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Turing Pi 2 mini ITX case open discussion
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n
We are going to start mini ITX case design soon and we'd love to learn your opinion. The goal is to collect and prioritise the case features. What features are must have, what are optional, etc. Also, if you have any design, feature ideas references, please share them here.
b
Would love an easy access back panel so I can excess the bottom of the board when it’s fitted
m
Could you do a flat pack style case?
w
i'd like to have support for 6 2.5" drives
t
Not necessarily a case feature itself, but a rack mount kit for one or two cases would be great for those of us who want to rack mount it.
r
Can it come with 3 or 4 Pis?
k
Not sure if that's already given but since the board has two SATA connectors, would love a bay for at least 2x 3.5" drives
n
Minimal amount of space, quick opening and closing, specialized cooling solution.
n
I would like it to be rack mountable as an option
p
Rack mount server case that could contain two Turing pi's with 4 hot swap drives
n
To be honest, I would probably not buy one and just buy a normal mini ITX case, as shipping and price would be too expensive.
l
I would love for them to link together to create a rack chasis.
g
It would be nice that it could fit a full ATX psu inside
p
since a lot of people will want to use microsd cards, especially with the CM4 adapter boards, it would be nice if all 4 nodes microsd cards would be accessible from outside of the case, with a microsd extension and opening on the case, like you can see here https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/network-audio-players-raspdac/audiophonics-evo-sabre-pack-diy-balanced-dac-2xes9038q2m-streamer-for-raspberry-pi-4-p-14639.html this would be a big QOL feature for tpi2 setup imo
n
Do you mean access to compute module nodes or NVMe ports?
How are you going to connect so many drives?
m
nvme ports i assume, thats at least what i would want. so you dont need to remove the whole board to change a nvme drive
n
what do you mean?
b
I imagine compute node modules would be accessible from the front of the case (ie where you would place a glass panel if was an option). I’m more specifically talking about NVMe ports. Eg I wouldn’t want to have to unscrew the motherboard from the case to swap or update a storage drive
w
having 2 additional minipcie sata cards, so 2x2 sata ports included with the built in 2 ports makes 6
r
Sorry, trying to be funny. Too early in the morning. Just mean that a case for my turning that is coming soon but the inability to actually buy any PIs for it has been annoying.
u
It would be great to have at least one 5.25 and/or 3.5 external bay so everyone can just put in the drive bay insert(s) for the things they want. I would love to see 1 x 5.25 external bay and 1 x 3.5 external bay.
n
RK1 will be included)
p
Something on the lines of this https://www.mini-itx.com/~T2241
m
I got it - especially since I still need to buy compute modules
y
I would appreciate rackmount option, preferably 10“ since that should work Math a mini ITX if I am not wrong.
t
Since I don't think you'll be able to please everyone, I would also like to see an io shield so I can mount the cluster in a standard mini itx case. I seem to have had the same idea as others and also acquired some mini pcie to 2x sata adapters and plan to try to support up to 6 3.5" drives.
n
I'd really like if it would be possible to have the case designed in a way that you can access stuff without having to move it out of place, like the top can slide off
Make it easier to put new modules in and such wtihout a full case teardown
p
4 SATA 3.5 hotswap bays two intake fans that could run off the Turing pi's, rear annenta mounts two sets of usb 3 ports indervudual power buttons and room to mount power supplies
t
access is nice but I think once I have mine setup. I wont need to do a lot of tinkering. I would really like to see a compact and portable setup.
n
You can get IO shield on our website
o
If you could provide files for folks with 3d printer to print their own that would be fun. Shoot a well designed set of .stls i would pay a bit for 🙂
f
LCD/OLeD and buttons hooked up to the BMC to power on/off etc individual nodes.
j
Please make it transparent! You implemented so many nice LEDs would be a shame to hide them!
p
j
An option for it being transparent maybe?
p
a plexi top?
g
A tempered glass side option would be sick haha
p
with a request for easy access, i guess simplest solution would be a removable top with 4 screws. you can change metal for plexi and keep everything else
having 4 or 5 of these accessible from outside of the case[bonus points for flushed] would be AMAZING https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/raspberry-pi-and-other-sbc-accessories/adt-link-extension-male-micro-sd-to-female-micro-sd-shielded-15cm-p-15513.html
c
I love this design.
d
stackable design for multiple boards would be dope.
m
It would be nice to have some space to fit some 18650 batteries to power it or to use as ups.
p
looks like vendor even makes them with mounting holes. please let there be an option for this in the case http://www.adt.link/product/B33-Shop.html
n
I know most people will be using a Pico PSU but having room for at least an SFX if not ATX size PSU would be great
I plan to have a lot of platter drives hooked up to my board
p
that sounds way bigger than any itx case. wouldnt something like fractal node already fit that?
n
Yeah I've been looking at a fractal node 304
d
Something like the Dan A4 SFX except with drive mounting on the side where the Dan A4 has the GPU.
f
Hopefully plenty of room underneath for cooling the M.2 or fitting riser adapters
b
Taking some of these ideas, it would be nice to have some sort of attachment system to clip modules to the side. For example, case is just for the main system, but you can attach a drive bay module to the side for 2.5 or 3.5 disks, then attach a battery/UPS module to that. Maybe a standard 3D printable template. Keep it so that you can still rack mount the whole thing when they are attached together. Perhaps even attach two cases together for 2x Turing pi 2s in a side by side rack. Rack ears would also need to be attached to the ends.
b
I'm probably an edge case, but there are some M.2 -> standard PCIe adapters out there; would be nice to see a place to mount a standard PCI-e rail for peripherals I want to try to get working with the cluster
r
A handle so I can take it to college easily
r
Agreed, DeskPi Super6C case has an access door on the bottom for SD/NVMe ports which is very handy
m
yea, did not think about that at first tbh
d
I'd say have a 5inch or 3.5inch bay so you can mount something like hotswap bays yourself. More of a general solution to certain DIY things. to mount for example: https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/dp/B00V5JHOXQ/
a
I'd jump on something with an option for rack mounting, ideally with a pair of drive bays that can take either 2.5" or 3.5" drives. But the most important factor is some kind of duct specifically for the turing pi board that directs airflow from fans directly onto the compute modules and dust filters on the intakes.
n
Would love to see some sort of additional options for rack mounting inside my network rack
u
Plexiglass would be great. It is special board so it may be visible.
m
personnally i'd like the case to be as small as possible something in the vein of this https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GYM1D2J/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?psc=1
u
Just having a case with a proper airflow would be much appreciated. Something that can work with low rpm 60/80mm fans while cooling nicely the boards would be perfect.
d
There are many good ideas here. But even if some were not opposites (can't have both see-thru and not see-thru) there is no way to incorporate all of them. So rather than give my list of preferences, I'd like to urge you to build something that is unique and uniquely suited to the TPi2. Rack-mounted dual-mini-itx cases with HDD space exist. Tiny portable mini-itx cases exist. Tiny portable mini-itx cases with access to the bottom of the motherboard, TPi2 optimized airflow, multiple interfaces on the front of the case, and the ability to add rack-mount ears? I haven't found one... I guess I am saying that there is no way to build a single case that suits everyone. But you can design a case that provides features optimized to the TPi2 and the combination of which cannot be found anywhere else.
t
A Turing Pi 2 board with 4x M.2 NVMe SSDs will need sufficient airflow on both sides of the board. Clearance on the bottom needs to accommodate M.2 SSDs with heat sinks.
k
Not adding anything new but want to echo the rack mount option. Two together would be amazing but I’ll take what I can get.
j
Room for two 2.5" SATA SSDs, proper cooling w/fan(s). Access to the NVMe drives on the bottom of the system board with ventilation for NVMe and heatsinks. Internal power supply unless you have an internal ATX (24pin) adapter in mind. Already spec'd out PicoPSU. External connections for the USB-C (Flash / BMC OTG) ports. Maybe a fan control knob as the fan connector is not PWM. I would second @dojo-major's suggestion for something unique and optimized for the TPi2.
t
My only request is for a back panel so you can access all the connections and ports on the back of the board without having to remove the board from the case. Everything else I'm pretty flexible on.
c
Make sure it can fit the orig Turing pi. I need an atx case for that
d
I think of one of the key features is that it can be absolutely silent. 4 Raspberry Pi's idle draws 15 watts it's nothing even under load it's not a lot. I want a living room friendly quiet device. It can live near my router then. Hopefully this will lead to a desire for a monster £5k cluster then I'd go to town with great big fans maybe liquid cooling. I do want the 4 lights for each node though as in the prototype. An optional front LCD connecting to the GPIO port would be a nice touch. Pico PSU compatible. And + for the 2x 2.5 inch SATA SSDs. Aerial for wifi and Lora /Zigbee type options
b
A single 120mm fan at one end of the case would move plenty of air, even to keep RK1 modules cool
at least, based on my experience with my RockPro64
a dust filter would be kinda nice, or a way to add one, at least.
That's not a deal breaker, it'd be nice to have. Where I plan on putting mine, it won't need a dust filter
u
this has been said many times already, but I can't stress enough how nice it would be to have 1 or 2 internal 2.5 sata bays, or even better, if there is any possibility for it, a disk tray you can just hotswap, something like this
also 2 fans at opposite sides of the case (or at least spots to mount your own) to get some airflow going
I am sure people will eventually install more than just cm4's in there, I dont know how hot 4 xavier or orin modules can get, so maybe 2 is overkill
and I think someone already mentioned this, but since the nvme's will be under the mb, an underside you can unscrew so you can add/remove ssd's without taking out the whole mb
don't take this the wrong way, I mean no disrespect. but do you really think many people will just have 4 measly cm4's sitting in there?...
d
But more complicated if going for rack mounted case
u
@deltchar yeah that's true, I have a rack but wasnt even considering the possibility a mini itx case could be rack mountable
d
Well when you add space for power supply and 2 Hot swap 3.5” bays, you could easily hit a 19” wide case with a shallow depth. That would fit nicely in most network Wall cabinet racks
u
sorry, I made a typo and too many people read it before I corrected it: I meant 2.5 inch, not 3.5. we already have nvme for high speed, sata III SSD would still make sense but (at least for me) there is no point in adding slow HDD's...
n
I would expect NVMe access. it’s on the underside of the board right?
d
TP2 advertises as CM4 and Jetson module board, so the case should reflect this. People are going to be using Jetson modules, me included 🙂
u
I am also wondering if there is any need for something bigger than a picoPSU?
d
"slow" HDDs (mine can do 400MM/s) have a benefit of capacity. People are going to be using TP2 also as a NAS and imagine, for example, 2 or 4 12 TB drives
If you are going to use HDDs or PCIe cards, then this might be necessary.
u
oh yeah I can definitely see the use in that, wasnt considering the use case of NAS
d
People actually are asking NAS related question here quite often 🙂
d
@miltrik Well I am in UK electric here has gone through the roof so for a device on 24x7 then yes. I have bought 2x Turing Pi 2 boards though the other I'll probaly load with RC1s but even though I hope todo passive cooling
@miltrik And I have 4 Cm4s ready and waiting
u
and yes of course, PCIe!
you are absolutely right. I should not have assumed everyone will want to go over the top with it.
d
For you guys wanting to rack I believe there was a partnership in the offing for Myelectronics.nl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RijuRF0ITdE&t=484s▾

for a nice 2u
@mtrik This video Jeff Geerling highlighted to me the two extremes of clustering one 20k one cheap and cheerful Turing pi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUPYpZBfsMU&t=464s▾

s
Most important to me is that the removable internal components (SD card etc) are accessible without removing the board from the case. Above that I would like mounting for one or more disks. A distant third would be a mounting point for a small fan. I plan for this cluster to be on a shelf next to the TP1. I put the TP1 in an InWin Chopin case and it has served well except for card access and that the boards run a bit on the the hot side (but cool enough to run at full speed).
