Electric heating and cooling cup

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tgstubbs1

OBS Chief
Joined
Mar 3, 2020
Messages
857
I found this (and a bunch of equivalents) on Amazon.
It can heat or cool a can sized container.

"Cold and hot dual-use, heating effect 55~65℃, cooling effect -3℃~5℃, more convenient to use."

Rated Voltage: DC12V
Rated Power: <36W
Rated Current: <3A
Heating Temperature: <30W
Working Environment Temperature: -20℃~60℃
Mute Index: <40dB
Color: Purple, Black (optional)
Product Size: Approx. 16.5 x 11.5 x 9.5 cm / 6.5 x 4.5 x 3.7 in
Weight: Approx. 480g-597g / 16.9oz-21.1oz

Has anyone tried anything like this?
It looks like they use the same peltier junctions the small 12v coolers use.
It should work better as it concentrates the effect.

https://www.amazon.com/Insulated-Po...id=1609948898&s=kitchen&sr=1-148&ts_id=602608
 
This one doesn't have the 110v adapter.

The one I saw yesterday includes it but I can't find it now.

It needs 3A @ 12v.
 
As a side thought - if you would like to see an interesting video on insulated cups that "keep cold things cold and hot things hot" you might enjoy this video
 
In my experience there are two main types of thermoelectric appliances.

1. Those that take a very long time to warm/cool something.
2. Those that are too heavy/bulky to be genuinely portable.

I've yet to encounter anything that falls outside one of these two categories and am somewhat doubtful that a random consumer product on Amazon is going to be the genesis for a physics-defying revolution in heat pump technology. What seems to be missing from all those figures is a measured rate of change over time.
 
In my experience there are two main types of thermoelectric appliances.

1. Those that take a very long time to warm/cool something.
2. Those that are too heavy/bulky to be genuinely portable.

I've yet to encounter anything that falls outside one of these two categories and am doubtful a random consumer product on Amazon is going to be the genesis for a physics-defying revolution in heat pump technology.
They don't have the power for a big cooler but this is designed to cool or heat one 12 oz. can.

It is about the size of a typical travel coffee mug.
 
I have a similar cup in the car for some winter trips. It does a good job of keeping hot things hot but a lousy job of warming them up from room temp. I also had a 12v coffee maker that got ditched for taking almost a half-hour to get 12 oz of water to boiling. I think a better choice for Amtrak would be a 110v cup heater, the kind meant for desks that have a heated base. Some only keep hot things hot, and some say they also heat. You'd have to build something to keep the cup from sliding off the base on the train. One other point, travel mugs usually have narrow bases to fit in a cup holder, I would think a wide non-slip base would be better on Amtrak. Those are common in marine stores.
 
They don't have the power for a big cooler but this is designed to cool or heat one 12 oz. can. It is about the size of a typical travel coffee mug.
That would put this product in the first group. I'm not saying it will fail to heat/cool a liquid; I'm saying it will take a very long time to achieve the advertised increase/decrease. Not just a couple hours but more like a couple days of continuous operation under ideal conditions. Alice's suggestion of using a small resistive hotplate would be much more practical. If cooling is desired then ice works fast and insulated coolers can keep ice frozen for days at room temperature.
 
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The 12v resistive heaters are limited to about 120 watts. I have one and it takes a little under 20 minutes to heat my large mug, which is about twice as long as it takes my 110v, 300 watt immersion heater, a little over twice the power.
I found some reviews on some similar items, which I couldn't locate when I posted, that say these thermoelectric coolers could cool a room temperature can of Coke in 20-25 minutes. That doesn't seem extremely fast but they pointed out it would take about that long to cool a can of Coke in a refrigerator.
I have a six pack sized thermoelectric cooler. If I tried to use it to cool a six pack of room temperature beer it would probably take at least six times as long as this cooler does one, because they use the same amperage.

https://www.amazon.com/KFZMAN-Tempe...GQ482RC3VWH&psc=1&refRID=SHS9HNS8GGQ482RC3VWH

☞Please note the 12V car mug cooler and warmer can't reduce the temperature of the beverage to 0℃ or heat to 58℃ in a short time. It generally takes about 30 minutes for the beverage to heat up or cool down, after which it can be kept at the temperature it stays. All effects will be affected by the ambient temperature.

"I really like this at my desk, it does take 20-25 min to cool a room temp can of coke, i put it unopened top down first then half way through turn it over and it has gotten so cold that the condensation that collected on the bottom of the can froze and stuck the can in the unit, "
 
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Peltier devices are notoriously inefficient - both for heating and for cooling. Even after you find a source of several amps of 12 volts, you will be frustrated with the results. For heating, a regular immersion resistive heater is orders of magnitude quicker. No readily available alternative high-tech solution for cooling. Ice is your best bet for that.
 
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