Raspberry Pi 8-Layer Cluster Case with 120mm RGB Fan

I'm currently working on a project that requires a number of Raspberry Pi boards and I bought a great cluster case. However, while it will be the ideal case for when I finally deploy the project, it was not "open" in the sense that I had no access to the GPIO or video ports - only the USB ports. Since I was just starting system debug of a lot of custom software, I found I continuously needed to plug in a monitor, along with a keyboard and mouse for those cases where a software bug suddenly made remotely connecting to one of the boards no longer possible. I was then faced with having to completely disassemble the case so that I could remove the board and fix the problem. Laying the boards (all seven of them) on the desktop and connecting power to each would have been very space consuming, difficult to provide fan cooling for all boards and just not really practical. I needed a case that that would provide a compact mounting solution but still give access to the boards, along with easy removal of a single board when necessary. This case had everything I needed. After examining the components when the case arrived I began to realize that the case offers the ability to be configured in many different ways. Looking at the instructions and how to assemble it and then comparing it to the attached picture, you'll see this is a configuration the manufacturer likely never imagined but it absolutely suits my development needs. By turning the case on it's side instead of standing it up I was able to add some standoff bolts so there was room under the case to tuck the system power supply. I only used one of the two side pieces, leaving the top wide open. The "comb-like installation tool" mentioned in step #6 of the instructions, now provides stability to the boards and keeps them separated so that they don't lean and possibly touch an adjacent board. I only used a fraction of the supplied parts but the reconfigurability of this product allowed me to easily come up with a solution that will make the system debugging a lot easier.

For my use-case, this case would be a 3-star rating, but for most use-cases it's a solid 4. If you understand the trade-offs and they fit your planned build, this case is a great piece at a great price. Pros: - Price is excellent for what you get. - Big fans move lots of air, and are quiet. - The TF card converter is a great (and necessary) touch, and is well-built. - Each "blade" is pre-drilled for RPi 4B/5, Jetson Nano and a 2.5" SSD; and could be drilled to accept other SBC's as well. - Assembly is pretty simple, and comes with all of the hardware needed. - Unit is sturdy and functional. I zip-tied a Cisco 110 managed switch to the side, and it holds up very nicely. Trade-offs: - Blades are spaced too close to allow the use of most hats on RPi boards, except the top board; I was able to mount an active cooling system and NVME hat there without issue. I had to run a separate power supply because I couldn't use a PoE hat. Not the end of the world, but something to consider. - Removing any blade requires taking the unit at least partially apart. For the price, this is a reasonable trade-off, but if you plan to regularly swap components, you need to understand this prior to purchase. Any case with a more easily swappable blade is going to be significantly more expensive. Overall: This rack is a good choice for a desktop homelab for learning the basics of clustering and/or containerization. It would also be a solid choice for a budget rack for various home server projects (NAS, HomeKit, etc.). There are some trade-offs that you should be aware of depending on your intended use, but overall, it's a solid little case with a good aesthetic that will likely outlast the hardware that you're mounting to it.

I bought the 8-layer rack and overall I am satisfied with it. I especially like the included SD-card extender boards and the fact that the included large 5-V fans are very quiet. However, there are a few areas of improvement. First it is very difficult to align all the tabs from the middle layers and from the fans with the slots in the upper plate. The acrylic material of the thin middle layers is very brittle and I managed to brake off a few of the tabs. I saw that with the 12-layer version of this rack they include an alignment tool (basically a plastic ruler with slots in it) for this very purpose. They should include it also in the 8-layer version. Alternatively, the middle layers could be made from a less brittle material. I personally don't require the middle layers to be clear so I'd prefer them in a non-acryclic, opaque material that is less fragile. Another option would be to make the 8-layer and 12-layer racks modular, i.e. build them from 4-layer racks that can be stacked together. This would not only solve the above-mentioned problem but would be an advantage in its own right since it would allow users to upgrade from a smaller rack to a larger rack without having to buy an entire new case. One other area for improvement are the holes in the middle layers. They already have two sets of holes that allow center- or edge-placement of the Raspberry Pis. The edge placement brings the Raspberry Pi connectors closer to the side of the rack. With the edge placement there is actually enough room to mount a second Raspberry Pi on each layer. This would prohibit the use of the SD-card extenders but with USB-boot available now this has become less of an issue. On the other hand it would greatly extend the density of the rack, i.e. allowing up to 16 Raspberry Pis in an 8-layer rack. However, the 3rd set of mounting holes is currently missing; so adding them is my last suggestion for improvement. Of course you could drill your own holes but you would require special acrylic drill bits since regular ones would shatter the acrylic middle layers.

Frustrating to assemble or re-assemble due to the need to line-up all of the mounting plates with the side peices. Yet it's the only case that fits both RPI 5 and Nvidia Jetson Nano out of the box which is unique.

This is a great case. It gives slot of mounting options. I have built one with 4 shelves using 4 Raspberry Pi 4s, and the extended they include are a life saver. I have used it with SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB flawlessly. I built a second case with 8 shelves, to use with 4 Nvidia Jetson Nanos with no issue... shelves have Nano pre-drilled holes. (Nanos have a tall heat sink so you will have to every other shelf to mount Nanos (8 shelf model to mount 4 Jetson Nanos). PLUS if you are using Jetson Nanos, the SSD holes are left free and clear to still use.... meaning that you can mount you SSD on the underside of the shelf.

Looks nice on the advertising but even with the tool they provide to align each shelf. It is hard to put together, and if you too much pressure it breaks. So don't even try to 3.5 drives they don't fit or you have to give a fan.

The case and fans are nice. Fit and trim is somewhat to admire. Bolts holding The case together are too long the backside of the case where all your usb are has a bow in it so the trays in the center want to pop out. There should be a bolt going across there. One set of the fan and light wires should be longer so they can all plug into one raspberry. Not enough room for eight Poe hats and I have the shortest so this defeats the purpose of the whole case being used as a cluster.

It's a niche market need and this is a niche-like case. If you tinker, then you will not like this case much as it is not easy to re-assemble ( or assemble ). Love the fans, but when one breaks...good luck finding another. On the good side, when you get it together, then it is compact, sturdy, and good looking. If you using hats, then you will need to measure and adjust accordingly. The side smakes it stable and work well only if you use the base pi with no hats. Access is limited to narrowish slots. The fans block access to the "rear" of the pi (where there ssd is) and the extender card makes it usable as the fans are not easily remove and reattached. The top struts look cool, but make putting your "pet" on the top of the cattle workable, but they restrict access. I am changing my cluster and bought it again. My small space and need to rotate out my projects drove that decision. Oh well.

Rack can host Intel Nuc (Tall in vendors case, checked on 8th gen) occupy exactly 2 slots and have space on top for other screws. Nuc can be bareboned but it does not give worse benefits. Fans are not managed (RGB effects only as on pictures, RPM fixed as well). It is very nice to see for each unit plate both side mountings. Rack capable to host about 2kg load without issues (but do not use top handle then).

I enjoy putting things together and after watching a YouTube video showing the assembly , I bought this case for my multiple RPi models. After the video,I think most people will be able to tackle the slightly challenging assembly. The end result is a very nice setup that make experimenting with my pi cluster easy!