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| Brando USB Chiller & Warmer |
However, its weak peltier put a crimp to its ambitions. Even if it's powered to its maximum potential of 3.75W, that's really not powerful enough to significantly cool down any drink. It naturally does better at heating up drinks. But even then, it only managed to achieve a maximum surface temperature of 50.1°C. Warm, but hardly enough to keep a hot drink hot. Perhaps it's because the USB port is essentially limiting its power. Even though it's specified to draw up to 0.75A, USB ports can only provide up to 0.5A of current. That would mean the peltier's actual power output would really be a paltry 2.5W. It would actually be even lower in chiller mode because some power has to be allocated to the fan, which can take up to 0.55W. Little wonder it performed so poorly in the chiller mode. Ahhh.. It's really too bad. I love cold drinks, and this could have been a really useful desktop companion. With a rather noisy fan to boot, it will probably outlive its welcome soon. A real shame. However, if you are still interested in giving it a try, be sure to use it with a metal mug that has a flat base that is no wider than 65mm. You can also try disabling the fan. Not only will that rid you of its irritating whirl, it will also allow the peltier to draw more power. That should improve its chilling performance. I don't think you really need to worry about heat accumulating inside the unit. From what I can feel, the heatsink is hardly hot. Besides, it comes with quite a large heatsink for such a low-power peltier. Natural air convection should be enough to cool it. For more details, read our Comprehensive Review! |
| MSRP | • USD 24.00 |
Lowest PriceGrabber Price |
• NA |
Review |
|
Box Size |
• 16.9 cm long |
| Chiller Size | • 13.8 cm long |
Size Of Cooling/Heating Pad |
• 65 mm diameter |
Chiller Weight |
• 420 g |
Cable Length |
• 98 cm |
Supply Voltage |
• USB +5V |
Current Draw |
• 0.6 A to 0.75 A |
| Power Consumption | • 3 W to 3.75 W |
Operational Temperature |
• - 20 °C to 45 °C |
Warming Performance |
• Maximum achievable temperature : 80 °C ± 5% |
Cooling Performance |
• Minimum achievable temperature : 10 °C ± 5% |
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