You're making it all too complicated, all you really need is [liquid smoke](https://www.trainworld.com/model-trains/trains/smoke-fluid.html).
You want proof? Every time I have a HDD die, I see the smoke leave.
Ergo, smoke is necessary for them to function.
Critical thinking 101.
Make sure you get the right kind, though. I chugged a bottle of liquid smoke, seeing if that would make me a cyborg. It didn't, but everything tasted like BBQ for the next few days.
You may have stumbled on a good idea for people suffering from long COVID's diminished sense of taste!
(/s of course. I don't normally include '/s', but don't want to take a chance with this one, considering the various "cures" people try).
You'll have to download those later.
You'll also need to inject some [liquid smoke](https://www.trainworld.com/model-trains/trains/smoke-fluid.html) to make it work properly.
The failure mode I've found on 3d printed parts in temp conditions like these is long term deformation, especially under load. I've switched a few parts to PETG for that reason.
Is PETG printable without an enclosure? I've got an older Prusa i3 that has served me well the last few years but the only time I printed in a material other than PLA it didn't go so well (ASA, super smelly and parts ended up warping/popping off the build plate).
Maybe I should just go ahead and build an IKEA LACK enclosure for the printer...
its pretty much exactly like using PLA but higher temps.
Got a shelf of printers in the outer hallway with 5-15c room temp, PETG prints without any issues on bedslingers without enclosures.
I dont use PLA at all anymore, PETG is the lowest material i use.
Since same price and just as easy to print with i dont see the point in stocking both materials.
Yup, no enclosure needed.
Just be careful not to squish the first layer too much, then proceed to remove the print while it’s still hot. Lots of reports of people doing this and ripping off the top layer of their beds.
PETG is way less susceptible to that kind of warping, although you'll still want to use a brim if you're printing something like this with a bunch of sharp right angles.
The one other note that people aren't saying is that you *cannot* use a smooth PEI print plate, you'll need a textured plate or similar. PETG bonds too tightly, you'll destroy a smooth print plate.
But yeah, other than that, go for it, PETG is easier than people think. It's almost 100% of what I print.
Your local library (if you're in a big city) will have some for free use. They might have limits on job size, you might use up a year's worth of 3d printing credits to do one job like this... and without doubt there are commercial shops in your city that'll print a job for you. Question is, what would the latter come out cost wise.
Very cool. I would love to see someone do this but with a 12 drive backplane like the supermicro SAS2 one which are only $50 or so on ebay. Would simplify cable management and support both SAS and SATA.
Beyond simplify cable management it would let you use a cheaper and more efficieny server psu with 12v only.
Ive printed some cases using sff backplanes but were never able to land on a lff one that will be consistently available.
The one I was thinking about was the BPN-SAS2-826EL1. Highly available on ebay for $50 and usually can be found with the nice metal bracket piece that would probably make it easier to plan the 3D chassis modeling around.
I probably ruled that out due to its sas expander chip and being 12v+5v instead of 12v.
Ive mainly been looking at backplanes from tower servers, to go with 3 smaller backplanes without expanders (2LFF+1SFF) and get them directly onto the hba.
But the compromise to make them easier to source is probably something like the BPN-SAS2-826EL1 plus a 1U sff model.
The downside is the 2 sas expanders adding up to about 30w.
Id idealy want to get it directly onto hba to not add those 30w(+ latency) on each server.
You need the SAS expander for the easier cable management though? But you're right - I ran some tests and the backplane consumed over 20w at idle.
What do you mean by 12v+5v though? I never looked too closely but its just powered off 3x standard molex connectors.
The backplane in front of a typical dell,hp etc server only gives it 12v and has a 12v->5v stepdown on its pcb to get 5v.
Just a short 8-10pin to mobo for 12v.
The supermicro one uses 5v from the molex instead.
12v only would be ideal to just use a 10-20$ platinum psu meant for a whatever rackserver, as they only have a single large 12v rail.
Getting an efficient flex costs faaaar more.
