ASRock J4205 Low Power Pi replacement

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LagrangePoint

New Member
Jul 6, 2016
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Decatur, AL
Build’s Name: PVE FrankenServer
Operating System/ Storage Platform: Proxmox

CPU: Pentium J4205
Motherboard: ASRock J4205-mITX
Chassis: Supermicro 1u
Drives: 120 GB SSD
RAM: 8 GB Kingston DDR3L 1600
Add-in Cards: N/A
Power Supply: Mean Well NES-100 / PicoPSU -80
Other Bits: ELEGIANT DC 12V PWM PC CPU Temperature Controller Board


Usage Profile: I wanted to upgrade my Raspberry Pi to something faster. The Pi provided backup DNS function and syslog server mostly. After upgrading to the J4205, I realized I could run the services that were on Raspbian as VMs under Proxmox. This way, I could keep the home LAN running when I broke something on my main PVE server. Performance has been stable and with an average load of 15 Watts, it is something I can keep running 24/7.

- The power supply was a bit of a hack - involving some amateur machining of a bracket for the C14 power entry module. Had to cut out a hole with a dremel metal cutter and then tap #6-32 threads for the bracket to attach to the existing server holes. If I were to do it over, I would get a C14 socket with self contained 5A fuse. In lieu of that, I tried to make everything mechanically sound and use plenty of insulation.

Pics:

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