These little dehumidifiers are widely available under several brand names and with wildly varying prices for the exact same units.
They are usually described as 300ml or 500ml dehumidifiers although that does not in any way relate to their daily extraction performance. In short these work for very small spaces, but are not as efficient as traditional compressor or desiccant drum dehumidifiers. If you buy one to keep a room dry you may be disappointed, but for a small portacabin or camper they may actually be a viable option.
They're very quiet due to the only moving part being a computer style fan. The two main components, the fan and peltier array both operate directly on 12V so it's actually viable to run one of these from a small solar panel. Note that the operating current is 3A.
The main failure modes of these things are probably the fan bearing going noisy due to it's low cost and the power supply failing due to the relatively heavy load of 3A at 12V and inevitable cost cutting.
The design is very similar to the little mini-fridges you get that can run from a cigarette lighter socket in a car. Theoretically you could use one of these dehumidifiers in a car, but the battery load of 3A is quite high for continuous operation.
The internal construction is ultra simple. A peltier array is sandwiched between two heatsinks. A small smooth one on the cold side that condenses water vapour out of the air that is pulled in across it, and a larger heatsink on the hot side that the air then passes to keep it cool.
They are usually described as 300ml or 500ml dehumidifiers although that does not in any way relate to their daily extraction performance. In short these work for very small spaces, but are not as efficient as traditional compressor or desiccant drum dehumidifiers. If you buy one to keep a room dry you may be disappointed, but for a small portacabin or camper they may actually be a viable option.
They're very quiet due to the only moving part being a computer style fan. The two main components, the fan and peltier array both operate directly on 12V so it's actually viable to run one of these from a small solar panel. Note that the operating current is 3A.
The main failure modes of these things are probably the fan bearing going noisy due to it's low cost and the power supply failing due to the relatively heavy load of 3A at 12V and inevitable cost cutting.
The design is very similar to the little mini-fridges you get that can run from a cigarette lighter socket in a car. Theoretically you could use one of these dehumidifiers in a car, but the battery load of 3A is quite high for continuous operation.
The internal construction is ultra simple. A peltier array is sandwiched between two heatsinks. A small smooth one on the cold side that condenses water vapour out of the air that is pulled in across it, and a larger heatsink on the hot side that the air then passes to keep it cool.
your guarantee is now void…thanks for the video
What size 12v fan is that? 80mm?
I have the newer version with LED lighting and have yet to find any information about opening it up and as a technician who works on phones, PCs, laptops etc can find no way to open it up.
Now its full of dust and the fan needs replacing and I can't open it to do the job. Not pleased at all.
why don't they add more peltier and make it work a little bit more. i love Peltier. i hope it will be the future of a/c
Hello, where I live during summer it gets to around 48°c – 52°c and right now we are experiencing very high humidity which is very bad ☹️ you cannot be outside, we are cloudy right now and I noticed the clouds literally disappear (probably because they are literally mixing with the humidity around the air. Right now is 12am and we have a temp of around 35°c and humidity 43%. 35 people have died in this month because of the extreme heat, do you think or could you do a video about these kind of humidifiers to see if this helps a little to at least bring the humidity down. I wanted to see if these would work to bring the humidity down and save on electricity for the people that are poor and cannot afford to pay high electricity bills
Stupid thing they don't even tell you how to clean the interior of the tank in my manual 😢 I have a good mind to just return it, but it did drop the humidity in the bedroom 59% to 54% or so in just a few hours though 🤔
Hey, hi from AU! Somehow missed this video, and nice to watch the teardown, tell you what these little things are great for – I have one in a small 60x60x50cm(ish) file cabinet/drawer I sealed and insulated and keep printer supplies in – where I am averages 75%rh and goes to 85%-90% quite regularly, this thing keeps 35C 35%rh almost all year round and produces a litre of water every six to eight weeks, excellent for old style lead acid batteries and I also use it to keep solder sponges wet and give the rest away to people that still do ironing… It's been going for almost three years now and reminds me why we like solid state devices…
I bought two of these units about 4 months ago. Mine have one micro switch that turns the yellow light on when the reservoir is full. Initial Problem: first unit fan stopped and green light does not come on. If if press the micro switch the yellow light does come on. Power is going to some areas. I replaced the fan and still not working. Today the second unit needed to be emptied but no light was on. I emptied it and replaced the reservoir securely but it is now acting in the same manner with no green light and no fan movement. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,.
these are quite handy for drying shoes and such. that's what I use them for at least. in the humid summer months they can bring out about a tank worth a day which is not bad for it's size, but yeah if you need a real dehumidifier you should get one.
why the fuck did you wipe thermal paste all over everything
love your vodcasts Clive they are always so informative. they tell me everything that I need to know about how a device works and therefore how to check it is functioning correctly and repair it if it is not
the hot and cold air flows are kept completely separate from each other, not (asking rethorically)
This Video is old but You my dude are my saving grace and first address in terms of reverse engineering + DiY
Salute
I think you should have run it outside under an awning of some sort. Or at least in a room with a window open. Once it has dried out the air beyond a certain level, further effort will be fruitless but for any new moist air that may have entered the operating environment in the meantime. In a closed-up box like a house, there's no good source for any new moist air.
Now they changed for 9V adapter, possibly lower voltage for more longevity. Just acquired the same, fills the whole bucket in 1.5 days in my 80% room humidity here, despite that it's not able to lower it as unit is too small for room size I suspect.