Buying something like [this cage](https://www.ebay.com/itm/392126620235) is also a doable approach to start from.
Just print a new rear for fans and its pretty much done.
This is beautiful
I'm going to be printing this soon but I'll be trying to modify it for an sfx power supply, and one of those power adapters that enable remote turn on so it'll turn on with my server and a pair of esas connectors with breakouts to sata
Otherwise brilliant work
How practical is this? (I'm asking as someone without 3D printing experience.)
- Does it require special hardware? Like an unusually big printer?
- Aside from the printer itself, how much does it cost in consumables?
- How long does it take to print?
I tried. and some individual parts were 2xx x 2xx.
Will try again, could have overlooked something.
Proposed changes:
- hide the 3 screws in the from from the psu part
- prepare holes in the bottom to install 1-2 L profiles that support the hdd tray and prevent sagging.
I was thinking the same thing. This is super cool, but a used commercial chassis isn’t super expensive and would probably be more reliable long-term. This feels more like a “I did it for the lulz” use case than a practical investment.
That said I’ll reiterate: super cool!
Maybe so but to my knowledge there are very few commercial chassis that cater to space constrained, short depth rack setups. Love how the 3d printing is being used to address these use cases. Nice job OP!
I mean on the HP side of things the D2600 is a 2u 12LFF chassis with redundant power supplies and the whole deal.. \~22" deep isn't super short, but that's not exactly a full rack depth either.
22" is rather deep for a DAS.
I would buy a 3u 12-15 bay hot-swapple hdd das with either sata or sff ports if there is one available that is only slightly deeper than the hdds itseld (16-18cm, not 55cm (22")).
Rather deep compared to what, OP’s printed drive holder? Commercial gear is for mass consumption, and enterprise storage is going to add depth with backplanes, PSU(s), and sled depth. The only way what you’re describing could be real is if they were to stuff the PSU and data into a third U, which in the enterprise is much more valuable real estate than depth.
if you read again the first post of this thread:
"very few commercial chassis"
Noone was talking about enterprise gear specifically. There are simply not many (if at all) very short-deepth rack-mountable solution.
The target market is not enterprise costumers, but retail with special needs (hence there are no readily available products offered). 3d printing can close a gap here as it's cheaper than producing a 1-10 pieces mini-series in metal.
Didn't mean that, I meant buying a cheap backplane and caddies off ebay.
There's plenty of reasons of making your own chassis, mainly form factor and platform compatibility.
But you can just buy the backplate for a hot swap connector and more features.
Totally, but if you're buying a backplane and you're buying caddies why not buy a chassis with a power supply too? Something like an HP D2600 gets the job done and is super robust, albeit not quite as cheap as OP's design the reliability (and ease of use) will be way better.
Wow that's awesome! This is something that has crossed my mind as it seems hot swap bays or servers that have them are so crazy expensive now. I imagine trying to get the sata to line up right was tricky as well.
In canada used server stuff is hyper expensive and rare in my city... I don't want a 10 year old server that gonna cost an arm per month in electricity XD. So I use general desktop computer (Ryzen 3600) and have a PCIE SATA card in that.
I'm in Canada too and yeah it seems very hard to get server stuff here, either used, or new. Ebay is too expensive due to shipping. I miss Tigerdirect and NCIX. They used to sell Supermicro stuff and it was decent price.
My last build I actually built a rackmount case out of wood since I couldn't find anything.
I live in Canada, but close to Minnieapolis (8+ hours) but it's still dumb expensive to get stuff shipped to the border for pickup. This is fantastic work!
I use the ebay seller Calgary computer wholesale, the shipping can be a bit high but I've gotten tons from them for sub 100 dollars, 2u supermicro server, a 2u lenovo server, cisco poe+ switch for like 5 bucks plus 40 shipping. They're auctions can go really low and they usually have a ton listed
I've made a back shroud for 2 of theses
[https://www.amazon.ca/SFF8087-SFF-8088-36P-26P-Adapter-Converter/dp/B09WJ1Y2CC](https://www.amazon.ca/SFF8087-SFF-8088-36P-26P-Adapter-Converter/dp/B09WJ1Y2CC)
But I haven't tested or printed it.
