Hey everyone,
So, I’ve got this project in mind where I want to cool down small CPU dies (think Raspberry Pi) to sub-ambient temperatures, aiming for -40°C or even lower. The cool thing (pun intended) is that my cooling duty isn’t massive, which gives me some wiggle room to experiment with unconventional methods.
I stumbled upon these [LD-PC-V2 Phase Change Coolers](https://ldcooling.com/shop/ld-pc-v2/171-ld-pc-v2-phase-change-white-xl-suction.html) that boast -30°C with a 320W cooling capacity. From what I’ve read on old forums, hitting sub-ambient temps on the die is definitely doable, but I need to push it further without going overboard. My target? -40°C directly on the die.
Now, here’s where it gets a bit “out there” – what if I threw a Peltier block into the mix as an intermediate step? Does this idea sound too far-fetched?
I’ve set aside a max budget of 10k EUR for this venture. I even toyed with the idea of a cryocooler, but I’m not entirely sure.
Would love to get your thoughts on my (potentially ridiculous) project idea and any advice you might have!
3 Comments
[https://xdevs.com/article/rpi3_oc/](https://xdevs.com/article/rpi3_oc/) might be somewhat useful
Do you need to sustain the temperature? If so, a 2-stage chiller is the way to go. That can be built for way less than 10k. The one you’re showing is single-stage. Essentially, the second stage is another heat pump, but its hot-side is the first stage’s cold side.
Peltier is a mess, the difference between hot and cold won’t be big enough. It might be worth trying with a raspberry though, you can simply stack them. And water cool the outside one.
You will need an adjustable power supply though, don’t run them at full steam. And do cool them well, they burn up fast if you just supply 12V to a naked one.
I want one of these phases change coolers sometime.
So many things to overclock to ridiculous means