p
i dont understand all the airflow and ssd mounting requests, those are just regular itx and larger cases already from fractal, silverstone and others. and rackmount options exist too. focus on what TPI2 specifically needs, which would be things like: 1. easy access to microsd from outside of the case 2. easily removable top of the case while its running [for node hotplug] 3. easily removable bottom of the case while its running [for nvme]
i think some people here are missing the point of itx case. just because its an itx motherboard, it wont be an itx case with all those generic extra features[like sfx psu and bunch of drives], just get a an matx or atx case
b
I'd just like a simple box with easy access to the things, and a bit of airflow
a single fan on the end of the box would solve that
w
* Removable panels (all around) for easy access * Board orientation optimised for airflow through/between CM4 (etc) modules from a 120mm fan * Space for upto 4 2.5" SSDs * Space for a SFX PSU * Front panel power switch * Front panel USB3 sockets x2 * Rear panel HDMI, USB2, USB3 x2, GPIO, ETH connectors (already on the IO shield?)
d
I'm going to rack-mount my TP2. I've been thinking of a case I'd like to have, but also considered what I've seen on this server: - 2U - TP2 mounted on the right side (looking from the front) - Front part of the case along the length of TP2 should be a mesh - 3x 80mm FANs mounted behind the mesh so they can blow in air directly on the modules at low RPM - Back part also a mesh allowing warm air to escape - Horizontally mounted full size PCIe cards - an ability to mount a Mini PCIe to PCIe adapter - a panel on the bottom part of the case allowing to access the PCIe drives - an ability to mount an SFX PSU, but maybe with a mesh plug for these who use Pico PSU? - hot-swappable HDD cages, but the number of them and their size (2.5", 3.5") is to be determined (plus some FAN or FANs behind teh drives to cool them down) - in addition, internal drive mounts ? - 4x front-mounted SD card slots/extensions - some activity LEDs that could be software-driven? - I also think I'd enjoy a screen of some sort at the front, - USB ports on the front (don't think a case like that is going to be cheap, though)
People are listing their needs and that they'd want to have this in the official TP2 case. Imagine no one mentioned SSD mounts (assuming you mean SATA drives) and the team would not include them then and make like a super compact case. If you ask me, this is good people are mentioning what they want. The team then would have to find the best feature set 🙂
p
what a lot of people are asking for, including you, is out of scope of an ITX sized case. this isnt supposed to be the TPI2 perfect case, this is supposed to be an ITX case for TPI2
what you are asking for, is rack mountable fractal torrent modified for TPI2
p
Hello, maybe this sounds wild (and mostly it is). I plan to keep this inside my room (where I sleep and work), can this be optionally water cooled? I don’t like fans because they are noisy. Thank you.
d
What's out of scope with a rack-mount case? I'm not sure I understand
p
it exist
d
Well, TP2 is going to have own case that's ITX. You will be able to mount other boards in it too. I'm not sure I'm following
p
also, again, thats not an ITX case anymore
d
Any implications? 🙂
p
for example
d
Sorry, I don't understand. An ITX case is a case that has ITX mounting holes
p
thats where you are wrong
itx case is a case that has ONLY itx mounting holes
due to overall lower volume of the case, compared to matx case
d
Did I state otherwise?
I still don't know what's wrong with a description of the case I'd like to have
p
that its not an itx case
like, you know that big cases, what many people are describing here, dont have mounting holes for only one size motherboard
what you and many others are requesting is not an itx case anymore
d
I'm not following you here, sorry. If a case has mounting holes (let's say ONLY) for ITX boards, it is an ITX case. Also, we're speaking of a case specifically for TP2 and I wrote down a feature set that I'd like to see in a TP2 case (and I've seen earlier from other people) and it really does not matter if it's ITX or not. The team might figure out they want to make it compatible with bigger boards too (TP3?). It does not matter. What matters is a feature set for the official TP2 board case 🙂
p
you wouldnt call this an ITX case but it fits your definition of ITX case https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/torrent/torrent/white-rgb-tg-clear-tint/
that would be getting deceptive advertising. this is the form factor people are expecting
l
I think a linkable or modular design would work. A single case small enough to sit on a desktop, but link a few together and they could fit a standard 19" rack. No one makes anything like this, afaik.
d
I understand some people want small factor case, but generalizing is risky 🙂 The team don't know (thus why they're asking) so you do not know either. Also how would I rack-mount SFF? 😄 I don't think there's one case that fits all cases, and if this does not have to be one case, there probably should be 2 - one for a rack and one desktop. Torrent is not what I described, I described rack-mount case with a feature set I'd use. If I get it - that's great. If not - I'd mod it or mod another case to fit my needs. Also, let's not clog this thread with this. It's meant to collect features people would like to see in the case. I'm open to talk a bit more if you want, but not here.
p
"Also how would I rack-mount SFF? " look at turris omnia with its optional rackmounting kit
going rackmount by default for everyone will be a bad choice
you can rackmount virtual anything with a kit but you cant do it other way around
d
I never said rack-mount only. These are not my words. I just even said there should probably be 2 types of cases. Then, again, I think it's better to keep this outside of this thread.
p
and yes, people expect small form factor. evidence provided from tpi ks
every rackmount, without specifying and addon kit always means rackmount only, ie wide for rack and following rack sizes[1U, 2U etc]. its not only about what you say but also what you dont say
e
Bringing back colorful transparent technology is the only way we heal as a society.
l
Like other, my requirements call for a case that mounts in a rack. I also realize that many don't want this; a mini-itx board is small, the rack width is very large in comparison. The fact is, you can fit two mini-itx boards side by side in a 19" rack. I doubt very much that the a rack mount case will be the way they go since it will make the entire system huge. I personally just plan on going with something like the iStar USA D-218M2-ITX Some people stated they wanted the case to fit two of the Turing Pi 2 boards; that case can support two mini-itx boards. Some stated they want washable filters....that case has that as well. Some stated they would like some 2.5 or 3.5" drive bays....well, that case supports four 3.5" so you can also just use a 2.5 to 3.5" adapter to use 2.5" drives. It also supports two PSU's so each board has it's own PSU. I also saw someone mentioning make sure the fans blows over the compute modules. Since they stick up off the board, this case has four 80mm fans. I also plan on using something like the Geekworm 12mm Aluminum Alloy Heatsink (C235) to keep the compute module cool and then those 4 x 80mm fans to extract heat out of the case. The height of those heatsinks should be less than the spacing between the modules. The Geekworm heatsinks do work. I have five Raspberry Pi 4B's with their allow heatsink that sits on top and on the bottom of the board, I bought longer screws and mounted them on a DIN rail bracket made for the Raspberry Pi. In the heat of a Texas summer all five of these were in an attic and not once throttled. No active cooling fans, just those allow heatsinks and a silicon thermal pad on the bottom and top between the case and the board. I could even run them at 100% CPU load and still never throttled due to thermal conditions.
c
There could be also two cases. The first for 1xTuringPi builds and a second for 2xTuringPi rack builds.
u
A 19” 2u 2x board build would be nice indeed! Also for a 10inch 1x board I would be interested in but it is probably to big of a niche 😉
d
I like the advertised design a lot. and I liked the idea that someone mentioned for an easy access backside due to m.2 mounts. A lot of people mention features that a ton of cases already have, and launching a TP2 specific case that simply provides the same thing like a lot of cases already provide don't make sense. if you want to rack mount.. so get a rack mount case and throw the TP2 inside. I see the TP2 specific case more in a sector of minimal form factor and to ignore most of the industrial standards except the IO shield size. Make the case for easy traveling and tinkering on the go. for all the use-cases where people set and forget there are too many cases available already. i would even go that far and think about a USB-C USB-PD bases PSU concept so we can use 100w phone chargers and don't need to carry a big PSU with us. Just further thoughts on this. the possibilities on minimal approach are giant and give new situation of tinkering. Tinkering on a Airplane while the 12h flight? no problem turn on your notebook and plug in the TP2 to the power socket while not need more space than under the seat. Car, camping van, tiny houses, small flats / apartments. Running the TP2 on a USB-PD Powerbank on the go etc.
e
I suggest allowing multiple cases to connect together to mount in a rack.
If a galactic emergency arises allow many causes to connect together to form Turing-tron.
Having two cases side by side would be great though.
t
a pico psu with a usb pd connector sounds like a great idea. so why can't i find one on amazon or newegg? dammit, someone make one and take my money!
p
that sounds like a terrible idea and expensive idea. just stick to barrel, its better than usb-c anyway
d
This is interesting question. Implementing USB PD this should not be problematic, but maybe cable and charger compatibility and/or max power? Anyway, maybe this would be interesting to you: https://www.adafruit.com/product/5450 ?
p
that wont work how you think it should. unless you find a usb charger that outputs ONLY 12V, this wont work. part of the usb-pd is negotiation. thats not possible with cable like that. just stick to mean well psu
d
Of course you need a charger / power supply that can output 12V, that's basically in the description. 
thats not possible with cable like that
- Of course it's possible, through... the negotiation you mentioned, just check your power source if 12V is on the list of available voltages. And the fact that Adafruit (hope you know what Adafruit is?) sells them means that they do work.
p
sink chip is a neat idea [but expensive for what this is] and do you know how is it wired? not mentioned anywhere, not even the datasheet
m
👍
s
I see lots of people asking for rack mounting... Realistically, if you are rack mounting, you don't want something THAT tall. Using something that just holds pi4s with POE is more efficient from a rackmount perspective.
d
Rack mounting is not all about RPis or CMs alone, at least this is how I see it. With what CM4s give you, you can use PCIe cards, SATA and NVMe devices, etc. With a PSU, a few SATA drives, a PCIe card or 2 and TP you can use up whole 19" of space easily 🙂 From the other side you could put more than a single TP2 inside if such case existed. TP2 gives you more possibilities than RPis. 🙂
l
The cases already exist. They support two mini itx boards, four 3.5" drives and two power supplies in a case that can be mounted in a 19" rack. They even have four 80mm fans for cooling.
d
Same way small factor mini ITX cases exist too 🙂
l
"From the other side you could put more than a single TP2 inside if such case existed." They do exist and the list of what people are asking for in such a case is already available.
d
But we are talking about TP2 cases here, like an official TP2 case
s
But how tall are the TPi2 vs what a mini itx mobo with low profile CPU cooler?
d
I'm not sure if I understand the question. Do you mean not such thin small form factor case exists?
s
I'm guessing it would need to be at least 2U high to accommodate the size of the carrier boards?
Just trying to temper expectations for everyone asking for rack mountability
Rack mountable hardware is hard to do well
d
Yes, that'd have to be a 2U case
d
It’s the same problems/ task you have with modern notebooks. They all are based on USB-PD and some need 65W and some around 100W. According to spec the TP2 is limited to 60W anyways. So any USB-PD product should cover that 60W at least. Except some 30W Chargers
d
Yeah, but also a brick you use to power Pico PSU could have not enough power
s
Might as well go for a full sized PSU, let's just avoid proprietary sizes if possible
d
In both cases you need to check is the power supply is enough
s
If you are doing a case, internal please
d
Yeah but that counts for any product. We are talking about technical devices and not a slide of toast. People who are buying TP2 are capable of figuring out what they need to power it over PD
d
I mean SFX would do too, it's a standard
s
Noone wants a box to put things in only to have another box to power that box
d
This is what I mean.
s
Yeah, I'm all for SFX. That's fine I my book, lots of companies make that. Otherwise you would need adapters and crap
d
But what’s the point? If you guys want PCIe and all the stuff. There are cases. Use riser cable, etc. what the point of just another rack mount case? I really don’t get it
d
The list I wrote down for a rack-mounted case contains a hle for internal ATX PSU, but also a mesh cover if you want to use Pico PSU. At least this is an idea I came up with
s
You would need to run a 24pin cable through that hole?
d
There are also small factor cases for Mini ITX boards. We're talking about a case crafted specifically for TP2. This one will be an official case and people would buy it even for this alone. Then it might contain TP2-specific features like Pico PSu mounting holes, some status LEDs, etc
Can you elaborate, please? I'm confused by this question
s
Raspberry Pi as a whole is a dumpster fire in regards to power options. Reference: the official POE hat's fans don't work if you aren't running Raspbian which is crazy.
