amperage, PSU's for LED light strip lights are a cheap alternative (especially if you look at Chinese sellers on ebay)

 

[LunarPyotr]

@UterEntonaur I was planning on using the 14v power source and stepping it down with a buck/boost converter.

When it comes to powering it through the mains, I have an old Dell OEM PSU which has a 12v line that is at least capable of doing 230w

 

[UterEntonaur]

I have an old Dell OEM PSU which has a 12v line that is at least capable of doing 230w

That should technically be fine because 230w / 12v = 19 amps, far more than the module will draw, providing the dell PSU doesn't spike.

Under-volting should be fine too (cos it'll either work or not), but I wouldn't use 14v on something that's designed to use 12v, cos you wouldn't want to damage the module.

 

[LunarPyotr]

That should technically be fine because 230w / 12v = 19 amps, far more than the module will draw, providing the dell PSU doesn't spike.

Under-volting should be fine too (cos it'll either work or not), but I wouldn't use 14v on something that's designed to use 12v, cos you wouldn't want to damage the module.

Yeah, that's why I connect a buck/boost converter to step down the voltage to 12v. I have one here which is kinda crappy since I built it on a diy PCB and I'll have to cover the copper paths with a nail lack in order to protect them from oxidation but I'll try if I can run that thing with 8volt by using my lab psu.
I think that if I will power it with lower voltage, I'll be able to reach higher temperatures on the colder side since I have to reach a temperature that is higher than -3°c but also not too warm

 

[profoundexperience]

Here's some ideas from a similar thread, FYI...

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/brown-bottle-of-n-what-else-could-it-be.63559/post-1185619

 

[LunarPyotr]

@UterEntonaur I think this might work. I got this module and that box in the morning and I tested that I'm getting the best temperature, if I power it with 8.5v and it's giving me an constant temperature of -1°c.
I'll be putting a temperature logger into the box once I'm done putting it together.
So far it looks very good and maybe I'll also store some vodka for some special occasions since I kinda did a mistake while ordering that box.
There were multiple sizes that I could select but the title of the ad showed only one size. I had to select the right size but I didn't do that.
So, now I ended up with a box that could store 2x 1.5L bottles but it's not a problem and I don't want to bother with returning the box. In the end I paid like 11.30$ for it with free shipping but if I would want to return it, I would pay like 5.80$ for it