Im interested in building an aquarium heater with digital control, proportional temperation control, and using a solid state Peltier Junction.

Anyone have any ideas or sources for a schematic?

--------------------------------------------------------------
Aquarium'atics at aquariumatics.com (maintenance)

IT COULD BE DONE ...BUT THE PROBLEM WOULD BE IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER  WHAT TO USE! IF YOU USED COPPER YOU WOULD GET GOOD THERMAL EXCHANGE BUT FORGET EVER HAVING INVERTS OR EVEN FISH SESTIVE TO COPPER, ALUMINUM WOULD ALSO WORK BUT BREAK DOWN IF YOU HAD ANY SALTS IN THE SYSTEM {SO WOULD COPPER} THE VERY BEST BUT PRICY WOULD BE GOLD , SILVER WOULD ALSO WORK  BUT AGAIN IT TO WOULD RELEASE IONS  THAT WOULD ALSO BECOME TOXIC IN TIME, THE PETLER IS A COOL ITEM TO PLAY WITH BUT NOT VERY ELECTICALY EFFICIANT  AND AS IT MAKES HEAT IT ASL MAKES COLD SO IF YOU HAD A TITAINIUM ECHANGER  YOU COULD USE IT TO HEAT OR CHILE JUST BY REVERSING THE CURRENT, TO CONTROLE THE UNIT YOU COULD USE A HOME DIGITAL THERASTAT,COUPLED TO A TITANIUM PROBE TO SENCE THE TEMP INSTEAD OF THE HOME THEROSTAT TRIGURING THE FURNASH IT COULD BE COUPLED TO A HEAVY DUTY 12VOLT RELAY WICH WOULD TRIGER THE TRANSFORMER YOU NEED TO POWER THE PETLER PRETTY SIMPLE THAT PART .....ITS THE EXCHANGER THAT WILL BE THE BUGGER! GOOD LUCK LET US KNOW HOW IT WORKS OR EVEN IF IT DOSNT !

--------------------------------------------------------------
APPLE SNAILS LIKE PIGS TRULY CAN FLY ... GIVEN ENOUGH THRUST

Im thinking of putting the peltier junction on the side of a stainless steel tank with some silcone grease, and clamp it down.

Also, what do you think of attaching the peltie junction directly to the glass aquarium?  Perhaps on the side, or hide it under the bottom.  I love under gravel filters, old technology, but works.

Lastly, I have some AC and DC triacs, which may be good for controlling the heavy current to feed the peltier junction instead of mechanical relay.

It really frosts me that I had a schematic of a proportional temperature controller, and lost it.  it took quite a while to find it on internet.  I was hoping the guy that has the need projects in Nuts & Volts would develope a project and print it in the magazine.  Great mag, reminds me of Popular Electronics and Radio Electronics, two of my favorite old rags.

I may try the titanium temp probe and thermostat, and control a triac for the peltier.  Clamp it on the bottom of the tank.  In fact, set it down on it with a piece of foam?  Problem is, that the opposite side needs to be fanned or some how draw off the cold or heat.  Maybe a heat pipe from one of the old computer PC cards I see from time to time?  Or, use one of the coolers they use for CPU cooling.  I wonder it that would work for drawing off the cold waste product if the peltier was heating the tank???

Love to hear your thoughts.  If interested, we can work up a partslist and schematic.  I have the time to build it. 

Tanks!
Jim
PS. I asked Jinenv to create a DIY forum for us to put in project notes, tips & techniques, etc.  I think it would make this website grow.  Lots of people wanting to do there own thing, and save money.

washwater wrote: IT COULD BE DONE ...BUT THE PROBLEM WOULD BE IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER  WHAT TO USE! IF YOU USED COPPER YOU WOULD GET GOOD THERMAL EXCHANGE BUT FORGET EVER HAVING INVERTS OR EVEN FISH SESTIVE TO COPPER, ALUMINUM WOULD ALSO WORK BUT BREAK DOWN IF YOU HAD ANY SALTS IN THE SYSTEM {SO WOULD COPPER} THE VERY BEST BUT PRICY WOULD BE GOLD , SILVER WOULD ALSO WORK  BUT AGAIN IT TO WOULD RELEASE IONS  THAT WOULD ALSO BECOME TOXIC IN TIME, THE PETLER IS A COOL ITEM TO PLAY WITH BUT NOT VERY ELECTICALY EFFICIANT  AND AS IT MAKES HEAT IT ASL MAKES COLD SO IF YOU HAD A TITAINIUM ECHANGER  YOU COULD USE IT TO HEAT OR CHILE JUST BY REVERSING THE CURRENT, TO CONTROLE THE UNIT YOU COULD USE A HOME DIGITAL THERASTAT,COUPLED TO A TITANIUM PROBE TO SENCE THE TEMP INSTEAD OF THE HOME THEROSTAT TRIGURING THE FURNASH IT COULD BE COUPLED TO A HEAVY DUTY 12VOLT RELAY WICH WOULD TRIGER THE TRANSFORMER YOU NEED TO POWER THE PETLER PRETTY SIMPLE THAT PART .....ITS THE EXCHANGER THAT WILL BE THE BUGGER! GOOD LUCK LET US KNOW HOW IT WORKS OR EVEN IF IT DOSNT !