Doesn't the TPI2 get its power via a standard 24pin atx power connector?
d
It does
But I'm not sure what do you mean by this cable and hole
d
Only see the feature “status led” there. Everything else is just so generic since every server case needs it and there are ton of custom rack mount server cases. And also mini ITX cases. The TP2 is crafted in a compact way. For everything else there are also solutions already or getting made at the moment. As example the Pi Blade Server Project.
Correct
d
Yeah, I fully agree. Also many people would just use standard rack cases. This does not change I'd buy an official TP2 rack case if such exist 🙂
d
Sure, but I am wondering if that’s what the Turing Pi should focus on. The need for a compact case is way bigger than to make it chunky as possible. Specially since it was advertised like this through the picture 😄 (small)
d
I mean there are many small cases on the market, for example Skyreach 4 MINI. But yeah, I understand. And I don't say the rack one should have a priority, maybe think about one later? Or add mounting ears to whatever will be designed as a desktop one?
Also, a big point for a desktop case is you won't have to research for compatible cases. Rack cases are standardized with U and we know we need at least 2U case. Desktop ones are harder to check 🙂
This does not change I'd like to see an official rack case 😄
d
@DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela) I think rack mount is a rabbit hole. Some will want to keep it 2U. But by stacking the case and rotating by 90 degree you could even rack more than 2 cases. Which would probably size up to 4U or worse.
Indeed. Finding matching cases is even a problem for the general people … considering we are having the RTX4090 on the market now KEKW
d
Uhm, I'm not sure I'm following. what do you mean by stacking and rotating? It's known you need at least a 2U case and this is what people are mostly going to buy IMO.
Yeah, this monster (4090) 😄
d
I meant having the mounting points on the top and bottom. You could screw multiple together and have an actual tower 😂 (for that you would need to rated by 90degree)
d
But you could also screw 2 together using the smallest walls and rack mount it still within 2U. 2 would fit next to each other I think 🙂 Or just long ears for a single case (like you can buy for some switches) might work for some people too
I'd just love to see a full length 2U case 😄
I'm aware I'm in a niche. Not everyone have a rack in their home 😄
d
I know. I just meant that even in the rack mount Team there are so many different wishes because everyone would imagine the perfect rack case different. Since everyone powers bis homelab differently. Some wants harddrive slots. Some don’t because nvme is enough etc. while all that kinda exists somehow already anyway.
I wish to have a rack too haha but I consider the TP2 more like a solution for a travel lab.
d
Yes, I'm aware and I understand. This does not change some compromise could be possibly found.
d
Digital nomads who don’t want to play with AWS but would like to have a local cluster that they could fit into their luggage. And many other things that require compact design and easy handling. For that the server world doesn’t really provide solutions (yet).
d
Yeah, but then I'm not sure if whatever case the Team is going to make, if it's going to be really like super small or pack some features like a place to mount some HDDs, since some people want to use it as a NAS.
For super custom solutions I think there are going to be 3D-printable designs made by people
s
If you go down the rack mount rabbit hole, it's going to open up the dozen or so POE standards hole, not the right path for right now IMHO
d
You could use cheaper NVMe or buy the Jonsbo V8 for example. Would be a perfect fit as NAS case.
s
TPI isn't even a great NAS from what I can tell.....
d
That also.
d
Huh? POE? Rack-mountable TP2 is not really a rabbit hole. You take a case, add a PSU, put TP2 in and it'd done, at least in a super barebone case.
You do not have a reliable way to RAID NVMes in any way. STA would be a way and drives connected to one node
It's enough for many people
Or can be a storage for other nodes for whatever people do on these
d
You don’t raid it in a cluster anyway. You would need to glusterfs it or something else. Each nvme is on a different host
s
Just state straight up that it isn't designed for NAS uses. If you want a nas, get a cheap itx mobo with a Celeron and a normal case
d
This is what I said. You cannot RAID NVMe drives, and you really don't want to use singular drives as a NAS. RAID1 or equivalent is a minimum
s
Probably cheaper anyways
d
Well, the question is what's designed for then? 😄 It's an ok NAS and people are running NASes off of RPis already and are happy with them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
s
Design a case that actually complements the need. Most existing ITX cases aren't going to have cooling directed to the spots that the TPI needs it.
d
Take into consideration that TP2 contains 2 SATA ports, so the official case should probably accommodate for this?
s
Need airflow across the whole board vs just the top where a normal CPU would be
d
As I said. You can’t even because it’s a cluster with 4 host with each one drive. And running NAS on a cluster is questionable anyways. There is no NAS system that is designed to run on a cluster anyway.
s
Where are the NVME ports at? Back side?
d
2.5 drives sounds fine to me. It would be easy to find a place in the case.
Yes
d
But this is what I said. You mentioned to use NVMe, this is why I'm saying SATA would be better for various reasons.
And I feel like this thread is just for this - to find out what people want 🙂
d
This should be an own thread by now 😂
d
Well, probably we indeed should not discuss that here 😄
s
Please make sure we have lots of clearance there for NVME heatsinks. Maybe go dual chamber (ish). Maybe have the ability to have a pair of 80s blowing across the bottom side of the board to cool NVMes?
d
This would require non-standard standoffs, hmmm
s
Or cutouts in the motherboard tray
d
Not sure if it will be a problem. The PCIe version are like 2.0 to 3.0 at Max. The speeds will probably not cause the ssd to heat up too bad. Also since the processing of the data transfer could limit the ssd anyways…. Maybe.
s
But if it's right next to a metal sheet with no circulation....
d
Assuming there's going to be accessible backpanel like in an ATX cases. With this form factor I think a case that the standoffs are mounted to the case directly are more likely an option to keep it small
PCIe 4.0 is supported too
d
Which is fine since this is the office case which is exactly the reason why one should exist. For all the non-standard stuff. If everything would be standard everything would be same.
s
I'm personally planning on trying to shove my tpi in the bottom half of a core x9...
d
Didn’t see that in the specs
d
I never said it's not ok, just noticing this fact 🙂
s
But there is still heat being generated down there without a way to reject it efficiently
d

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/754950670175436848/1030292924010860605/unknown.png▾

d
You could then even make the case to the heat spreader. Adding some thermal pads between ssd and case.
d
What about thermopads if teh case would be metal?
d
For the Jetson only. Considering this as Pi and RK1 mainly…
s
Not the worst idea. /Me has flashbacks to the Mac trashcans and cubes
d
Hmmm, Do you think? Jetson modules are advertised as supported, so should the case support them then?
s
Jetsons can put out some heat if you get em going IIRC
d
Yeah, 10-20 watts of heat 🙂
s
*4 in a tiny case adds up
d
Yes but that specific jetson module is like 600$ if I am not wrong. Not that many will buy it if you are kinda ending up at a price tag where you could consider an actual new ARM based Gigabyte Server 😂
d
Ys, but they have heatsinks by default and about any FAN would be sufficient to cool them
s
Isn't that the price of the cheapest CM4 right now?🤓
d
Jetson Nnao 2GB is like $59. If you can find one 🙂
d
Yes but doesn’t have PCIe 4.0 😄
d
I meant I think we're considering all options? yes? no? maybe? 😄
s
I for one will be 100% buying some mediocre microcenter pcie4 nvme drives regardless....
d
Trying to do that will end in a mess. The case will focus on the biggest overlap use case for all of us so that hopefully many will buy it. Everyone with the edge cases will have to find their own solutions like always 😄
d
Yeah, this is I think why the Team asked people to find out what would be the best design 🙂
d
Right and we aren’t trying to create a heater for the cold European winter KEKW
d
And it's natural people say what tehy want 😄
s
Right, you ask what people want and when they say "I need to be able to fit a 480 rad" you say no
d
Well, if enough people would want that...
d
Dang it. I planned to hook up 16 RTX Quadros and make some CAD rendering in the airplane Kappa
d
Do not forget about built in UPS
s
Don't get me wrong, I'd be all for a 240 dad up front to hook to 4 tiny water blocks but that's probably overkill....
d
But only up to 99 Wh
d
Build in IXP please lol
s
You say that but literally everything in my rack is powered by my 3750x so it automatically is dual powered and UPS'd....
d
Yeah, but @dreacon34 wants something to take with them on the plane
I do not have an UPS in my rack, maybe later (but this is not a topic for this thread I think 🙂 )
s
@dreacon34 ever heard of a laptop with VMware workstation? 🤪
JK.
99% of people really are going to need something to put the TPI in that isn't going to leave it out in the open getting covered in cat hair and tangled up and looking terrible
d
Love it enough when the docker containers are eating up all the RAM while software development 😅
I would also see the SD card slots exposed to out side etc. and the nvme and 2.5’’ drive slots exposed over the backside for easy access.
s
Most raspberry pi cases are nothing more than a box. Most 3d printers will struggle to print as big as an itx case unlike rpi.
Don't expose nvme
Cover that with metal!
d
Of course
d
I think he meant accessible, by screws or something 🙂
Yeah, but people are finding solutions 🙂
d
I think we spammed the chat enough. I am to bed. I hope community isn’t to angry about our talk 😄
s
I REALLY like how lian-li does the hot-swap drive bays in the 011XL but I'm pretty sure that's hella expensive
d
I have this case and it has an issue, but maybe let's move to #754950670175436848
a
can some body provide to link to the Etsy store link for this item.
n
Noob question here. I see some people mentioned space for 4 SSDs (I think 6 was mentioned as well). Can someone explain me how you can connect these many SSDs? I see only two SATA ports. Are they meaning to connect the rest with CM4s? How?
d
There are 4 nodes and each has a NVMe port connected to it on the bottom of the board:
But it's also important which models do you put into nodes. For example CM4s do not have a second NMVe link and can;t utilize NVMe slot
n
Right, right, thanks @DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela) . So, you can't connect more than two SSDs if you are planning exclusively CM4s.
d
Ignore the PCIe switch part, just the photo:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/754950670175436848/1038448683181686886/pcie-switch-board.jpg▾

You actualy can and there are different options
First a diagram (give me a secind)
So node 3 has 2 SATA ports connected to it via SAT controller, but this is what you know
Node 1 and Node 2 have both Mini PCIe slots available. You can add more SATA controllers this way:
Or you could even use these to convert them to NVMe slots with some adapters
There's also another way when you use an adapter to convert Mini PCie to PCIe and use a normal PCIe controller card of some sort
Oh, and not forget that Node 4 has USB ports - 2 on the back and 1 connector that you can use to add another ports - you can use USB drives too
n
Interesting. Great, thanks for this info. I am going to look into this. I am primarily wanting to play with K3s, so I was wondering if I could use the SSDs lying around as node storage. But, this is pretty cool to learn that there are so many ways. 👍
p
so your argument is 'dont make a tpi2 case. other cases exist'
u
Is there a timeline for this case production? noticing its now Dec already and not any suggested design drafts yet. presumably intent is to ship along with the board?
l
That is not what you inferred in what you stated. Read what you wrote. I guess those mini itx cases are just too new and you just haven't had time to look into them. I posted about one two days ago, it was first made available in 2012; so I guess a decade ago is just too new for you.
d
I think that was never the plan. It would only delay the board shipment more.
d
No, this is not what I said, you took it out of context. Stop doing this, stop negating everything I say and stop provoking.
p
then actually stop doing it! you are the one taking everything out of context and provoking
d
Stop, this is not a place for this
p
your inability to check cpu compatibility height does not make non-rack mount cases hard to check for height compatibility
d
I'm asking you to stop doing this
p
you keep doing this over and over. what good have you accomplished? nothing. all you do is demand rackmount solutions that already exist while look down to everything else
d
I've been talking about rack-mounted case. It does not really matter what actually exists IMO and what does not. I'd get an official TP2 case (instead of any other actually existing case) if such existed as I also stated this 🙂
If you do not have anything constructive to say, please don't. Also don't read selectively. I'm talking about rack-mounted case because this is what interests me. Why couldn't I? I have a rack, I'm putting everything into rack, I'd love to have an official TP2 case and it does not matter how many other 2U cases exist. This thread is about what everyone wants so the Team can figure out what they'd do. It does not change that a desktop case is what most people wants and if there is any possibility 2 cases could be made, the desktop one should have much bigger priority. I said that earlier. I'm not talking about desktop case features as this is out of my interests. And I'm going to talk about rack-mounted cases, I don't see why I couldn't. The fact it does not interest you does not mean it should not exist.
l
Actually it does matter! Since such cases exist, one could have one ready for when the Turing Pi 2 arrives. An official case is going to be later. Different people want different things and a rack mount case is a large form factor for a tiny board. Also, some people have only bought one, some have bought two. A rack mount case is going to be wide so if someone bought just one, that is using a lot of real estate for a single board. The idea of having a panel on the bottom to access the NVME would server what purpose? If it is in a rack, even if you have plenty of space below it, it is not convenient at all to get access to it. So you need to remove it from a rack and flip it over. You know what is even easier....using NVME extenders!