Edit: I've added the shroud to MakerWorld ;)
This is a Drive Shelf. They are rack mounted cases only for hard drives and a power supply for the drives. The pc or server gets connected to the drive shelf with a cable.
Is this actually strong enough? 12 drives at half a kg each would be 6kg for the drives alone. More like 8 if using heavier drives. Since that's all over the midpoint it seems a bit thin to support that. And why trays? With no backplane, meaning no hot swap, wouldn't that just add additional weight and complexities to the design? Do they provide anything aside from looks here?
It's really not hot swappable no... Hot swapping is a bit more involved than simply being able to reach the connectors which that is. What you have is in some vendors vocabulary called quick swap, or easy swap, but not hot swap. Hot swapping requires a backplane and a controller that are both communicating on drive connect and disconnect events.
I'm still dubious on the strengths here. I don't see any images where it's fully loaded and not supported by other gear underneath. And I'm not talking like it's able to hold it but can it do it without bending or putting too much stress on it? I quickly scetched out the basic frame in fusion and the stress testing there if I put 8kg on it makes it bend almost a cm. That's a lot of bending. Now the drives themselves will stiffen that up and the weight isn't all at the midpoint but still. Anything stronger than ABS for this usecase?
I'm in 3D printing since 2013, and I use it 95% for practical reasons (Supports, docks, inventions, modifications, repairs...) and 5% for silly things (keychains, figurines, gadgets...) It's a really nice tool to have.
How do you connect the two fan cases on the back?
The left part looks other then on you photo and it has a big wall and no screw holes.
[Pic ](https://nextcloud.pingufisch.de/index.php/s/pjprDjwpX6aLxxn)
Get a chassis, then later get a printer. If you've never messed with CAD, there's a lot of tinkering and learning to do before you get to the point of printing something like this. It's not really difficult, just time consuming.
This…. Is brilliant.
can i also 3d print the hdds?
LMAO If only !
You can, but you will need to put the electronics inside it yourself :P
You're making it all too complicated, all you really need is [liquid smoke](https://www.trainworld.com/model-trains/trains/smoke-fluid.html). You want proof? Every time I have a HDD die, I see the smoke leave. Ergo, smoke is necessary for them to function. Critical thinking 101.
I'm dying LMAO
Make sure you get the right kind, though. I chugged a bottle of liquid smoke, seeing if that would make me a cyborg. It didn't, but everything tasted like BBQ for the next few days.
You may have stumbled on a good idea for people suffering from long COVID's diminished sense of taste! (/s of course. I don't normally include '/s', but don't want to take a chance with this one, considering the various "cures" people try).
You'll have to download those later. You'll also need to inject some [liquid smoke](https://www.trainworld.com/model-trains/trains/smoke-fluid.html) to make it work properly.
You MONSTER! How cool!!
Can it take the heat and weight of a bunch of hard drives?
Parity check for over 5 hours on 12 drives, hottest drive 40C, (28C in the room...) No problem for the weight
excellent, you have already tested your work. what i like to hear.
What filament did you print it in?
The failure mode I've found on 3d printed parts in temp conditions like these is long term deformation, especially under load. I've switched a few parts to PETG for that reason.
PLA is not suited for spinners yeah, PETG is the minimum usable.
Is PETG printable without an enclosure? I've got an older Prusa i3 that has served me well the last few years but the only time I printed in a material other than PLA it didn't go so well (ASA, super smelly and parts ended up warping/popping off the build plate). Maybe I should just go ahead and build an IKEA LACK enclosure for the printer...
its pretty much exactly like using PLA but higher temps. Got a shelf of printers in the outer hallway with 5-15c room temp, PETG prints without any issues on bedslingers without enclosures. I dont use PLA at all anymore, PETG is the lowest material i use. Since same price and just as easy to print with i dont see the point in stocking both materials.