--------------------------------------------------------------
Killies, bettas, anabantoids, cichlids... a slice of God's Creation

OK TRY THIS LINK www.et.hs-wismar.de/ausland/ireland/docs/Peltier.pdf IT MAY BE JUST WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR , I LIKE YOUR IDEAS BUT I WOULDNT PUT THE PETLER ON THE GLASS !!!! USE A STAINLESS STEAL PLATE AS A HEAT SPREADER , I WOULD BE NERVIOUSE OF THERMAL STRESS TO THE GLASS AS THE PET CAN GET HOT! HEAT PIPE WOULD WORK ID USE ONE FROM A LAP TOP AS THEY ARE NORMALY IN AN "" L"" SHAPE IF YOU PUT THE SPREADER AND PET NEAR THE BACK EDGE OF THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK THE COLD DUMP WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF THE BOTTOMS EDGE COLD FALLS HEAT RISES SO UNDER THE TANK WOULD BE BEST! YOU WOULD STILL WANT A BLOWER ON THE COLD SIDE TO MAKE THE HOT SIDE HOTTER ,  I USED TO USE PETLERS IN COMPUTER COOLING JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU ARE TRYING COLD SIDE OF PET TO HOT CPU HOT SIDE TO A WATER BLOCK TO COOL THE PETLER IF YOU CAN REMOVE ENOUGH HEAT FROM THE HOT SIDE THE COLD SIDE WILL START TO FROST THE CPU THE HOT SIDE WOULD BOIL THE WATER MOVING THREW THE HEAT EXCHANGER  WICH I HAD COUPLELD TO A LITTLE GIANT 4MDSC PUMP 800 GALLONS AN HOUR@ 500 WATTS TO THE PETLER IT WOULD MAKE VERY HOT WATER IN SHORT TIME! PERSONALY I WOULD STILL USE THE RELAY AS IT WOULD NOT BE HANDLING THE LOAD THE RELAY WOULD JUST BE POWERING UP THE TRANSFORMER TO POWER THE PETLER THE THERMOSTAT WOULD CONTROLE THE RELAY SIMPLE , BUT IM USED TO MODING OFF THE SHELF SO WHAT EVER WORKS FOR YOU IS THE BEST WAY TO GO! I TO AM A FAN OF THE UNDERGRAVAL FILTER BUT I LIKE TO RUN THEM BACKWARDS LOL HAVE FUN!  OH YOU WILL HAVE TO COPY AND PASTE THE LINK TO WORK! 

--------------------------------------------------------------
APPLE SNAILS LIKE PIGS TRULY CAN FLY ... GIVEN ENOUGH THRUST

Hmm... I like the simplicity of the design.  However, I dont have access to LabView.  Altho I have wanted to play with LabView for a long time.  I wonder if SourceForge has an open source version of it?  Lets take a quick look....

Wow. There is.  PyLab Works, written in Python.  Incredible...

Ugh oh... here I go slipping down another black hole... LabView...... Jims eyes glazes over as he dreams of controlling his home, computers, and tropical fish environment with PyLab....

..... POP!!!!!!!!!

Well... we can download and look at it... in the future....

Thanks for the URL on the peltier controller.  Well worth saving to the PC.

Jim 

washwater wrote: OK TRY THIS LINK www.et.hs-wismar.de/ausland/ireland/docs/Peltier.pdf IT MAY BE JUST WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR , I LIKE YOUR IDEAS BUT I WOULDNT PUT THE PETLER ON THE GLASS !!!! USE A STAINLESS STEAL PLATE AS A HEAT SPREADER , I WOULD BE NERVIOUSE OF THERMAL STRESS TO THE GLASS AS THE PET CAN GET HOT! HEAT PIPE WOULD WORK ID USE ONE FROM A LAP TOP AS THEY ARE NORMALY IN AN "" L"" SHAPE IF YOU PUT THE SPREADER AND PET NEAR THE BACK EDGE OF THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK THE COLD DUMP WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF THE BOTTOMS EDGE COLD FALLS HEAT RISES SO UNDER THE TANK WOULD BE BEST! YOU WOULD STILL WANT A BLOWER ON THE COLD SIDE TO MAKE THE HOT SIDE HOTTER ,  I USED TO USE PETLERS IN COMPUTER COOLING JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU ARE TRYING COLD SIDE OF PET TO HOT CPU HOT SIDE TO A WATER BLOCK TO COOL THE PETLER IF YOU CAN REMOVE ENOUGH HEAT FROM THE HOT SIDE THE COLD SIDE WILL START TO FROST THE CPU THE HOT SIDE WOULD BOIL THE WATER MOVING THREW THE HEAT EXCHANGER  WICH I HAD COUPLELD TO A LITTLE GIANT 4MDSC PUMP 800 GALLONS AN HOUR@ 500 WATTS TO THE PETLER IT WOULD MAKE VERY HOT WATER IN SHORT TIME! PERSONALY I WOULD STILL USE THE RELAY AS IT WOULD NOT BE HANDLING THE LOAD THE RELAY WOULD JUST BE POWERING UP THE TRANSFORMER TO POWER THE PETLER THE THERMOSTAT WOULD CONTROLE THE RELAY SIMPLE , BUT IM USED TO MODING OFF THE SHELF SO WHAT EVER WORKS FOR YOU IS THE BEST WAY TO GO! I TO AM A FAN OF THE UNDERGRAVAL FILTER BUT I LIKE TO RUN THEM BACKWARDS LOL HAVE FUN!  OH YOU WILL HAVE TO COPY AND PASTE THE LINK TO WORK!

--------------------------------------------------------------
Killies, bettas, anabantoids, cichlids... a slice of God's Creation