"If you do not have anything constructive to say, please don't." Then you state: "And I'm going to talk about rack-mounted cases, I don't see why I couldn't." So why is it that you can post but someone else? One could say some of your posts have nothing constructive to say!
p
Alright Mr. hypocrite. Start reading then[especially what you yourself write]. And start talking about an actual case, since all you have currently described is that you want a TPI2 badge, not a case.
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Why couldn't I? I have a rack, I'm putting everything into rack...I said that earlier. I'm not talking about desktop case features as this is out of my interests. And I'm going to talk about rack-mounted cases, I don't see why I couldn't. The fact it does not interest you does not mean it should not exist.
Get a rackifying kit. You can rackify virtually anything but you cant unrack a rack.
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I'd love to have an official TP2 case and it does not matter how many other 2U cases exist.
Get a badge and put it on a case. If you do not have anything constructive to say, please don't.
and now ill push this further into #754950670175436848
d
I'm talking about him attacking me. And this is not a place to talk about this. Also I finished this topc.
p
No you are not. You are a hypocrite and you have state it in your own post. Only one who is attacking here are you
l
You always have something to say, but yet you don't think others should also have something to say. They have as much right to say as you do. You keep stating things and when you are called out for what you state, you try to change what you meant. What you meant and what you wrote are two different things. Maybe you wouldn't get "attacked" if you just accept the fact that what you wrote is not what you actually meant. The words you chose were not correct. Your opinion does not carry higher value than that of someone else. So don't try to limit what someone else can say. Also, don't play the victim either!
d
Just my selfish 2 cents. Something rack mountable would be handy. I've got a 2U that I like, but I'd have to re-home that system. A 2U that has access to top and bottom that accepts universal slides and two 5" bays for hot swap drives and 4 internal 3.5" bays would hit me right in the feels.
A bit like this.... I just happened to have it out this weekend for some fiddling.
m
I would like these 4 things: -Reasonably compact -Rack mountable -Wall mountable -Simple/east access to NVMe bays without having to unmount board from the case.
d
From pure curiosity - wall mountable? Like you can unscrew ears (since rack mountable too) and hang it on a wall somehow? In which position?
d
Not sure if anyone said this but a m.2 to pci-e breakout to add GPU's or NICs or whatever into a 1u or 2u or itx case would be great to have too!
t
What I’ve long wanted was a case for 2 ITX boards, TuringPi, and TuringPi2, plus at least one 5.25 external drive bay (Blu-ray drive for media ripping)
I have that one already; but I'd like one to hold two
m
Hadn’t thought about it too much. I don’t have a rack in one of the locations so some native ability to wall mount be it with rack ears or with those keyhole mounts would be really nice.
d
VESA maybe? Or like these hole to put screw heads inside to hang devices?
I think wall-mountable case could look cool if you've had a way to see what's inside
m
I was thinking the keyholes, but VESA would work too.
A lot of people who are starting out with this stuff don’t have racks, but they’ll have a network closet with some wood on the wall for mounting the hardware. Would be nice to cater to those as well.
d
Just watched latest Jeff Geerling's video and he mentioned he's been working on a video about rack-mount RPi server:
Look how tiny the CM4 is there and how easily you can use up all of the space in a rack case 🙂 (This is a commercial server btw)
s
Would love something that fits in a 10" rack
s
If you were going to do a rackmount then one that fitted in a network rack, would be awesome. Could have a seperate expansion unit for drives etc to keep the footprint small.
b
I've already seen it here but to reaffirm, an optional glass panel or mesh to choose from would be nice for me personally.
c
If you are going to design something, I would like to see something that I can’t already buy off the shelf. I see a lot of rack kits and reasonable htpc itx cases out there already. For this system, I would buy something more akin to the Mac IIci case but for itx: toolless entry, tower or desktop positioning, and stackable (optional mounts for rack is fine but stacked on shelf is ok too). A half heigh version of Fractal Design Node 304, or Dell Optiplex SFF case might be inspiration. Internal standard power supply is very nice, and put some pretty node activity lights up front or an lcd for cluster monitoring… I love the Snow White design but maybe a darker color. Ultimately, cooling front to back and low profile are key, but a cluster should look like a rack or stack of low maintenance serious machines. I would say leave the trendy desk trophy designs for game pcs….
k
One thing I would like: Internal power supply. I hate the fact that so many small systems come with external power bricks.
d
I would like a USB-PD based power supply. So we could use our 100w PD-Chargers to power it. It’s nice for those who want to care it around with them.
p
i dont think you can have both "pretty node activity lights up front or an lcd for cluster monitoring" and front to back cooling. mind you, this would have to also mean that io shield would have to be mesh. this is getting more into matx size now, like node 304 but taller instead of wider
would be nice but totaly out of scope for a case. at max you could make a cutout for something that doesnt exist. or just make a cutout for barrel jack and if someone does make a USB-PD ATX psu, then you could fill that cutout
if it ends up being big enough with enough volume, you could put the 'external power brick' inside and just plug in 240v/120v into it. it would be nice if there was a single unit compromise between picopsu and sfx psu but this also just doesnt exist
d
https://www.adafruit.com/product/5450 (with Pico PSU)? Assuming that your power brick can output 12V (this is a passive cable) otherwise you can get a buck converter from 15V or 20V
t
there's also this: https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Female-5-5x2-1mm-Emulator-Trigger/dp/B0B9R7HP93 no extra cable, just stick at the end of the usb pd charger cable. these things have just enough smarts in them to talk to your charger and request 12V
d
Yeah, same thing. Just make sure your charger can output 12V, since this is not in a USB PD standard (only 5V, 9V, 15V and 20V)
This is why I mentioned you might need a buck converter or some sort of cable that incorporates it
m
having a buck converter would surely make the thing more safe power wise
t
oh wow. you're right. i dug into this a bit more and as from the usb pd 2.0 standard, 12V is not standard even though 3 of the 6 usb pd 1.0 profiles are 12V
p
guess you find out why using a USB-PD for ATX is just not a good idea. not actually part of the standard
d
This is not a not good idea (meaning it's not bad). There are many chargers that support 12V output, even from reputable brands. There are cables from reputable brands for 12V power output. It does not a big deal that it's not part of the standard if the market coverage for such solution is quite good. It's a DYI solution, but whole Turing Pi board is for DYI. It's enough to check if your charger can output 12V to use this solution (same way you'll have to check for 15V or 20V). Also I would not be shocked if 12V become a part of the standard, but for this to happen there must be an interest, which we can clearly see there is. This would not be the first example when a non-standard feature becomes part of the standard because there was an interest and implementation. Whole Turing Pi thing is about DIY-ing a solution that fits your needs. You can choose which modules you want use as the nodes, you can choose what accessories to add, you can choose if you want full PCIe, WiFi card, additional Mini PCIe SATA controllers, etc. etc. Same way you can choose how to power everything accordingly to your setup. For example you can choose 15V/20V USB PD charger, then use this as the power input:

https://kamami.pl/42061-home_default/usb-type-c-pd-trigger-15v-5a-no-connector.jpg▾

, then use 15V->12V step down buck converter like this one:

https://pg-cdn-a2.datacaciques.com/wm/MTU5MzA/3825244003/3623344745.jpg▾

and connect it to the Pico PSU.
p
1.) idea being good does not make it suitable. the fact is, its not a standard yet there is already a rush for calling USB-PD despite it not being that. if it becomes a standard, then its suitable. this is not exactly diy suitable. even though we are dealing with under 50V here, electricity is dangerous! dont diy something you have no education about and especially bypassing standards. 2.) turing pi diy and psu diy are in 2 completely different difficulty levels and scopes. dont do such comparisons! people will read what youve wrote and hurt themselves or someone else. 3.) turing pi is also not about diy a solution that fits as you say. you dont have the freedom you are describing. im not sure if youve checked the tpi2 project but thats not what the board is and last time ive checked, there arent 4x pcie 2.0 x1 slots, not even one. you have specific ports available to specific nodes but you cant "You can choose which modules you want use as the nodes, you can choose what accessories to add, you can choose if you want full PCIe, WiFi card, additional Mini PCIe SATA controllers, etc. etc" 4.) 'reputable brand' should mean nothing to you! if you want to be sure something is actually what it says it is, it needs to be verified. dont just trust brands blindly, not even 'reputable' ones. follow the USB-IF certification on these standards and choose something that did go through testing and did receive an official certification. 5.) you know what a regular dc psu does? turn 240V AC into 12V DC. instead of going through all this. and if you dont want to carry a DC psu, just put it inside and plug your AC main into the case instead. 6.) specifically for you, stop posting misleading suggestions! as i said, what you are suggesting is dangerous! whether you intended it or not, this is reckless. also, why is this topic even here? this has nothing to do with a case
d
Just to make things clear: > im not sure if youve checked the tpi2 project but thats not what the board is and last time ive checked, there arent 4x pcie 2.0 x1 slots, not even one. I've shown multiple times I do know that, you can see it in my posts here. Node 1 and Node 2 have a Mini PCIe slots that can be adapted to PCIe. Both are up to 4x PCIe 4.0, but their availability and standard depends on modules used. There's nothing wrong in this solution, you can ask Jeff Geerling 🙂 > you have specific ports available to specific nodes but you cant "You can choose which modules you want use as the nodes, you can choose what accessories to add, you can choose if you want full PCIe, WiFi card, additional Mini PCIe SATA controllers, etc. etc" This is what I mean, but there's no reason to explain it in details with the context it was written with, I also multiple times posted (answering people) what you can do with certain nodes. Just a few examples: https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1046929765849911356/1046949586297700385 https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/754950670175436848/1049004490268880897 https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1048217327851802704/1048862934387925022 > you know what a regular dc psu does? I do, of course I'm not searching for having any argument with you, especially not here. Just if you want to tell publicly I don't know what I'm talking about, I feel like I need to make things clear. It was easy to check by checking my posts here. Please stop discrediting me. > specifically for you, stop posting misleading suggestions! as i said, what you are suggesting is dangerous! whether you intended it or not, this is reckless. also, why is this topic even here? this has nothing to do with a case Multiple people asked about powering TP2s with a USB-C as a feature for the case (possibly to have something like Pico PSU but for USB power, and probably mounting holes in the case that's being designed). This is why this topic is here. This is also why I proposed an alternative as an answer to their posts., if they're interested. There's nothing dangerous in this, you can ask whoever knows about electronics. Taking a voltage from USB and converting it to a different voltage to power something is not unusual. If you have any questions for me or you want to still question my knowledge, use appropriate channel, please, but I'm really unwilling to reply to these type of messages anymore.
