Woofador: Herfdog's wine fridge wineadore build
- Thread starter herfdog
- Start date
It's true that surface area is most important. I have mine in several Pyrex containers about 1.5" deep. The kitty litter you have sounds like it will be fine. I would put a few containers of litter and several empty boxes that you plan to use for storage. Spray the litter with DW 4-5 spritzes and let it sit a day. Continue to spritz every day until the RH is where you want it. Basically you are seasoning all of the empty boxes.
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
after putting the fridge at its warmest temp, it still stabilized at 60. I think its the warmest the knob will permit.
So I decided to try and see what I could do hacking into it. I openned the bottom to expose the knob, which is just a plain potentiometer. I did measurments, its from about 15 ohm to about 5k ohm. So, here's a test with a 2.8 ohm resistor in parallel (which gives me about 2.5 - 2.8 ohm fork)
I want to see how this will affect the resulting temp.
Sadly, after maybe 15 minutes, I am back to about 60 degrees F (from about 65 while I kept it off for working on it) which is only a gain of about degrees. I'll give it a try being shorted, maybe it'll help?
EDIT with a short, I seem to get a stable 61.
I think I'll add resistance to the wire going to the fan, instead.
So I decided to try and see what I could do hacking into it. I openned the bottom to expose the knob, which is just a plain potentiometer. I did measurments, its from about 15 ohm to about 5k ohm. So, here's a test with a 2.8 ohm resistor in parallel (which gives me about 2.5 - 2.8 ohm fork)
I want to see how this will affect the resulting temp.
Sadly, after maybe 15 minutes, I am back to about 60 degrees F (from about 65 while I kept it off for working on it) which is only a gain of about degrees. I'll give it a try being shorted, maybe it'll help?
EDIT with a short, I seem to get a stable 61.
I think I'll add resistance to the wire going to the fan, instead.
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
I openned up the bottom. Luckily the various devices are on connectors. I found the one that seems to control the fan.
Spliced it up and added a potentiometer in series
only thing is if I put too much résistance, the fan stop. Its not a very flexible fan. So I placed it on the lowest speed I could. In theory when the fan snows down, it would now stop. And when the temp is hot, it would try to air it out, cooling the whole thing.
I am giving it a test run.
edit. Meh, its down to 63 already
Might have to see about tricking the thermistore then.
Spliced it up and added a potentiometer in series
only thing is if I put too much résistance, the fan stop. Its not a very flexible fan. So I placed it on the lowest speed I could. In theory when the fan snows down, it would now stop. And when the temp is hot, it would try to air it out, cooling the whole thing.
I am giving it a test run.
edit. Meh, its down to 63 already
Might have to see about tricking the thermistore then.
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Wow, nice work Yan!
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
Thanks!
but it doesn't work yet.
It just goes down slower, it seems to want to reach the same temperature.
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
Here we go for another try.
I changed the potentiometer, the other one happenned to be logarithmic : intended for volume control. I seen to have better control with this one.
I changed the potentiometer, the other one happenned to be logarithmic : intended for volume control. I seen to have better control with this one.
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
well, it just takes longer to get to 60, that way. Might have to temper with the heat sensor. lol.
at least now I can control the airflow better. It was rather strong to my taste.
at least now I can control the airflow better. It was rather strong to my taste.
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
Well, even with the fan slowed down it would en up to near 55 -must be the temp sensor... so I added a timer, switching on-and-off every 15 minutes. So far its right at 63 and I will see in the morning.
Other than that, I think I'll just follow brother @Lezanstar 's advice and go ahead getting humidity under control.
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Great score herfdog.
You're right about the surface area, keep it big. Also, make sure you fill the unit with cigar boxes. The less air space the better. Cigars and wood hold the moisture. Every time you open the door much of the conditioned air will escape and you KL will have to compensate. If there is a lot of other stuff in there to hold the moisture then the KL won't have to work so hard.
You're right about the surface area, keep it big. Also, make sure you fill the unit with cigar boxes. The less air space the better. Cigars and wood hold the moisture. Every time you open the door much of the conditioned air will escape and you KL will have to compensate. If there is a lot of other stuff in there to hold the moisture then the KL won't have to work so hard.
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
This morning the unit was again at 59. I switched the timer to 30 off, 15 on. Seems that the wino is "too efficient at cooling"
Maybe there's somethign to do to reduce the coolness of the TEC unit...
I have only a few boxes, and the fridge is rather big, so I'll have to come up with something.
Maybe there's somethign to do to reduce the coolness of the TEC unit...
Thanks Bruce!
I have only a few boxes, and the fridge is rather big, so I'll have to come up with something.
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
It started at about 68, which is the temp in the garage where it is right now. Most of the year I could leave it off, I am only concerned for summer weeks where we get rather high temperatures.
As I understand it, thermoelectric units are only capable of keeping the temperature several degrees blow the ambient (outside) temperature. They are not powerful like a compressor unit. Maybe when it gets hot out and you really need to cool, it may only cool to 65 deg. or so (or maybe not).
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
This unit has more horse power than the usual tec. It even have a watercooled radiator, and external fans.
The pelletier coolers cool down in relation to the current applied to them. This is a 100w unit according to the specs.
Nevertheless, I ran a test yesterday, cranking my garage near 75.... and the fridge was cooling downwards at 55. I need 65 to 70...
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
Even timed 30 minutes off and 15 on, it was under 60.
So, why not make the controler board thinks its at the good temp when I like it?
There are rwo sets of wires going inside the fridge. I knew one was the leds, and assumed the other one to be the heat sensor: 2 wires would mean thermistor, which really is a resistor which varies with temperature.
So I checked the readings on those two wires, and it read steady ohm. Checked again after meal for a steady different resistance (to go with the different temperature) . Gotcha!
Splice in, add variable resistor, and I now can tweak the temp that the board think it sees.
At least, in theory.
Right now it is not cooling, at 66.
As a test, I am heating the garage to see if it keeps it.
If my theory is good, i'm all set
So, why not make the controler board thinks its at the good temp when I like it?
There are rwo sets of wires going inside the fridge. I knew one was the leds, and assumed the other one to be the heat sensor: 2 wires would mean thermistor, which really is a resistor which varies with temperature.
So I checked the readings on those two wires, and it read steady ohm. Checked again after meal for a steady different resistance (to go with the different temperature) . Gotcha!
Splice in, add variable resistor, and I now can tweak the temp that the board think it sees.
At least, in theory.
Right now it is not cooling, at 66.
As a test, I am heating the garage to see if it keeps it.
If my theory is good, i'm all set
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herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
Thanks!Here's wishing you the best of luck.... I envy people like you that can figure this sh*t out
Tests and tweaks are positive so far. Raised the garage to 80, the temp kept stable at 68.
Openned the door, fans started.
shut heating, openned garage door, down to 65 in the garage, temp didnt move (I know it would drop eventually, but the insulation holds, and the cooling dind't fool like it was before the hack)
Soooo. I am pretty much golden on temperature I think.
Now to work the RH.
I placed KL containers in there, and empty boxes. RH is currently about 65, will see how stable it is tomorrow.
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