Peltier TEC-12706See More
Thermoelectric coolers (TECs or Peltier elements) create a temperature differential on each side. One side gets hot and the other side gets cool. Therefore, they can be used to either warm something up or cool something down, depending on which side you use. They have no moving parts, and can be switched from heating to cooling by simply reversing the polarity of the input voltage.
This TEC1-12706 60W 12V Peltier thermoelectric coolers are perfect for application requiring heating or cooling such as small DIY refrigerators, custom drink heaters/coolers and electronic component and device chillers or heaters.
TECs work very well as long as you remove the heat from the hot side. After turning on the device, the hot side will heat quickly, and the cold side will cool quickly. If you do not remove the heat from the hot side with a heat sink or other device, the Peltier will quickly reach equilibrium and do nothing. Failure to mount the device to a heat sink will result in sub-optimal performance, possible device failure, and will present a burning hazard (the heating side will get very hot, quickly). If it is too hot to comfortably touch, you are in the danger zone and risk damaging the device.
The maximum power (voltage x current) applied to this device must not exceed 60 Watts, and at this power level will require a substantial air- or water-cooled heatsink in order to remove the heat from the device.
