Meerstetter Engineering GmbH, Schulhausgasse 12, 3113 Rubigen, Switzerland http://www.meerstetter.ch 1 10.03.15 5182B TEC Controller Setup Guide This step by step guide will help you setting up a Meerstetter Engineering TEC controller for the first time. Goal: • Avoid difficulties and save time at first use • Get familiar with the TEC service software As an example application we set up a system to keep an object at a constant temperature. This means that the TEC controller will supply a Peltier element, to heat and cool depending on the measured temperature at the object.
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This step by step guide will help you setting up a Meerstetter Engineering TEC controller for the first time.
Goal:
• Avoid difficulties and save time at first use
• Get familiar with the TEC service software
As an example application we set up a system to keep an object at a constant temperature. This means that the TEC controller will supply a Peltier element, to heat and cool depending on the measured temperature at the object.
The TEC controller is configured by theservice software on the PC.The temperature sensor and the Peltier Element are connected to the TEC controller. The Peltier element has to beplaced on the heat sink with the cold side(marked side) upward.
• Connect TEC on X4 to your PC using a mini USB-B cable
If Windows can not recognize a new device you can install the driver from our software CD(CD: Installation\FTDI Driver\CDM v2.10.00 WHQL Certified.exe)
We will prepare the computer to be able to configure the TEC using the service software.
• Windows will prompt you to install a USB (serial interface) driver
• Follow the steps for the installation as shown by Windows
Important: We assume that you set up a new TEC controller with default settings. If not please load the default configuration in the service software from the CD or from the software package available on our website.(CD: TEC_G01\Software\5134P TEC Default Config.ini)
Load the default configuration by clicking on «Import Config».
TEC Controller Setup Guide5. Temperature Measurement
• Set «Lower Error Threshold» to 10 °C
• Solder the NTC temperature sensor to the pre-assembled cable (CAB-6154) and connect the cable at X7 of the controller.
• Make sure the sensor is connected according to the following schematicshowing X7. (Since we use a NTC sensor, 2-wire sensing is used.)
• A sink temperature sensor is not used in this case. (Pin 1 & 2 of X7) In the tab 6 Sink Temperature, a fixed ambient temperature value is used for the option «CH1 Sink Temperature Source Selection».
Tab 5 Object Temperature
In general you can set values by typing them tothe corresponding field and click on «Write Config» to save them to the controller.
TEC Controller Setup Guide5. Temperature Measurement
We use a 10K NTC sensor with a B value of3988K. The values for the sensor alreadycorrespond to the default settings. If you useanother NTC sensor, you will have to set thevalues given by the datasheet of the sensor.
For Pt100/1000 sensors the TEC will useinternally stored settings.
Tab 5 Object Temperature
• Set «CH1 Object NTC Sensor Characteristics» if needed
If a Pt100/1000 sensor is used, we use 4-wire sensing for higher precision. In this case the assembly is done according to the schematic on the right side. (Thus on each pin of the sensor, two cables are soldered to.)
TEC Controller Setup Guide7. Peltier Element Characteristics
• Search the four parameters in thedatasheet of your Peltier element:Imax, Umax, Qmax, dTmax
• «CH1 Peltier Characteristics»: Put the fourparameters into the corresponding fields
• Choose the option «Cooling» in «Positive Current is»
First we have to tell the TEC controller thecharacteristics of the Peltier element we areusing.
Tab 4 Temperature Control
Important: «CH1 Peltier Characteristics» arevalues given by the datasheet of the Peltier element. These values can not be used to limitthe output. Limits are set in Tab 3 Operation.
TEC Controller Setup Guide8. Connect the Peltier Element
Connect the Peltier element to X5 (OUT+) and X6 (OUT-). Connect the red cable to OUT+ andthe black cable to OUT-. The cold side of the Peltier element will be the one with theidentification marking.
TEC Controller Setup Guide8. Connect the Peltier Element
Since we have everything connected and prepared, our setup now looks like this.
In the example on the photo, the gray and yellow cables are used to connect the object temperature sensor, and not pink and green. The result is the same, since the pink and gray wires are short-circuited through R61 on the TEC controller as well as the yellow and green wires through R60.
TEC Controller Setup Guide9. Temperature Controller
• Set «Target Object Temp [°C]» at «CH1 Nominal Temperature» to 15
Our goal is now to keep an object at a constanttemperature. First we set the controlparameters. Then we have to limit the outputof the TEC controller.
Tab 4 Temperature Control
In «CH1 Modelization for Thermal Power Regulation» the option «Peltier, Full Control» ischosen. That means that the controller canheat and cool the object using the Peltier element.
To be able to precisely control the objecttemperature we have to optimize the controlsystem of the TEC controller. This can be doneusing the integrated PID Auto Tuning function.
Tab 7 Auto Tuning
• The system tries to optimize the system andseeks optimum PID values
• If the temperature is changing in the wrong direction, the Peltier element is connected the wrong way. Switch the wires at X5 and X6 and test your setup again.
Congratulations! Your TEC controller is working and you should be able to set up a simple application with your TEC controller.
• If you need more information about how to design a thermoelectric application including calculations, choosing Peltier elements, temperature sensors, heat sinks and power supplies, please refer to our «TEC / Peltier Element Design Guide» on our website:http://meerstetter.ch/compendium/tec-peltier-element-design-guide
• If you need further or more detailed information about operating our TEC controllers, please refer to the TEC Family User Manual:http://meerstetter.ch/de/category/33-latest-user-manuals?download=4
• For a general overview of our TEC controllers please visit our products page:http://meerstetter.ch/products/tec-controllers