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The Water Cooler
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DIY Air Conditioning
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<blockquote data-quote="aviator41" data-source="post: 2428464" data-attributes="member: 30309"><p>Yes, the heat exchanger is kept in a separate compartment from the ice water mix, when water condenses on the exchanger, it drips into a tray and makes it back into the bottom. This also prevents water from splashing out of the unit during steep turns and turbulence and helps mitigate the added humidity in the cockpit. The pump I'm using is nothing more than an aquarium pump wired for 12 volts. There are a few companies that make a "commercial" version of this. They sell for anywhere from $300 to $700 a unit, which is ridiculousness! I think I have less that $50 in this, including wiring and remote control. There are sensors for low water and low flow (blockage) as well as a temp sensor in the ice water, ambient intake and forced chilled air. Lets me keep an eye on efficiency. It typically takes a two bags of ice and a gallon of water to get going. </p><p></p><p>The exchanger has a very large surface area, so it's in a 'chamber' of sorts that allows the air to move slowly through the exchanger, then is sped up as it passes through the blower. There is basic air filter on the intake to just keep junk out, the intake is set up in such a way as to allow an outside vent to blow directly into the intake as it sits in the back seat. At altitude, I can turn the exchanger pump off, and just use it as a forced air vent with the blower running. The heat exchanger is nothing more than an aluminum transmission cooler radiator, it works perfectly (and was cheap). </p><p></p><p>One of the things I want to do is add a "T" and valve to the tubing coming from the pump. that way I can empty the water using the pump to make room for more ice Right now the unit has to be pulled and the bottom drain on the cooler opened in order to drain the melt off. I also plan on adding a false bottom to the cooler section, leaving the pump intake in a recess, ensuring it always has water. Pretty cool little unit.</p><p></p><p>Here's how it works.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH]36598[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>This is the circuit board that I Cut for the pump and fan controller. It's about the size of a credit card, has backup circuits for both the pump and the blower and an auto-cutoff for low voltages. It's controlled with a simple wireless controller. So far, it's been flawless. All the relays are solid state FET's. which means no moving parts here. Just a black box with wires coming out, it's mounted on top, behind the blower.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://www.okshooters.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/i687.photobucket.com_albums_vv234_aviator4_Electronics_20Projects_IMG_3822.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aviator41, post: 2428464, member: 30309"] Yes, the heat exchanger is kept in a separate compartment from the ice water mix, when water condenses on the exchanger, it drips into a tray and makes it back into the bottom. This also prevents water from splashing out of the unit during steep turns and turbulence and helps mitigate the added humidity in the cockpit. The pump I'm using is nothing more than an aquarium pump wired for 12 volts. There are a few companies that make a "commercial" version of this. They sell for anywhere from $300 to $700 a unit, which is ridiculousness! I think I have less that $50 in this, including wiring and remote control. There are sensors for low water and low flow (blockage) as well as a temp sensor in the ice water, ambient intake and forced chilled air. Lets me keep an eye on efficiency. It typically takes a two bags of ice and a gallon of water to get going. The exchanger has a very large surface area, so it's in a 'chamber' of sorts that allows the air to move slowly through the exchanger, then is sped up as it passes through the blower. There is basic air filter on the intake to just keep junk out, the intake is set up in such a way as to allow an outside vent to blow directly into the intake as it sits in the back seat. At altitude, I can turn the exchanger pump off, and just use it as a forced air vent with the blower running. The heat exchanger is nothing more than an aluminum transmission cooler radiator, it works perfectly (and was cheap). One of the things I want to do is add a "T" and valve to the tubing coming from the pump. that way I can empty the water using the pump to make room for more ice Right now the unit has to be pulled and the bottom drain on the cooler opened in order to drain the melt off. I also plan on adding a false bottom to the cooler section, leaving the pump intake in a recess, ensuring it always has water. Pretty cool little unit. Here's how it works. [ATTACH=CONFIG]36598[/ATTACH] This is the circuit board that I Cut for the pump and fan controller. It's about the size of a credit card, has backup circuits for both the pump and the blower and an auto-cutoff for low voltages. It's controlled with a simple wireless controller. So far, it's been flawless. All the relays are solid state FET's. which means no moving parts here. Just a black box with wires coming out, it's mounted on top, behind the blower. [IMG]https://www.okshooters.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/i687.photobucket.com_albums_vv234_aviator4_Electronics_20Projects_IMG_3822.jpg[/IMG] [/QUOTE]
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