ARM single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi are great for some applications — if you need something that’s energy efficient or can fit into a tight space, they’re tough to beat. But sometimes you’re stuck in the middle: you need more computational muscle than the average SBC can bring to the table, but at the same time, a full-size computer isn’t going to work for you.
Luckily, we now have options such as the LattePanda Mu powered by Intel’s quad-core N100 processor. Put a pair of these modules (with their associated carrier boards) on your desktop, and you’ve got considerable number-crunching capabilities in a relatively small package. Thanks to [Jay Doscher] we’ve got a slick 3D printed rack that can keep them secure and cool, complete with the visual flair that we’ve come to expect from his creations.
While you might be able to get away with leaving a Raspberry Pi naked on your workbench while it hosts your MQTT server, Mini-ITX boards like the LattePanda Mu carriers used in this project need a bit more protection. Even if you didn’t want to print out the whole rack, you could run off just one of the individual “Compute Unit” cases that [Jay] has designed and made freely available. Complete with stylish handle, the brutalist box will do nicely to keep gerfingerpoken und mittengraben at a minimum.
But if you do have a pair of these x86 beauties at your disposal, going all the way and printing the skeletonized rack the cases lock into looks like it would be well worth the investment of time and filament. The open design and 140 mm Noctua fan mounted in the bottom keeps airflow at a maximum, to the point that [Jay] says he doesn’t even need to run individual fans on the LattePanda boards.
This design is something of an evolution of the N100 Obelisk that [Jay] created back in May, which was able to hold more mini computers and used a more chimney-like approach to heat management. Though you can start to see the origins of his unique visual style, which combines sci-fi and militaristic elements, much earlier than that.
I do like this kind of sci-fi design. But I haven’t begged anyone to stop using the word “brutalist” wrong for a while, so here:
“[New] Brutalism” is a design agenda that foregrounds the raw, undecorated nature of the materials and processes used: concrete showing the imprint of the formwork used to cast it, exposed pipes and conduits revealing how services inform a building’s design, etc. It relates to the French “brut”, meaning “raw”, and not the word “brutal” (though they share a Latin root).
A thing can be subjectively “brutal” (or “modern” or “minimal”), but it doesn’t automatically follow that the thing is “brutalist” (or “modernist” or “minimalist”) – that’s an unrelated historical question and you’ll usually be wrong about it if you’re just guessing. Wherever there’s an ism, there’s a mountain of interesting stuff to learn about, and it’s a shame if we bury that through careless use of language, even if everyone else is doing it.
/unclutches pearls
I had the same beef but elected to write about a different one. Thanks for taking this one, and doing it well.
When I was a youngling, “Brut” was the trademark name of a cologne.
This is cool. There are absolutely use cases for something like this, things that can’t run in emulation but don’t need full scale server hardware. And it looks awesome.
This is such a refreshing design, the openness sleek look set it apart from the bland designs I’m so used to seeing for SBC cases. Modularity has to be one of the best design decisions creators can utilize as we see more and more proprietary options it is really nice to see a rack like this that has options. I think anyone would be happy to have this at their workbench.
I love these open concepts. They’re not for everyone, but I guarantee you someone out there has been looking for something exactly like this. That’s the beauty of makers, finding such a niche corner of what could/should be possible
Thanks for putting this work out here for us, Jay. I’ve been noodling on a grab and go compact rack for my everyday compute and storage. Your design got me thinking about ganging three units similar to this together: one for compute, one for storage and one for network.
Thank you Tom for always writing about fun and unique projects. Seems as if your radar covers a wide range of hobbies and interests, I greatly appreciate that.
This featured project was particularly interesting. Because of the size of standard server hardware, some people would usually shy away from jumping into more advanced home networking projects. Now that more and more powerful computers are becoming ever smaller, people can use them as an educational stepping stone to bigger projects.In this case rack mounting this smaller hardware offers a chance for more compact and even aesthetically pleasing possibilities.
A pro to Jay's design is that it's essentially a skeleton, similar to his tablet project from the back7 days. Because of this, anyone can add on to this design, and make it totally custom. Or maybe even use it as a cyberdeck frame...
Does someone really NEED to have two of these housed right next to each other? Not necessarily; but that is up to your personal preference, use case and aesthetics.
Nice rack.
fantastic build from mistuh doscher again
What’s with all the hate in the comments?
If you don’t like Jay Doscher’s builds, look elsewhere. Just don’t let the style envy show in your internet dribble. Because he is definitely onto something with his designs.
And screws are cheap, especially if you compare them to print times — the modularity in his builds is awesome.
Despite the fact that Jay came in and graciously responded to some of the negative nancies, I ended up deleting them.
No time for negativity.
Thank you for posting this build here. Despite the (unnecessarily) harsh comments that came first, I enjoyed checking out his website and following up on these cases/racks. It is a good thing you are able to ignore the pointed barbs above so that we can keep getting interesting projects like this.
I’m impressed that it runs as cool as it apparently does, especially given how little of the actual area of the bottom panel is left for the airflow. And that with parts not even being metal!..
Though it would be cool to see the numbers – both on the CPU load and the thermals. Acceptable tresholds vary so much from person to person..
I like the case design for the units a lot – it is perfectly serviceable as a standalone unit, and very functional in this “rack” configuration. I like the rail and “lock” design a lot. They look so easy to insert and remove.
I do think that configuration would truly shine with more devices – though I also recognize that this had been a base for quite the expensive SBC.
I think that in many ways this unassuming project could actually be a great lesson in case design.
It’s simple in shape and construction, yet still aesthetic.
Compact, but not to the detriment of thermals.
Straightforward in design, yet incorporates all of the functionality flawlessly.
All the while showing all the potential to be expanded and augmented/diversified as time goes on.
I think that is a fine balance we could all benefit from learning to find.