I made an open source, 3D-printable 1U Disk Shelf (19in 4-bay , 10in 2-bay)

[kayson]

This took a lot longer than I'd originally planned, but it's finally done! I decided to make this because I'm setting up a 4x TinyMiniMicro lab (Lenovo M920q's, specifically), and I couldn't find an easy way to get 3.5" storage for each node. There are some 4 bay JBODs, but they're expensive, and wouldn't let me split one drive per node! So I designed and built this over the last ~6mo.

It's completely open source, from the source Fusion files to the custom SATA backplane PCB. It's made to be easily printable and assembly was painless. Links to the models and PCB files are below.

Features:

• 4-bay (19in rack) or 2-bay (10in rack) enclosures
• 40mm exhaust fan per drive for cooling air flow
• Custom backplane PC for “cold plug”
  • Passive SATA connections
  • PWM Fan Speed Control
  • Power and Activity LEDs
• Steel rack ears

Pictures:



Links:
Model: https://makerworld.com/en/models/1570200-1u-disk-shelf-19-inch-4-bay-10-inch-2-bay
PCB: GitHub - kaysond/1U-DiskShelf: A 3D-Printable 1U Disk Shelf (4 bays) With Custom SATA Backplane

 

[kayson]

A couple of people on reddit were interested in buying the PCBs. I can do a run for about $27 per board for total quantity of 10, so feel free to express your interest here.

 

[beatle]

Cool project. In case anyone is wondering, there are more pictures on the link @ Maker World.

What's the total outlay for one of these? It looks like:

• 2x PCB: $54
• 4x fans: $60 + s/h
• 2x rack ears: $6 + $10 shipping = $16
• Assorted hardware: $10
• Filament: $5
• TOTAL $145

If you're building several you might be able to bring the cost down on some of these a bit, but the fans are a real budget killer unless there is a lower cost option. Guessing this meets your specific use case vs. someone looking for a DAS that might cost the same. How are you connecting the drives to the machines and powering the drives?

 

[kayson]

Cool project. In case anyone is wondering, there are more pictures on the link @ Maker World.

What's the total outlay for one of these? It looks like:

• 2x PCB: $54
• 4x fans: $60 + s/h
• 2x rack ears: $6 + $10 shipping = $16
• Assorted hardware: $10
• Filament: $5
• TOTAL $145

If you're building several you might be able to bring the cost down on some of these a bit, but the fans are a real budget killer unless there is a lower cost option. Guessing this meets your specific use case vs. someone looking for a DAS that might cost the same. How are you connecting the drives to the machines and powering the drives?

Thanks! That total is probably about right. I bet you could get 4 fans for $40 shipped if you waited for a good price or went used. I couldn't find a DAS from a reputable manufacturer (i.e. not aliexpress) for under $220, and in my case, each drive is connected to a different node, so typical commercial DAS/JBOD/Disk Shelf options didn't really apply.

The point of the passive SATA passthrough backplane is maximum flexibility. In my case, each drive gets data / power from the internal SATA connector in a Lenovo M920q (routed outside with this mod ). Alternatively, you could connect them all to one PC with SATA data cables (or Mini SAS -> 4x SATA breakout cable if you have an HBA), and use an ATX power supply SATA power cable. Another option would be USB 3 / C to SATA adapters.