On this tutorial, we will show how to use a Peltier with Arduino. The Peltier, or Thermoelectric coolers, are a device that can transfer heat from one side to another when a current is applied. You can use it as a heater or a cooler. This Peltier can be powered up to 15,4V and 7A.

To use the Peltier, you will need a N-channel Mosfet and a 10K resistor.

Build the following circuit:

To control the current, we will use a PWM port. It can be used the pins 3,5,6,9,10 and 11. We are going to use the pin 3.

Upload the following code:

int peltier = 3; //The N-Channel MOSFET is on digital pin 3
int power = 0; //Power level fro 0 to 99%
int peltier_level = map(power, 0, 99, 0, 255); //This is a value from 0 to 255 that actually controls the MOSFET

void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);

//pinMode(peltier, OUTPUT);
}

void loop(){
char option;

if(Serial.available() > 0)
{
option = Serial.read();
if(option == 'a') 
power += 5;
else if(option == 'z')
power -= 5;

if(power > 99) power = 99;
if(power < 0) power = 0;

peltier_level = map(power, 0, 99, 0, 255);
}

Serial.print("Power=");
Serial.print(power);
Serial.print(" PLevel=");
Serial.println(peltier_level);

analogWrite(peltier, peltier_level); //Write this new value out to the port

}

Open the serial monitor:

Send an "a" character and you will start reading the power going up. Type "z" and it will go down. Feels the Peltier. One side will be hot while the other cold. Remember to put a heat sink in the Mosfet to not melt your protoboard.

That's it!

References:

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10080

http://tomswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Peltier+%28TEC%29+Cooling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect

http://bildr.org/2012/03/rfp30n06le-arduino/

http://sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/General/Peltier_Testing.pde