An apparatus and method of assembly are described that provide improved mechanisms for cooling an optoelectronic transducer in a fiber optic system. The apparatus includes a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) secured to the optoelectronic transducer for removing heat from the optoelectronic transducer in response to instructions from a TEC driver, as well as a microcontroller electrically connected to the TEC driver for monitoring temperature and communicating with the TEC driver to selectively activate and deactivate the TEC at least partially based on the monitored temperature and/or other measured/detected data to effect a more efficient cooling mechanism for optoelectronic transducers, such as VCSELs. In addition, the user may be able to configure the system to maintain the optoelectronic transducer within a user-defined range of temperatures. In this way, a longer life and better performance of the optoelectronic transducer may be achieved, and datacenter costs related to cooling and/or maintenance may be minimized.