p
"There's nothing wrong in this solution" realistically, yes there is. if you are going to convert into something else, like regular pcie, you will need to mount it. again, just because you can, it doesnt mean that you should. i know about the existing solutions, but its not reliable long term. "This is what I mean, but there's no reason to explain it in details with the context it was written with, I also multiple times posted (answering people) what you can do with certain nodes. Just a few examples" then explicitly say it like that. your previous post is misleading, whether intentional or not. "I do, of course I'm not searching for having any argument with you, especially not here. Just if you want to tell publicly I don't know what I'm talking about, I feel like I need to make things clear. It was easy to check by checking my posts here. Please stop discrediting me." read it again. im not saying you dont know what you are talking about[at least regarding psu as such], what im saying is that your post is misleading. 'thats not how i meant it' will never be an excuse for how you keep wording your posts. "Multiple people asked about powering TP2s with a USB-C as a feature for the case (possibly to have something like Pico PSU but for USB power, and probably mounting holes in the case that's being designed). This is why this topic is here. " usb c[for psu] mounting and usb-pd psu are 2 different topics. one of them belongs here and the other doesnt. if you dont see the difference or care about it, then you are outright failing as a mod. "There's nothing dangerous in this, you can ask whoever knows about electronics. Taking a voltage from USB and converting it to a different voltage to power something is not unusual." just because it is not unusual for you or me or 'whoever knows about electronics' is again missing the point from you, especially when you are either encouraging people to bypass standards or encouraging mods potentially dangerous to people and devices
g
I have a M.2 wifi card that has antennas, so it might be nice to have holes for mounting them.
h
RGB for teh win 🙂
t
Myself, I don't care if it is rack mount. I have had rack mounted servers before, and I have a datacenter rack in storage. My Lab is currently a closet 109' x 39'. I simply use 2 small wire shelfs. I have 16 physical servers and 32 virtuals. I like small footprint systems that consume very little power and heat. I would however like to see some external removable drive bays. Like the HP Microserver or SuperMicro MiniTower.
w
The main focus of a Turing PI produced case should be enabling features of the TuringPi in a way other cases can't: 1. Access to NVMe drives without removing motherboard. This is similar to cases that have open space to change the heatsink backplate without removing the motherboard. 2. Access to GPIO externally. Basically, a cable from a set of pins on the case that runs to the GPIO exposed by the TuringPI2 3. Mounting points (loops, holes, standoffs) for other maker hardware like microcontrollers. If there's spare room in the case we'd like to find a way to use it 4. Cutouts for different types of ports (serial, vga, cable passthrough, etc) that we can pop out and use to install our own ports from various PIs or GPIO 5. Full 3D drawings of the case so we can use it to 3D print other attachments or modifications.
k
As it is a small supercomputer it should have a case like that, say a mini-cray, or some kind of cube-case like the next cube. Not an ordinary atx-case, because as someone already said, shipping would be too expensive and if it is like all the other cases, I'd buy one locally.
n
I've bought the Milo 10 from Silverstone (https://silverstonetek.com/en/product/info/computer-chassis/Milo10/) I think its a good fit especially with the pico psu
and you have two height options
i
Rack Mount options?
d
Remember you need at least 2U
i
I have a 42U rack mostly empty. I'm good 😄
d
Mine is already 2/3rd full 😄
i
I've standardized on 14TB drives, so I haven't added many shelves yet, but just added a SAS3 shelf for SSDs
l
I went with the RM-2270. It is 2U, supports two mini ITX boards and two flex 1U power supplies.
t
milo 10 looks promising and i've been wavering between that and the cooler master nr200. which psu and power brick are you getting?
w
Any idea if a CyberPowerPC SCCO100 will work.
Or if a the Jetson mate case will fit?
n
@the_boom_boom I ordered the black pico psu which was also offered on kickstarter, the DC barrel jack should fit nicely in the milo 10
t
i found this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WDG49S8 it looks identical to what turingpi is offering at almost half the price
p
different vendor, not same. worse efficiency and i dont see any documentation at rgeek page. seems there is a reason why its so cheap
n
I don't like ordering via amazon
r
I want this.
t
the picture on the turing pi website matches the rgeek pico psu but i wouldn't put too much stock in that as turing pi folks could just as easily pulled a random pic off the net https://turingpi.com/product/pico-psu/

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lEQ7SVb+L._AC_SX569_.jpg▾

p
this is better move out of here. this topic has went into too many offtopics anyway by now
d
I'd like a 3U rack case that can hold two stacked TP2's on one side and an x86 ITX system on the other with one set of standard redundant PSUs for all 3.
m
Also note there are 150 watt, 250 watt and probably other output capacity pico psu available. Know your power requirements when ordering one.
d
the one offered is 160W
e
I'm looking for some clarification on the height of the Turing Pi 2 with modules. The FAQ says a 68mm case height would work, but is that the internal case height? How does the motherboard standoff height play into that number? I'd like to know the height of the board, plus modules, plus clearance for the bottom of the board. Hopefully that makes sense.
d
A standard ATX standoff is 6.35mm
That's a minimum though and you often find they're actually 6.5mm
Boards with m.2 slots on the underside work with standard standoffs
e
So do we know if the 68mm includes the standoffs or no?
t
Note the 1U versions are too short for the TP2 (they do fit the TP1 and several server mb's however)
t
There’s also the Cablematic/RackMatic 2U dual ITX case.
t
Since I'm going to use my TPi v2 for a home lab, this case looks like it has everything I need/want: https://www.thermaltakeusa.com/the-tower-100-snow-mini-chassis.html
u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boKmZKTKXHc&ab_channel=LinusTechTips▾

this kind of design is nice
w
I'm looking at 3d printed case or this case KWID ITX Computer Case All Aluminum Soft HTPC Office Single Slot PCIE Desktop Case, silver, (500005979) https://a.co/d/9njmS3V
l
I totally agree with you
p
Compact. Micro. Portable. Handle to carry was a good idea. Transparent as possible. Want to show off the pi not the case. At least option of white v black. No interest in a rack. Already have tons. Places for lights would be useful. Access to SD and hookups is important. Likely use SDDs but also HD for backup storage. But plan to have SDDs in separate case next to this one that I can easily disconnect. Fans as needed. Keep to purpose of TP. There are lots of large cases on the market. Keep it small.
SSDs.
h
I have this one already, might go for it add some RGB, you know since RGB makes everything run 2x the speed: https://lian-li.com/product/o11-dynamic-mini/
But seriously from a purely practical perspective won't something more modular and more accessible make sense. We would want to swap modules, perhaps add in mPCIe cards, etc. Dissembling a standard PC case would be a hassle right, we rather have something more open and/or easier to take apart?
Not at those prices though ahaha 🙂
r
i was actually thinking of getting this case. I do love the dual chamber. i REALLY like the lancool, as i like the SATA powered fan controller in the case. but i feel like it may be too much case for what i need and the space i have. Streamcom also has an open bench style mount board that i like and may look more into.
w
This and I think there is an IO cover stl that fits
I have to check it once the tp2 arrives to make sure everything lines up
x
I had no idea this thread was here
t
🙂
t
i've just ordered this case: https://www.thermaltakeusa.com/core-v1.html
biggest advantage for me was the price at US$59. it's already got a fan and since i'm using a pico psu, it's easy to access the backside of the motherboard
i also had a psu blanking plate 3d printed at a local public library: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2498885
b
An alternate active cooling system rather than running small noisy fans on each CM4. Preferably a couple of 80mm fans attached to the case itself.
n
@here can anyone recommend compact PSU that are designed for mini itx cases?
t
I'm using the Silverstone NJ450-SXL. A bit pricey, but it's the lowest power, fanless, fully modular, SFX PSU I've found. There are lower power/priced ones, but they are not modular.
e
HDPlex has good offerings, but they are not a standard form factor. Otherwise Corsair makes good SFX power supplies.
The HDPlex 250W is very small and modular ATX power. If I didn't already have a 200W Meanwell on hand, I'd be planning to use a couple for my Turing Pi build.
d
SFX or smaller?
n
Smallest possible, which I believe is flex atx
d
Flex ATX is the smallest commonly available PSU that's not just a PCB
I'd probably go with the $100 Silverstone one
if you want to get fancy I think someone's making a modular one now too
d
HDPLEX GaN is even smaller. But the smaller the PSU like this is, the more expensive. Flex ATX should be fine if it's not noisy (due to it's small FAN size in many models)
s
SFX please, my $0.02
d
Yeah, I think SFX would be the best choice - not as small as FLEX, but cheaper and with much more options
Or forget and use Pico PSU only
s
And bigger install base so less likely to go extinct
I mean, one of these at the bottom of the case would totally be great in my book too but overkill https://www.silverstonetek.com/en/product/info/power-supplies/GM400-1UB/
d
But this would be more for a rack case, right?
For the desktop case - IMO either SFX or just Pico PSU (case + Pico PSU + power brick might be sold as a single product and the case could be pretty small)
s
I mean, if you are designing a case... 106mm(W) x 41.5mm(H) x 260mm(D) isn't hard to fit
Nvm, just saw the price
d
Price is one thing, but dual-PSU... I don't think people would want it in a desktop case
s
Depends what they are running on the 4 cm4s
If they are doing ai training on Jetsons, restarting that can be a pain
d
To be honest - no. training restart is not a pain. I've done that so many times for many reasons 🙂
Also Jetson devices are not really meant for training
s
My knowledge is admittedly limited. Just throwing ideas around
Probably right, a ups would satisfy that.
d
If you ask me - desktop case - an SFX PSU. Rack-mountable case - maybe dual-PSU of some sort, I can see people wanting to use it (I would still opt for a single PSU because of power consumption)
s
Poe tap?
Could in theory just not have a PSU and either have have Poe power tap or pull it over usb-c? If you have a case wall, you can mount a module
d
I proposed a solution for USB-C here already
PoE... Iono, Orin is coming
s
I use hats at the moment for my 4s. The discussion in main chat about inefficiencies of higher power PSU just got my brain churning is all
The whole cluster could be powered by a single IEEE 802.3bt port is all.
d
But PoE, if considered, should only be an option
s
Of course! Not the ONLY way.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/3239 something like this but not rubbish.
n
I am wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of using an internal power supply, such as Flex or SFX, compared to using a pico PSU with an external power brick. In addition to the size factor, what are some other considerations to keep in mind?
s
Less clutter.
d
I think (but this is only what I think and thoughts after what I've seen on this Discord) it's just design choices. If you want the case to be super small or unique-shaped, Pico PSU could be the right choice. I see no disadvantages for using Pico PSU with TPi2 (excluding some use cases where someone really needs more power). You can even make space for 2x 2.5" SATA drives (since TPi2 has 2 SATA ports built in and Pico PSU has 3 SATA power plugs, where third can be used to power case FANs). Even if we think of Jetson Orin devices, they're at most 25 W each which still leaves some space (power-wise) for SSDs and a few other devices, but how many people will even get close to 160W? I've heard of people that: - plan on exceeding 160W (how?) - want dual PSUs for redundancy - want to connect external GPUs or disk controllers (HBAs) with M.2 -> PCIe or Mini PCIe -> PCIe adapters - want standard PSU because they don't like an idea of external power brick or want the PSU to run super cool But the question to ask is probably how many people want a standard PSU vs Pico PSU? Maybe a poll? Also worth mentioning - standard PSUs draw more power (as they are less efficient) with small amount of drawn power, like 10-20W. The advantage of standard PSU, however, is you have a choice - standard PSU or Pico PSU
s
Dual is admittedly a niche case.