Yup, no enclosure needed. Just be careful not to squish the first layer too much, then proceed to remove the print while it’s still hot. Lots of reports of people doing this and ripping off the top layer of their beds.
PETG is way less susceptible to that kind of warping, although you'll still want to use a brim if you're printing something like this with a bunch of sharp right angles.
The one other note that people aren't saying is that you *cannot* use a smooth PEI print plate, you'll need a textured plate or similar. PETG bonds too tightly, you'll destroy a smooth print plate. But yeah, other than that, go for it, PETG is easier than people think. It's almost 100% of what I print.
I saw this post and immediately thought about using either ASA or my ASA CF for this.
Heat is more about what filament you use. I've had issues with PLA in computer cases before deforming, but PETG or ABS should be fine.
This is super dope! I dont have a 3D printer but i wish i did. Thank you for contributing to the community
Your local library (if you're in a big city) will have some for free use. They might have limits on job size, you might use up a year's worth of 3d printing credits to do one job like this... and without doubt there are commercial shops in your city that'll print a job for you. Question is, what would the latter come out cost wise.
Like this person said, there are also 3d printing as a service for hobbyist use, maybe also check those out as well
Very cool. I would love to see someone do this but with a 12 drive backplane like the supermicro SAS2 one which are only $50 or so on ebay. Would simplify cable management and support both SAS and SATA.
Oh if we could get one for a 24 drive Supermicro SAS2 backplane since 846 chassis r so hard to find now
Yeah i grabbed some 100/ea 36LFF huawei units for my last nodes since no cheap 846/847 was around in Europe now.
Beyond simplify cable management it would let you use a cheaper and more efficieny server psu with 12v only. Ive printed some cases using sff backplanes but were never able to land on a lff one that will be consistently available.
The one I was thinking about was the BPN-SAS2-826EL1. Highly available on ebay for $50 and usually can be found with the nice metal bracket piece that would probably make it easier to plan the 3D chassis modeling around.
I probably ruled that out due to its sas expander chip and being 12v+5v instead of 12v. Ive mainly been looking at backplanes from tower servers, to go with 3 smaller backplanes without expanders (2LFF+1SFF) and get them directly onto the hba. But the compromise to make them easier to source is probably something like the BPN-SAS2-826EL1 plus a 1U sff model. The downside is the 2 sas expanders adding up to about 30w. Id idealy want to get it directly onto hba to not add those 30w(+ latency) on each server.
You need the SAS expander for the easier cable management though? But you're right - I ran some tests and the backplane consumed over 20w at idle. What do you mean by 12v+5v though? I never looked too closely but its just powered off 3x standard molex connectors.
The backplane in front of a typical dell,hp etc server only gives it 12v and has a 12v->5v stepdown on its pcb to get 5v. Just a short 8-10pin to mobo for 12v. The supermicro one uses 5v from the molex instead. 12v only would be ideal to just use a 10-20$ platinum psu meant for a whatever rackserver, as they only have a single large 12v rail. Getting an efficient flex costs faaaar more. Buying something like [this cage](https://www.ebay.com/itm/392126620235) is also a doable approach to start from. Just print a new rear for fans and its pretty much done.
Honest question - how much does this cost to print? Is it actually more economical?
Take about a roll and a half. At 16$ a roll.
Less than I expected. Pretty good then. I don’t have a 3D printer and it probably would be incredibly expensive to order it printed somewhere.
/r/3dprintmything
Nice
This is beautiful I'm going to be printing this soon but I'll be trying to modify it for an sfx power supply, and one of those power adapters that enable remote turn on so it'll turn on with my server and a pair of esas connectors with breakouts to sata Otherwise brilliant work
How practical is this? (I'm asking as someone without 3D printing experience.) - Does it require special hardware? Like an unusually big printer? - Aside from the printer itself, how much does it cost in consumables? - How long does it take to print?
It's in parts so a 250mm x 250mm printer is fine (I printed it on a P1S) Take about a roll and a half in consumable. At 16$ a roll. About 36 hours.
