CryoSnapTM Thermoelectric Dev Kit
Rapidly prototype, test, and integrate precision heating and cooling systems.
CryoSnap is an all-in-one thermoelectric (Peltier) development board that lets you rapidly assemble, power, and control a complete thermal system, then break it apart to embed directly into your design. Designed for engineers and developers who want real thermal performance on day one and a direct path into their final product.
Includes an additional TEC, heatsink, and fan.
- Designed in Austin, Texas
- Open firmware and schematics
- ~3 to 5 week lead time
What TEC evaluation usually looks like
With CryoSnap
- Assemble the thermal stack (screws included)
- Plug in USB-C
- Select heat, cool, or auto
- Watch your setpoint converge
- Pull data over serial
- First thermal data in under 10 minutes
- Fully characterized result in days, not weeks
Without CryoSnap
- Spec a TEC, source samples
- Design a driver board (H-bridge, current sensing, protections)
- Lay out and fab a PCB
- Source heatsink, fan, sensors, and mounting hardware
- Write firmware for control, sensing, and interface
- Debug all of the above before a single data point
- Two to six weeks before your first thermal measurement
Modular by design
CryoSnap is built as five snap-apart functional boards arranged in a single line. Run them together or break them apart and reuse only what you need.
Sheetak CENTUM® Peltier, aluminum heatsink, PWM fan, retention hardware, and thermal grease.
Bidirectional H-bridge with sub-1 V capability and current / voltage sensing.
USB-C Power Delivery negotiation up to 100 W, reverse-polarity protection, and direct DC input up to 32 V.
Arduino Nano on a swappable header. Replace with your own MCU using serial, I²C, SPI, or GPIO at the snap line.
Temperature knob, mode button, addressable status LEDs, and OLED header for live setpoint and telemetry display.
Start with everything working. Snap apart what you need. Drop it into your design.
Who uses CryoSnap
CryoSnap is built for engineers who need a working thermoelectric system before they commit to a board spin. If any of these sound like your next project, you are in the right place:
- Validating whether a Peltier module can meet your cooling or heating spec
- Tuning PID, bang-bang, or custom control algorithms with live serial telemetry
- Characterizing ΔT, COP, and thermal time constants against a real load
- Compare Peltier modules, TIMs, and heat exchangers side by side.
- Developing a TEC control system with hardware you can reuse directly in your design
From box to running thermoelectric system in minutes.
Four steps to a closed-loop thermal system you can characterize today.
Thread screws through the retention tabs. Place the fan, then the heatsink, then the TEC. Add thermal grease and NTC. Finger-tighten nuts on the back.
Plug it in and turn it on. A 100 W (20 V × 5 A) USB-PD source is recommended for full performance. Standard 5 V phone chargers will not negotiate PD.
Select Heat, Cool, or Auto. Tap Start. Turn the encoder to set a target temperature. The TEC begins driving instantly.
Open the Arduino IDE. Modify the PID loop, add sensors, or adapt the modules into your own prototype system.
From bench to BOM.
Most thermal systems get designed twice: once on the bench, once in the product. CryoSnap is designed to eliminate the second build.
The Peltier modules in your kit are Sheetak CENTUM series, the same ones you would specify in production. The driver circuit is based on Sheetak reference designs. The control architecture is open and already running on your bench. When you are ready to move, you are not starting from a blank schematic. You are starting from a system you have already validated.
Ready to take your bench result into production? Sheetak offers direct engineering support to move from CryoSnap to a production-ready thermal subsystem.
Talk to an applications engineerApplication Ideas
Common starting points for thermoelectric design work. Tap any card to see how CryoSnap shortens the path from concept to a defensible engineering decision, and from that decision to a production-ready design.
Prove a TEC can keep your enclosure cool under load, in an afternoon.
Mount the thermal stack, run it against your heat load, and measure exactly what your system needs. Real heat rejection numbers, real power draw, real control margins. When you have those numbers, the Sheetak CENTUM modules and driver architecture you tested are ready to specify directly into your production BOM.
CryoSnap vs. the alternatives
Where CryoSnap sits between rolling your own and buying a benchtop TEC controller.
| Roll your own | Benchtop TEC controller | CryoSnap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first data | 2 to 6 weeks | Hours, after setup | 10 minutes |
| Cost to start | $500 to $3,000 in parts and time | $1,500 to $5,000+ | From $119 |
| Driver electronics | You design | Included | Included |
| Thermal stack | You source and assemble | Sold separately | Included |
| Firmware | You write | Vendor-locked | Open, modify freely |
| Reusable in your own product | Yes (your design) | No | Yes (snap apart and reuse modules) |
| Path to production | Start over | Start over | Direct: same Sheetak parts |
Ready to configure your kit?
All options ship together. Lead time approximately 3 to 5 weeks.
Thermal stack options & accessories
CryoSnap ships as a complete system. Upgrade for higher cooling capacity, expand for parallel testing, or add accessories that fit your bench setup. Configure everything on this page. Everything ships together.
Additional thermal stacks
Each stack is a complete assembly: Peltier module, aluminum heatsink, PWM fan, mounting plate, and thermal grease. Ready to run in minutes.
Higher cooling capacity for everyday characterization work.
DatasheetGreater performance envelope and higher heat-pumping capability.
DatasheetDelta-T beyond 110°C for sub-ambient and deep-cooling applications.
DatasheetAccessories
Optional add-ons that change how you power, monitor, and integrate the system.
Delivers full CryoSnap performance over USB Power Delivery. Recommended if you don't already have a compatible high-power USB-C source.
Adds a local display to the interface module for live temperature, setpoints, system state, or custom firmware output.
Technical Specifications
Power
- USB-C input
- USB-PD, 20 V × 5 A
- DC input range
- 9–32 V
- Max system current
- 7 A
- System power class
- ~100 W
- Input protection
- Reverse polarity
TEC Control
- Topology
- Bidirectional H-bridge
- Operating modes
- Heat / Cool / Auto
- Min TEC voltage
- < 1 V
- Driver IC
- DRV8701
- Buck-boost
- TPS55288
- Sense IC
- INA226 (V + I)
Sensing & I/O
- Temperature inputs
- 3 × NTC
- Fan control
- PWM + tach
- Front panel
- Encoder + button + LEDs
- Display header
- 0.91" OLED
Architecture
- Form factor
- 260 × 85 mm
- Modules
- 5 snap-apart modules
- MCU
- Arduino Nano, swappable
- MCU buses
- Serial · I²C · SPI · GPIO
- Compatible TECs
- Sheetak CENTUM®
Software
- Toolchain
- Arduino IDE
- Source
- Open firmware
- Telemetry
- Serial / UART
- Plotting
- Arduino Serial Plotter
- Examples
- PID · cycling · logging
What's in the Box
- PCBA
- 5-module system
- MCU
- Arduino Nano
- Thermal stack
- 71-couple TEC + heatsink + fan
- Sensors
- Adhesive NTC probe
- Hardware
- Screws · clips · grease
From Peltier curiosity to a working bench, today.
Stop spending weeks debugging an H-bridge. Start with a system that runs in 10 minutes and scales straight into your production design.
Documentation
Datasheets, assembly guides, schematics, application notes, and example firmware. Everything you need from unboxing to production.