This usage is one of those use cases where it's going to be inefficient since everyone else using itx pulls far more power.
t
I ordered this some time ago for the TP2… hope I didn’t make too much of a mistake… past the return period
d
You mean mistake in terms of future TPi2 case or in terms of using it with TPi2 board?
d
Agreed. If you are going for a "sleek and minimal" case the less clutter you have the better. Look at the Apple Mac Mini: the 2009 models had an external power brick. All later models have an internal PSU and use just a single cable to the outlet.
t
Latter… I hope it isn’t too power inefficient, also doesn’t have a switch.
d
Depending on a power supply, with 20W of load you might be loosing like additional 5W or so, so this is big percentage, but then 5W is not a big amount of wasted power
n
It seems there are no must have things that internal psu brings to the table. I think we will go with pico + external for now, to keep it clean inside and focus on easy nodes and ports access. I got a couple of cases with internal psus, and the psu itself brings lot of messy cables, plus weight, plus size. Anyway, I’ll share concept with the community before moving forward with it
last chance to raise your objection)
d
LMAO 😄
e
I definitely prefer internal power supplies.
If you put your Turing Pi case on a shelf you'd have a power brick laying there too
Idk. Some power bricks are nice and small too though. I just picked one up as a spare travel unit and it's very compact.
120W vs 150W
d
Just to have some discussion and add my point of view - power brick can be usually easily hidden and you end up with a nice looking SFF device, like TPi2 in this case, especially when you have a window on the side. And if you happen to be in a situation where you have a hard time to hide the power brick, it's really unfortunate and I understand you, but also maybe you could extend the power cord?
w
An external PSU on something designed to be powered on continuously, especially something with the characteristics of infrastructure equipment, is just silly. When it became likely the official case will require an external PSU I decided not to wait any longer and pulled the trigger on my order. Also bought a SFF case and a regular ATX PSU. I don't care * if it's not the smallest case possible; in fact I want it to be big enough to throw at least 4 2.5"/3.5" drives inside (don't have the budget for fancy schmancy RK1s etc able to directly use the NVMe slots, nor the inclination to wait another 6 months or whatever). Most SFF cases don't directly provision such "extravagance" but they do feature 1 or 2 internal drive bays and enough space for a 2 or 3 slot thick GPU. With a bit of jiggery pokery that's plenty of space for 4-8 drives. * if it isn't the prettiest case or doesn't show off all the flashing lights; I'm interested in what the cluster can do, not that it's an Orac emulator (Blake's 7 reference for the uninitiated). * if the PSU is a bit over capacity (quite a lot actually, because (new) 200W ATX or SFX PSUs are hard to find and not cheap). The case and PSU cost 85 euros, just 10 euros more than a PicoPSU and powerbrick. I just need a board to put in it now....
t
My opinion on external PSU is that they take up almost as much room sometimes as the object they are powering. A lot of technology I have use them and it gets messy trying to find space for all of them when they are located together (plus all the extra cable they come with too). I'd much rather have an internal PSU with little to no cable and just have to find a spot for one item. 🙂
d
I like really small stuff with USB-C power
t
so what case did you get?
w
https://www.amazon.es/Sharkoon-One-Negro-Carcasa-Ordenador/dp/B00TL8VN5I Initial impressions are in the pdf. The PSU was this one https://www.amazon.es/Gaming-MPB550-Fuente-80Plus-SilentRPM/dp/B08C33Z2K8 which should be OK so long as no-one shorts the +5v rail (I found a review which says the SCP works on the other rails but not this one, and apparently this is a failing on many PSUs).
sharkoonqb1
I'm hoping the TPi2 turns up before the Amazon returns period runs out, just in case either ends up being unsuitable. I knew there was going to be a TPi shutdown for CNY but not that shipments were on hold also for the RTC issue. Ho hum.
e
What are good NAS cases? Right now I'm looking at the Jonsbo N1 and N2. The N1 looks great but I'm worried about heat. The N2 looks terrible but seems like a better overall design
s
n
Nice, I just ordered the QB one as well. and a Be Quiet SFX format 450w psu. I already have my tpi2. I can ping you this week how the build is going.
w
That'd be cool, thank you. My order is still Processing......
n
it fits 🙂
More than enough space. I’ll be checking the frontpanel headers later tonight.
n
@everyone what storage option would you use with tpi2 case? HDD or SSD and why? It's all clear with the NVMe, but not clear with additional storage options.
d
Probably ssd... Spinning rust might be cheap but it's not fast
d
SSDs - size and reliability mainly. quick access is a plus.
k
(Not yet sure if I'll ditch my current case for the TPi2 case, depends on pricing and other things but) 3x HDD for me, wanted to go 2x HDD only but the newly published documents tipped me over to go for 3x HDD – HDD because I'll try to use it as a NAS among other things
n
why hhd. not ssd?
k
Price
b
I'd probably use an SSD, but I already have an external NAS if I need really massive file storage. I don't expect to need more than 1TB SSDs inside the thing. Maybe. I'd go with Spinning Rust if I needed a massive amount of storage.
k
3x 8 TB SSD would probably burn a hole in my pockets
w
2.5" bay can fit also hdds
n
but ssd are cheap now too
d
Spinning rust for backups and NAS. Nvme for local node storage for apps
d
This lol
b
2TB ssds are still $200 each
d
HDDs at higher capacities are so much cheaper than SSDs, and if you want to use it as NAS, HDDs will be fast enough (at least for bulk reads and writes). I have a bunch of 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs that could be used
b
https://diskprices.com/ Super handy to compare price per TB and stuff
d
But I assume there's not much difference SSD or HDD if you assume 2.5"
b
(just for context)
k
I mean, getting cheaper for sure, but I got the HDD for 23k JPY each while SSD I'm looking at 100k JPY for that capacity
b
5TB 2.5 HDD is $99
that'd get me 1TB worth of SSD
so yeah, HDD for capacity, SSD for iops
n
did you get 3.5" or 2.5"?
d
My suggestion would be to support 2 or 3 2.5"
k
3.5"
e
Personally I'd use all three because I'd use tpi2 for a home server with lots of services running. HDD for media, ssd for netboot, nvme for fast cache
n
hdd or ssd?
n
How much space do you want to use up in a case. In the Sharkoon here I have 3 2.5" options and only one 3.5". Looking at the size vs capacity. Using 2.5" bays seems to be a logical choice. Unless you want to use the drives as NAS drives, then 3.5" is key for drives like WD Red Plus or Seagate Ironwolf.
d
They're same form factor - this is the advantage of 2.5"
g
I'm with kath, I already have mt 3.5 HDD drives I'm just moving my x86 nas that consume 100w of power to a low energy alternative with pis
h
Just got myself a Cougar Dust 2, will be putting some SSDs inside.
b
I'd prefer 3.5" for HDD
n
@nsky SSD or HDD doesn't matter I guess, it's just size of the drives?
e
3.5 hdds for me as well
n
are they? Can you please share a url?
e
HDD will get me a lot more storage for cheaper
t
2.5” SSD and 3.5” HDD. I’ll probably be getting a 2U that takes a 5.25” bay so I can install 6x SSDs with two miniPCIE SATA controllers. I currently run a Gluster cluster on 3 Pis. I wouldn’t mind having 2x 3.5” bays for the other TPI2 for the two SATA ports for bulk storage.
d
@nsky
b
You can always fit a 2.5" drive in a 3.5" bay tho
d
2.5" is the formfactor. Ssds are most often that formfactor. Hdds also get made in 2.5" but are more common in the 3.5" formfactor
n
is it 7mm thin?
u
im going mainly with hdd
d
Yes, but it's also a question of how big, or rather how small the case can be 🙂
n
we want to make as compact as possible, so 3.5 is not an option
b
that's fair
I can live with that
I'm hoping that folks will make cool 3d printed cases and that there will be enough of a community around that to satisfy everyone :D
d
6.5-7, yes, but I also have one that's 9.5cm thick
n
With the trade off being heat control. The smaller the environment, the harder it is to handle the heat.
u
to make it look small u could shape the case to be more vertical
n
2,5" up to 15mm thick
d
When you want support for 3 2.5" drives you could go with a 3.5" bay and fit 4 with an adapter. Not perfect, cus thicker but it allows for more options than just 2.5"
Or go with a normal case ofc
d
Up to 15mm will be ok
b
But what if I want to hook up DVD burners in there? Can we get 3 5/14" bays?
n
too much)
d
I thought you said it'll be up to 15mm
For a record
n
Nice Lidl calipers 😉
d
Haha, you're correct. All these cheap ones are the same, though
In addition to the above photos, I found another 9.5mm disk - the one above is an SSD and I founf a HDD now
n
They work perfectly. Once acquired the same type for my 3d prints. works perfectly as it's the cheapest to have an alloy frame.
I have old Intel SSD drive here as well. It weighs in at 6,57mm thickness. But with the official bracket (to fit it snugly in a laptop) it is 9,41mm.
n
@Ansy what is the most frequently asked feature for the turing pi 2 mini itx case?
a
the most frequently asked feature for the turing pi 2 mini itx case is expandability. customers are interested in the ability to add additional components, such as motherboards, storage devices, and cooling systems, beyond the existing hardware.
d
💯 ! 😄
b
Modular 3d printed case design!
n
@Ansy summarize this chat
I think it's time to purchase a subscription))
b
lol
l
Ssd's, at least 2 Advantage: no noise and space
r
SSD for performance, speed is what's necessary for me, not tons of raw storage. Really wish us Pi users could leverage NVMe like with other platforms similar to this, but sadly not an option when using Pis with TPI2.
n
I think we will put space for 2 x 2.5" drives, so you can use either 2.5" ssd or hdd
Thank you all guys for your participation
message has been deleted
@Ansy what do you about ssd vs hdd? /s
a
Ha ha ha... I'm a bot, not a computer scientist. What kind of silly question is that?
n
little sucker)
t
You want to accommodate 15mm height SSDs. The 7mm ones tend to be lower capacity.
t
that's a very reasonable design choice and it should satisfy most people's requirements. unless space is really at a premium, though, i would suggest allowing for a single 3.5" hdd in place of the 2 x 2.5" drives. that would work better for price-sensitive applications that require more storage like a home media server. take a look at the silverstore milo 10 for instance, the drive bracket (which is located above the motherboard) can be used in either configuration
b
It would be nice to have provision for a pi hat connected to the gpio header on the Turing pi (maybe an extension cable and a mounting point somewhere in the case)
s
I mean, the cm4 is only 1gb anyways so 3hdd should keep up.
d
CM4 are 1 to 8 GB unless you mean your CM4s
s
I meant networking in response to the NAS use case. Regardless of how fast you get data the drives, it won't serve it faster than that. *Unless using a PCI-E nic that is faster which chews into the available lanes
d
Oh, you mean 1 Gb/s. You can utilize SSDs on CM4 for both speed and low latency 🙂
Not all HDDs will keep 125MB/s in read/write
s
They are getting better actually but you're right.
d
Yeah, but latency and random access is nowhere near to SSDs 🙂
SSDs are also noiseless
s
Very true. It will be interesting to see how people use these. I think the RK1 will see a lot of storage usage especially as persistent storage for like k8 clusters with nvme cache and sata storage.
d
Correct, also things like databases, which benefit from SSDs a lot and similar things
Even if this is "just" SATA drive, the performance difference is quite big
p
Is there any way to use nvme m.2 with the CM4 on TP2? I know it’s not native. Just wondered if anyone has.