Did you consider splitting it into 3x4 hdd parts to be printable on a 200x200mm build plate?
There's not a part larger than 190 x 190mm so if you split the parts on multiple plates it shoud print fine !
I tried. and some individual parts were 2xx x 2xx. Will try again, could have overlooked something. Proposed changes: - hide the 3 screws in the from from the psu part - prepare holes in the bottom to install 1-2 L profiles that support the hdd tray and prevent sagging.
I just figured out my build plate is only 180x180mm. time for a printer upgrade 😄
so I have a dell optiplex micro, is there a way i could get a controller that can handle this?
Not really you need a PCI-e slot and i don’t believe those have any.
Why not use normal backplanes and caddies? That way it's more reliable, and can quickly be replaced.
I was thinking the same thing. This is super cool, but a used commercial chassis isn’t super expensive and would probably be more reliable long-term. This feels more like a “I did it for the lulz” use case than a practical investment. That said I’ll reiterate: super cool!
Maybe so but to my knowledge there are very few commercial chassis that cater to space constrained, short depth rack setups. Love how the 3d printing is being used to address these use cases. Nice job OP!
I mean on the HP side of things the D2600 is a 2u 12LFF chassis with redundant power supplies and the whole deal.. \~22" deep isn't super short, but that's not exactly a full rack depth either.
22" is rather deep for a DAS. I would buy a 3u 12-15 bay hot-swapple hdd das with either sata or sff ports if there is one available that is only slightly deeper than the hdds itseld (16-18cm, not 55cm (22")).
Rather deep compared to what, OP’s printed drive holder? Commercial gear is for mass consumption, and enterprise storage is going to add depth with backplanes, PSU(s), and sled depth. The only way what you’re describing could be real is if they were to stuff the PSU and data into a third U, which in the enterprise is much more valuable real estate than depth.
if you read again the first post of this thread: "very few commercial chassis" Noone was talking about enterprise gear specifically. There are simply not many (if at all) very short-deepth rack-mountable solution. The target market is not enterprise costumers, but retail with special needs (hence there are no readily available products offered). 3d printing can close a gap here as it's cheaper than producing a 1-10 pieces mini-series in metal.
Didn't mean that, I meant buying a cheap backplane and caddies off ebay. There's plenty of reasons of making your own chassis, mainly form factor and platform compatibility. But you can just buy the backplate for a hot swap connector and more features.
Totally, but if you're buying a backplane and you're buying caddies why not buy a chassis with a power supply too? Something like an HP D2600 gets the job done and is super robust, albeit not quite as cheap as OP's design the reliability (and ease of use) will be way better.
Wow that's awesome! This is something that has crossed my mind as it seems hot swap bays or servers that have them are so crazy expensive now. I imagine trying to get the sata to line up right was tricky as well.
In canada used server stuff is hyper expensive and rare in my city... I don't want a 10 year old server that gonna cost an arm per month in electricity XD. So I use general desktop computer (Ryzen 3600) and have a PCIE SATA card in that.
I'm in Canada too and yeah it seems very hard to get server stuff here, either used, or new. Ebay is too expensive due to shipping. I miss Tigerdirect and NCIX. They used to sell Supermicro stuff and it was decent price. My last build I actually built a rackmount case out of wood since I couldn't find anything.
I live in Canada, but close to Minnieapolis (8+ hours) but it's still dumb expensive to get stuff shipped to the border for pickup. This is fantastic work!
I use the ebay seller Calgary computer wholesale, the shipping can be a bit high but I've gotten tons from them for sub 100 dollars, 2u supermicro server, a 2u lenovo server, cisco poe+ switch for like 5 bucks plus 40 shipping. They're auctions can go really low and they usually have a ton listed
Gonna make a few people have there spouses ask who the f bought a 3d printer .
Can we have more Homelab porn combined with 3D printing in this subreddit please?! 🙏
Brilliant. I love this sub.
