Rackmount Raspberry Pi 3/4 Case

thingiverse

After reviewing the available rackmount raspberry pi cases, I decided to make my own. This case won't be for everyone, but it is exactly what I wanted. It does not expose any ports other than the front USB and ethernet as it was made for a headless server. There is a port from the rear to feed through a quality 5v power supply cable that connects directly to the gpio. I am using a Raspberry Pi 4 overclocked to 2ghz and the temp graph I posted is legit, however I do not yet have that heavy of load on the Pi. I have also installed heat sinks with thermal epoxy. I chose to print mine vertically, as in the photo I posted, but it should print just fine horizontally. There are two models available. One has the mounts on the left, the other on the right. There are also two front covers available. One is for the Raspberry Pi 4, the other is for older models as they reversed the layout. The cover has a lip that is flush with the ethernet port which allows a touch of hot glue to better hold it in place. The fan cover can be held in place by just a touch of hot glue but it should stay in place without it if wanted. I used a 40mm x 10mm Noctua 5v fan. Any 40mmx10mm fan should work but the Noctua is highly recommended. For the fan and power supply, use 2.54mm female pin connectors and covered each in a bit of heat shrink tubing. It is a tight fit inside the case, you will need to bend the wiring 90 degrees to assist the installation. You will need four 12mm M3 screws to attach the fan and two #4 x 1/4" sheet metal screws to attach the raspberry pi. Only the two screw holes on the Pi nearest the ethernet and USB ports are used. They are accessible through the top vents, but you will need to start the screws prior to inserting it in the case and then use a small screw driver through the vents to tighten them down. The order of installation is (1) install fan, (2) push power supply wire through port in rear, (3) attach the fan and power wire pins before inserting the Pi, (4) start the two #4 screws into the Pi, (5) carefully insert the Pi into the case, (6) tighten screws with small screwdriver through ports, (7) insert front cover or do this first if you want to glue it in place.