News

Kiosks staying cool with EIC Solutions

May 10, 2011

EIC Solutions, Inc., a manufacturer of thermoelectric air conditioners and electronic enclosures, recently designed a cooling system for an outdoor, ticket-dispensing kiosk.

According to a press release, the company installed VAC-powered thermoelectric air conditioners in more than 50 kiosks nationwide. The efficient, solid-state design provided reliable performance, and it was compact and lightweight enough for cooling a smaller electronic enclosure. Additionally, ThermoTEC thermoelectric air conditioners are designed to operate in harsh settings. The adjustable thermostat will work in most any climates or weather conditions.

"It was a unique application, but we were the perfect company for the job—cooling electronics is what we do," Josh Liegel, an EIC sales engineer, said in the press release.

He said the electronics and computers used in the kiosks required a constant temperature in hot climates and under adverse weather conditions in order to function properly. They were stand-alone machines with no daily on-site maintenance personnel, so any system EIC developed had to be virtually maintenance free.

Because of the versatility of the air conditioner, the same model could be used on all the kiosks across the board no matter the location — from the dry Las Vegas heat to the moist, humid air experienced during northeast summers —which standardized the implementation of the cooling systems, according to the release.

Liegel also said the ThermoTEC cooling systems were through-mounted vertically on the sides of the kiosks. The through-mount provided enough room to house the cooling equipment, so the original kiosk equipment did not need to be altered. Additionally, the location of the air conditioner in a concealed area did not alter the appearance or "clean look" of the kiosk and maintained the initial aesthetics and design.

"The ThermoTEC systems offered a reduction in kiosk equipment failure and repair by preventing them from overheating," Liegel said in the release. Because of EIC's cooling systems, Liegel asserts that the company experienced a decrease in customer complaints due to systems being down from overheating or adverse weather.