d
I tried with Mini PCie to M.2 and it does not work - kernel panic and CM4 does not boot: https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/754950670175436848/1074064062100537375
u
For the ones still looking for a 10inch case I see this might be an option: https://www.myelectronics.nl/nl/10-inch-2u-mini-itx-case.html
If some 1 is interested I’m happy to supply some pics when it does arrive
l
Room for at least 2 80mm exhaust fans and easy clean filtered air intake. Extension of as many internal connectors to external case as possible but priority should be keeping as small as possible and case quality as high as possible
l
This case looks great. They do also have a desktop variant of it (at least available for backorder). https://www.myelectronics.nl/us/desktop-mini-itx-case.html I would appreciate it, if you could share some pictures.
u
I will do so next week in a seperate topic (edit: see other topic which may give a general idea)
think the desktop case is similar just with a different front
u
the desktop case is on its way to me! 🙂 can also provide some pictures, once I received my tp2
a
Yeah, I'm sure you do.
m
g
Wonder why the case is so big. Could of made a small sff case designed for pico psu and as small as possible. There are plenty ITX cases this size already. Rather disappointed its so big.
d
How is it big? It barely fits the motherboard that's the Mini ITX size. Look closely at the pictures. It looks like the case is going to be about 20x20cm of size, if not smaller. It can't be any smaller as it would not fit this tiny board
t
can i put the case on its side and stack them? also, can i mount a single 3.5 hdd in place of those two 2.5 ssd's?
r
I found the perfect case for me. Lian LI PC-TU100. Doesn't blocked mobo at the back for nvme. case can be opened from both side. comes with handle and classic look.
d
Nice 🙂
k
if only you could still buy it
t
Is there any kind of update on the case? What kinds of cases have folks used that they are really happy with.
t
i've seen a number of people (including myself) go for thermaltake core v1
l
How about the case that was shown in the Kickstarter page ?
e
I'm using the NFC S4T case with L expansion. Working on some custom bits to make the PSU work.
e
I was looking into this case! So cm4 modules + Mobo fit without extension into the normal case?
n
I am eagerly waiting for the updates on the official case: actual pictures and videos; but then, I am also waiting for RK1 updates. 🤷‍♂️
e
If I understand you're question, the answer I think is yes. The Turing Pi 2 with CM4 adapter boards fits in an S4T. Dunno about other module types. If they match the dimensions of the CM4 carrier boards, they will fit.
e
Awesome ordering this case today
e
What are you planning for power supply? The case integrates with HDPlex nicely
e
I was thinking just the pico and using the extra space for a couple of fans
I'm even looking into integrating a 2.5gbe pcie module and riser to get better networking in node 1. I think that's achievable with the soquartz modules I purchased
e
I'll mention too that 80mm m.2 drives can't be installed with the board in the S4T
60mm would be fine
e
How tall are your risers?
d
I should finally test these:
And these:
I have 10 Gb/s cards that I could test
You can desolder redundant standoff, it's actually quite easy to do
e
I mean the m.2 slots on the back of the board
No risers, the built in slots. I can take a picture tomorrow
e
I'll be shook if you can do 10gb/s networking
d
Not on the CM4 and compatible modules since on the Mini PCIe there's a single PCIe 2.0 lane exposed, which means not more than 5Gb/s. But with the Jetson Nano module, the one I have has an SD card, so I could use the NVMe which has 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes and try to achieve 10Gb/s this way 🙂
e
Interesting
Giving the "command" node 10gb/s would be great for my eventual home cluster
g
I do not want rack mounting nor do I want to see the blinking lights.... As I am going the board to prototype an idea, the following case was ideal, dust cover, easy panel access, room for 2 sata drives and a single HDD however what really sold it was a handle which meant it was portable. Probably not on people's agenda, but this what I am planning to use is: https://hyte.com/store/revolt-3
r
The cheapest most compact Mini ITX case I could find on Amazon (I don't have much space) + 3D printed IO shield https://a.co/d/0s8zSjm Also I crammed a 120mm fan in there just because
p
Mind sharing a picture with TPI put in?
r
Oh nice looks exactly like what I'm looking for. Did you have to modify it in any way? What modules do you have installed? They clear the top okay? Does it fit standard io shields (I got one with TPi2) or is custom one necessary?
r
Beware that there is virtually no space for fans if you have a full 4 nodes. Maybe some 40mm fans but only if you cable manage well. I just 3D printed the shield since it was cheaper than buying it, a normal one should work. I just have 1 CM4. IDK if the holes on the sides will fit a fan screws so you might have to drill it. Currently I have a normal PC fan taped to the top but only because there are 3 empty slots. However this is perfect if you don't plan on having any fans. Doesn't come with standoff screws so NVME probably won't fit without them
r
Thanks for the info. Not using NVMe currently so not worried there. I have quite a few AC Infinity USB fans so I might just put some fans sitting on top pushing cool air in.
r
Yeah that should be fine. It is really compact and cheap so a few compromises is fine.
r
I am gonna try this version actually. It's next day delivery instead of 1-2 months lol https://a.co/d/9e2FMIT
Looks like it's 3.3in tall vs 2.4 so maybe I can fit some sort of low profile fan in there. We'll see. Thanks for the tips. I'll post back how it works out later on..
u
I went with a couple of these for my pair of Turing Pi's https://a.co/d/eDOKWeo They arrive on Monday so we'll se how they go.
g
SSD only use HDD for external NAS
t
r
I got my Goodisory in today and it's a perfect fit for the TPi2. Thanks for the advice @Randomblock1 and @DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela)
d
Nice! Thanks for sharing
r
Works great with the pico PSU and IO panel as well. No modifications needed whatsoever. https://a.co/d/9e2FMIT
Only downside is no access to the microSD or NVMe slots on backside without removing the mobo but not an issue for me personally.
g
Anyone familiar with the old Shuttle computers? I think I have an ancient one somewhere in the basement. I might try and dig it out. I'm not sure if they were mini itx, some other standard, or something proprietary.
r
Some of Shuttle's stuff was proprietary
And then I think micro ATX
I wanna say mini ITX was a later thing for Shuttle
g
Fun tidbit. SFF was apparently originally "Shuttle Form Factor" and then later became "Small Form Factor"
r
I only owned one shuttle case, I wanna say in like 2008 or so. It was my Windows Media Center HTPC. I liked it.
Back in my Hauppauge/CableCard days. Dark times.
c
Any room for a fan?
r
There are no pre-cut/drilled spots for a case fan to be installed. I suppose you could (with slight modifications) figure out a way to mount some fans either to the side panels, the top panel (clearance between top of CM4 carrier and bottom of top panel is roughly 15-18mm, not sure about other modules), or maybe even some sort of exhaust using the vents above the IO shield. All sides except the front are slotted for airflow. Personally I plan to try and run with passive cooling only on my CM4s (heatsink on each module).
u
I have heatsinks with fans for each of the CM4s https://a.co/d/9qRFgZk though I’ll need to hack the connectors together.
t
This is a Shuttle XP case, I think it would fit, but the USB ports on the front might be a challenge as this arrangement seems semi-proprietary. I loved these cases though. I simply would like the same kind of case for my TPI2
c
Hello everybody We consider one of the cooling configurations with a large fan (120x120mm) and heatsinks without fans on the modules. On the pictures below we calculate the air velocity and temperature for 4x Orin NX 16 GB RAM with heatsinks and Arctic P12 PWM PST SLIM fan. The maximum temperature with this configuration is only 44C. I would happy to hear from the community what are the pros and cons of this cooling configuration
For comparison, when we placed a fan on the back of the case (IO shield), the cooling configuration of 4 fans on the modules and 1 on the case gave a temperature of ~62C
The main question is what are the pros and cons of a cooling configuration with a single 120x120mm fan on top?
t
Looks like it has room. I am assuming there is a tray that goes across the top for mounting drives. It looks like there is room but if you did put the plate and the drives would there be adequate room?
I am no engineer and at first I was not that keen on a fan on the top. I am assuming a lid? If it kept things cooler and there is clearance then great. If it or the lid was easy to remove even better. I am not sure what kind or how thick the rear fan would be. Also, wouldn't the bigger fan spin at lower speeds and make less noise? I suppose all of that is also determined by the type of fan.
r
That's a good point and question. Yes there is a bar that goes across the top with several screw holes. I have that out right now cause I am still installing my CM4 modules. I should have them all installed and will put the plate on and take some additional pics and measurements when I get a chance. Probably tonight or tomorrow.
d
I'm not opposed to the idea but if it is "on top" then that implies it would be hard to stack something else on top of this box. Maybe have a optional 10mm "lid" that can go on top of that fan? Make pre-threaded screw holes for motherboard offsets that could be used for such a plate in the four corners? Just my $0.02...
g
Do you have the top fan as intake or exhaust? In most PC builds you would want them exhausting. Have you tried running the simulation with case on its side and the fan blowing as an intake?
d
I've been thinking about it a bit. The only downside is probably you cannot put a window there and expose the inside beauty 🙂 Can you put 2 fans in the back blowing air onto and across the nodes and measure the temperature? This is kind of how I would see it I think. You cannot really do this in the front since the PicoPSU is going to be in a way. 60-ish C is still far far from thermal throttling which is 99C. And I do not mean to run the modules even hotter - the cooler, the better, of course. I'm also kind of thinking of some sort of ducts to direct the air onto the module heatsinks either from a single or 2 fans and then you can position them (the fans) anywhere.
r
So confirmed it's about 16-17mm from top of CM4 carrier board, to the lid (without the top SSD tray installed). It's about 14mm from the top of CM4 carrier board to the bottom of the SSD tray)
The top tray does hold a 2.5" SSD (maybe HDD too, size depending) and can mount in either direction.
Curious tho, are others running any SSDs off of the pico PSU? If so is there some breakout cable you are powering them with? Or is anyone installing any SATA storage having to go the ATX PSU route?
d
Well, I'm in the middle of this project:
They all are powered from a PicoPSU
Better look at the power:
I'm using 1-to-6 SATA power cable
You can also just buy Y-splitters
And no, you do not need ATX PSU. The PicoPSU provides 3 SATA power plugs - should be more than you need. DO you have any particular problem with them?
r
Oh I am dumb, there is a breakout cable still in the box for the JST type connector with 3x SATA power plugs on it
d
Oh, i did not think you just simply missed it 😄
r
Yup, I am dofus haha
That's cool you are getting 5 drives off the pico psu tho, I assume they are all SSD so decently low power consumption
d
They're HDDs
And I have 2 SATA port replicators for a total of 10 drives 🙂
This project is in progress and I'll share the results soon-ish™️
c
I got the same case yesterday in red and so far loving it... I have not yet added a fan as only have 1 CM4 for now and is not getting super hot but eventually will. Did you install any already ?is a shame the opening on the case are on the sides
r
No fans, heatsinks only
g
Can all the nodes see the 10 drives or only 5 each?
c
Same so far max 50C for me
t
@ryanwww Thank you for confirming. pictures are worth 1000 words.
Looks like you made your own caddy. That is slick. I would like to do something like that except hot-swap type enclosure. Not that I care if it is truly hot-swapable, I just like to be able to easily swap drives in my lab. ie power down and put other disks in.
d
Only Node 3 will "see" them since they're connected to Node 3's SATA controller, but you can share the storage via NFS or SMB
Yes, I designed it (as well as a few other things here) and it's only to hold things together. I might make anotehr version that lets you hot-swap.
t
Nice! Yep a hot swap carrier would be greatness.
r
No prob, happy to help
d
The design currently lookslike this (this is an old revision, though. I'll have to think how to reinforce it and make it so you can hot swap. Nothing will hold the drives in place
t
Pretty clean design! I am horrible with 3d printing 😄 I do have 3 CNC hobby machines which I can make things with. I guess I am more of a grinder than a welder 😄
d
The print here isn't great either, but I'm using a filament I don't care about for the prototype printing (and I don;t care about it because it's usually cheap and this means also has issues)
t
It always seemed like a good method for prototyping to me. I probably need to just buy a decent printer. One was 50$ from GoodWill and UPS ended up re-imbursing me th 50$ cause they damaged it (so basic free) and I have a 149$ ender.
d
I'm using Creality CR-10S, a bit modded, but it's still CR-10S - pretty good printer (even if there are many more decent ones now)
t
Thanks, when I get a chance I am going to buy a better one. I do like this type design. Extruded aluminum. I just need more practice and time.
r
So the Goodisory A01 seems like a good fit for the TP2... but what about the A09? Costs the same on Amazon, is slightly larger and ~~seems better ventilated ~~seems to have better potential for coolinghttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KZVNZ49/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1K05DPNJQHH4K&psc=1
g
So I had to post, still putting it all together but everything fits nice in this case. Roku remote for size comparison sitting on top of the 200w included power supply. Room for 2 SSD on the back (comes with power splitter). Only concern is there are no fans so will see how it does with heat. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096CBLR7T?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
u
i really like this!
d
This SATA cable looks so thick even when you put this remote for scale 😛
m
Nice to see a compact case with built-in PSU. The J-HACK cases also seem to have a similar solution. Something for the upcoming official case?
e
This picture hopefully illustrates what I mean. You can't swap 2280 drives with the TPi2 mounted in the S4T. You'd have to take the board out and install the drives or do other things.
