Mini Ice Maker

When camping it can be great to have a small whiskey while around a campfire as a night cap. You may like some ice with your whiskey. This project shows how to make a mini, portable ice maker to enable a little ice to be added to a 'wee dram'.

The core of the Mini Ice Maker is a thermoelectric semiconductor. When electricity is applied to it, one side heats up while the other side cools down. The trick is to use the cool side to make ice while taking the heat away from the hot side.

By circulating water through an aluminuim heat exchange unit placed on the hot side of the semiconductor, the heat is taken away to a heat storage unit. Ice is created on the cold side using a small Mould.

Just enough ice is created for a small whiskey shot.

Heat Storage unit - Empty Aluminium Beverage Can

Thermoelectric semiconductor (TEC)

Thermal Paste

Mini pump

Switch

USB C connector

Aluminium heat exchange block

Tubing

Crown bottle top

Tools:

Hot glue gun

The semiconductor is kept cool by circulating water though an aluminium heat exchange unit.

As the heat exchange unit had a different hose connection size to the pump, a hose size reducer was made using a couple of reducing sized tubes, one placed into the other. This allows a mini pump to circulate cooling water.

A mini pump is used to circulate the cooling water.

The semiconductor was mounted to the heat exchanger by applying a small amount of thermal paste.

The semiconductor and the mini pump were soldiered to a USB C connector to allow a battery pack to be connected.

Connect the heat sink to the mini pump and onto the heat storage unit using tubing. Another name for the heat storage unit is 'empty beer can'.

An empty beer can is used as a heat exchange store unit and to mount the different components to it with a hot glue gun. As the heat exchange unit was placed on top of the can, a hole was made just below the top to allow in and out tubes from the pump and heat sink to go.

Ice is made by:

• Filling the bottle cap up with water.
• Placing it on top of the Themo electric semiconductor.
• Connecting a battery pack to the unit to power it and the pump

After about 15 minutes the water in the Mould will have frozen. Allow the ice in the Mould to temper for about 30 seconds and then use the point of a knife to remove it. Place the ice in a shot glass and enjoy with a little whiskey.