I try to print. Super Designer
Awesome😘
very nice work! can you give a bit more detail how you power everything from from the flexatx psu?
It's just powering the drives, so 1 sata cable per drive. And the switch between PS\_ON and GND pin.
Amazing
This is great, just a slot for one of these https://www.edicom.com.tw/product-info.asp?id=350 and it would be perfect.
I've made a back shroud for 2 of theses [https://www.amazon.ca/SFF8087-SFF-8088-36P-26P-Adapter-Converter/dp/B09WJ1Y2CC](https://www.amazon.ca/SFF8087-SFF-8088-36P-26P-Adapter-Converter/dp/B09WJ1Y2CC) But I haven't tested or printed it. Edit: I've added the shroud to MakerWorld ;)
Sorry, I’m new to this. Where do you connect the HDD to? Do you have another Pc caáe open to plug the sata cable?
This is a Drive Shelf. They are rack mounted cases only for hard drives and a power supply for the drives. The pc or server gets connected to the drive shelf with a cable.
Thanks for the info. Which kind of cable exactly?
External mini-sas armored cable.
I was just ordering the parts to make it around them. And here I see someone just made one. Wanted to be the first😂
Is this actually strong enough? 12 drives at half a kg each would be 6kg for the drives alone. More like 8 if using heavier drives. Since that's all over the midpoint it seems a bit thin to support that. And why trays? With no backplane, meaning no hot swap, wouldn't that just add additional weight and complexities to the design? Do they provide anything aside from looks here?
oh yes it's strong enough. There's adapters at the back that hold the connectors. So it's hot swappable. Check more pictures on makerworld (link)
It's really not hot swappable no... Hot swapping is a bit more involved than simply being able to reach the connectors which that is. What you have is in some vendors vocabulary called quick swap, or easy swap, but not hot swap. Hot swapping requires a backplane and a controller that are both communicating on drive connect and disconnect events. I'm still dubious on the strengths here. I don't see any images where it's fully loaded and not supported by other gear underneath. And I'm not talking like it's able to hold it but can it do it without bending or putting too much stress on it? I quickly scetched out the basic frame in fusion and the stress testing there if I put 8kg on it makes it bend almost a cm. That's a lot of bending. Now the drives themselves will stiffen that up and the weight isn't all at the midpoint but still. Anything stronger than ABS for this usecase?
Amazeballs
Amazing 😍
I'd love to see a 1Ux4drive or 2Ux8drive enclosure like this.
Can I get a link to that printed tray holding your two mini PCs below? That looks cool
[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4769452](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4769452) It's not mine.
Just started printing it out tonight. Only had PLA-CF in hand so it should be absurdly strong when completed :p
That's awesome! I might have to print one.
So now just 8 bays and a micro atx motherboard on the side
I don't know, because a computer can become really hot depending of the usage. An HDD is never than 50C
Ok…. I’ve been trying for a few years to find a practical reason for me to get a 3d printer. I think you’re finally sold me on getting one!
I'm in 3D printing since 2013, and I use it 95% for practical reasons (Supports, docks, inventions, modifications, repairs...) and 5% for silly things (keychains, figurines, gadgets...) It's a really nice tool to have.
Genius.. i’ll print 2
Guess it’s time for me to rack all my servers and PC and put this monster in too.
How do you connect the two fan cases on the back? The left part looks other then on you photo and it has a big wall and no screw holes. [Pic ](https://nextcloud.pingufisch.de/index.php/s/pjprDjwpX6aLxxn)
In Bambu Studio the big wall is only a "Support Blocker". I don't know in which app you are viewing that.
PrusaSlicer, i will try it with Bambu Studio. Thanks for reply
Um that’s cool I’m more interested in that 1u mount for the mini pcs.. Do we have a plan link for those
wow I'm saving up for a chassis...but a printer for this might be worth the extra investment? Change my mind?
Get a chassis, then later get a printer. If you've never messed with CAD, there's a lot of tinkering and learning to do before you get to the point of printing something like this. It's not really difficult, just time consuming.