I'm also surprised/annoyed that neither the TPi2 or my m.2 drives came with m.2 screws
t
I really like this case. I couldn't tell what modules you had installed. It looked like CM4. Can you use M.2 drives with the CM4 ?
e
I've just been mocking up the build
I have 4 cm4 carriers installed, but planning to do one CM4 and three RK1s in each board.
Maybe four CM4s, four RK1s. Not sure
t
Ah I gotcha. I should get that 😄 me too except I haven't decided on a case yet. I am just using a CM HAF Evo case now for POC. It is a great case but the TPI2 board is soo small. This one is on my short list, thank you for posting the pics.
e
The NFC discord is a pretty cool place too, just saying
If you need build help
I'm much more of a mechanical person doing software things rather than the reverse
t
not sure if me but any discord that is helpful I am keen to look. I think I have things figured out so far but mostly from the TPI site and searching this forum. I just need some CM4 cards with more memory or I would love to try the RK cards if they become availalb.e
p
Dimensions of the case if matches Mac Studio and has built in power supply then it would be awesome. Just the top and bottom panel should be easy to access.
c
This looks really nice...please follow-up with heat results.
g
So with the case vertical the lowest CM4 idols at about 45c and the top most is around 52c. If I lay it flat all CM4 idol about 48c. This is with zero fans in an office room that is about 21c.
d
Potentially looking to get the same Goodisory MX01 case. Did you receive yours and if so do you have any feedback on how well they fit the TP2 with CM4s?
u
Everything fits well. Ventilation is mostly on the sides and top, I have active cooling on my CM4 heatsinks, so this works fine for me. If you’re looking to add case fans it might be a little difficult, though smaller ones could be attached to the sides. The HD mount points are on a brace that runs directly above the modules there’s somewhere between a quarter and a half inch clearance between the top of the modules and the brace(7-12mm). The PicoPSU barrel plug fits through one of the openings without mods. And two of them will fit side by side on a rack shelf (how I’m using them)
d
Fantastic! Thank you for the detailed feedback. Mind sharing what you use for the active cooling on the heatsinks? I can kind of see on your second picture but not sure what those are. Currently I have simple Waveshare heatsinks ready on my CM4s but I do worry it might get hot in that case with no fans (my initial plan).
u
I ended up going with 4 of these https://a.co/d/7p0Sq1R and one of these https://a.co/d/9EBM30B The CM4s seem to top out at about 70 C under a stress test with the fan controller set to low speed when clocked at 2 Ghz. The controller is double sided taped to the narrow part of the brace
d
Cool! Thanks again for all the details, I appreciate it. I am going to get one of these MX01 and see how it goes with the plain heatsinks and might consider upgrading to a setup like yours. Nice build!
p
Hi Everyone, My board also arrived yay!, Wanted to create a small foot print system and therefore want a small power supply. I am not an expert in power supply but wanted to know if the following power supply be will work for turing pi 2 board.https://amzn.eu/d/5k2VUZN
d
Yes, that'd work, but people usually are using Pico PSU. Turing Pi sells this: https://turingpi.com/product/pico-psu/ but you can buy different ones. It's smaller and more convenient, it plugs into the ATX power connector directly
e
In Win Chopin Pro works great
t
Yep, Chopin for the In Win! 🙂 I do like the case and it did impress me, but I am still very interested in what Turning will do. I do understand putting the fan on the top or the front that Turing is thinking about. If cards every become available I would like to use a different case. I do like small footprint but for my cluster I would like the case to be taller or wider depending on how you look at it.
p
In win looks like the best option for me too. I checked it’s power supply and it says 12V 10A. Wanted to know if I am seeing the right thing and if it is sufficient for a build that has 4 orin nx 16gb modules I.e. max configurations.?
d
120W might not be enough. I've seen max power draw of the Orin NX of about 35W, so that's alone mean 140W, then add the board itself, NVMe drives and whatever you add to it
m
Do you have easy access to the back for the sd cards / nvme?
p
How much spacing is available for back of the board NVMe? assuming flat M2 screws?
u
The bottom of the tray is the bottom of the case, so only what would be left with normal MB tray standoffs. I don’t have a spare drive to put in, but I wouldn’t thing there would be very much.
p
good to know - problem with standoffs is - yes they create space but then mess with the positioning of the cutouts in IO shield
e
You don't, I populated them before hand in preparation of getting RK modules hopefully this year. You have access to everything else. I plan minimal need for swapping those out, but if needed it wouldn't be too much of a hassle few screw and unplug a few cables.
e
Just throwing it out there that the case I'm using for my Turing Pis is almost out of stock. And if you're going higher power with your modules, there's a 250w power supply from HDPlex that integrates very nicely with it.
m
with shipping a $216 USD case is almost as expensive as the Turing Pi2 board!
p
For the TPi case that is being designed- will the 40 pin gpio be exposed as well to the front of the case?
w
Not strictly true. The first set I got from Amazon last week was only 0.1mm resolution. They went back. Second set was 3 times as expensive but 0.02mm resolution. But I got a duff one; wouldn't zero, couldn't change units. displayed a constantly changing random number for the length. They went back. Third set was more money but 0.01mm resolution (allegedly) and works fine.
d
Ok, I unnecessarily generalized. In my case, I've seen many different brands based on the same design, but indeed you're right - there are also different designs out there
m
d
200W will be enough, for sure!
m
@tony_690r @eatcodegame I am trying to assemble my system with the Chopin Max. What did you do to attach the front panel LED/switch connector?
e
What trouble are you having?
m
The connector doesn't fit because it has one of the connectors filled in. Maybe I just need to cut or remove that pin? (I'm still at home so I don't have it in front of me at the moment)
You were able to just attach it without modification?
e
I used a small pin and removed the extra material that filled that connector
m
That sounds like a better solution. I'll do that when I get to the office. Thanks!
e
Need anything else just reach out
m
One drawback to the case (perhaps this a drawback to most/all cases) is that I'll need to remove the motherboard when I add M.2 cards...
e
Agreed, I have 4 space 1tb laying around I added them in for the future
In the end its only a few screws and plugs if needed to pull and swap but they was collecting dust so they can collect less dust under the motherboard
m
The other drawback (but it's the price you pay for the small size) is you can't add 3.5" SATA HDDs if you want to take full advantage of the SATA on slot 3.
e
True I added two sata ssd to in the case, but for the most part if has everything I need for what I am using it for
m
Yeah, if I get to the point where I want 3.5" drives, I'll probably by a new TP2 and case.
t
Like folks said just used a tiny screw diver to push out the insert on the connection. Plugged right in and worked first time. Easy peasy.
e
My Turing Pi 2 installation is coming along. Pretty well ready to start doing stuff with it now
w
That looks very neat and tidy. Good luck finding modules for the remaining slots.
t
Which Case is this? I guess it fits 2 mini-itx boards. Are the boards mounted to trays and can slide out?
e
It's an S4T from NFC Systems with an expansion kit. Bit of a boutique case, but I wanted to use it for this application. The expansions aren't readily available anymore though. The boards are fixed to the case, no sliding.
w
Added a 10x (7mm) SATA SSD (or 8 SSD + 2x (9mm) HDD) caddy to my Sharkoon QB1. Has provision for 2x 5010 fans if required. Just need a load more disks now...
t
Cool case, I have always dreamed of having a modular case where you could plug motherboards in. I know some manufacturers already do it. In anycase nice rig.
m
Does anyone have experience of using TuringPI with Fractal Design Node 304. I have 2 boards, one I want to be able to use with 3.5 HDD, for the second board I am tempted to wait for Kickstarter project case. Is there another alternative with similar form factor I should look at rather than 304
c
The new cast design (as shown on https://turingpi.com/tpi-case-current-status/) look brilliant. Though I'm a bit confused... the current design is the one without the case fan over the computing modules ?
n
it is with the fan
c
gotcha. but with no air holes on the top of the unit?
n
c
ah I see grates looking closer. nice.
n
we are still working on it)
t
are there rough exterior dimensions for the official case?
m
Yes, approx dimensions and the case material would be good to know
t
I like to make use of my rack chassis, so if I could put the official case co-located with another device on the same shelf, it’d help me decide upon a transition from the 2U case I’m using now
m
I put mine in a 304, I also managed to fit the power supply and an extra sbc (pcengines) not attached to the turing and still have enough room to fit 4 HDD's in it
Waiting for the rk1s to know how good it is for heat, but with 3 fans and the amount of space I think it'll hold up ok
It dropped my sbc's temp a sig amount as it was in a fanless enclosure
The only thing you would need I think is 3pin to 4pin fan adapter if you want the stock fans to work. 1 of them i have attached to the 2 pin fan header atm
I will add that the pcengines sbc is just loose in the case taking up a slot where 2 HDD's can fit, otherwise it would fit 6
p
Is there a rough idea of the cost for the case? Or too soon to know?
d
I prefer the 120mm fan option over the 60mm will make it nice and quiet and looks like you had a Noctua in mind for that
b
Does the spacing allow for nvme with heatsink?
u
I’m loving where this design is going. I can’t wait to get one. How about a spot for a fan controller?
s
There is an idea: why don't you offer your case design also as 3D print files? Would also trigger people customizing it which most likely will broaden audience by people wanting to know what this is about by finding remixes on Printables and thingiverse and the like...
w
I was also considering a Chopin Pro/Max, but it's still too big. I have no need for 2.5" drives, an sff psu, or anything too fancy. I just want it to be quiet and compact with all nvme for storage. 👍🏻
b
I would love to have 3D printable files, it will allow to make some modifications and people who want 3.5" drives will be able to print a modified case themself
Request #1: Please allow for spacing so that NVMe with HeatSinks can be placed
Proposal: Would it be possible to make some kind of flip open on top of the fan, so the grid where the air flow is going can be opened like a door and you can slip in and out a filter, just like a vacuum cleaner, I know this may sounds weird, but it would be very handy if you can place and replace (clean) some filter to protect the internals against dust etc. (Just a thought I had)
u
I am using the https://www.silverstonetek.com/en/product/info/computer-chassis/Milo10 which is rather similar to the proposed specs, and I want to share a few takeways 1. the I/O shield becomes useless if you need to add standoffs in order to make room for the NVMe modules. MiniSTX shows the way. If not needed, the space under the board could be used by a 9.5mm optical drive or an SD card reader 2. When used with CM4, the mini PCIe slots likely will be consumed by USB or SATA expansion cards to accommodate SSD storage. Provide ample mounting options for USB-to-M.2 or SATA-to-M.2 adapter boards. Built-in options similar to what the Argon One case provides for the RPi, would be fantastic, perhaps as options under the mainboard. 3. Make the BMC storage card easily accessible 4. Provide an inbuilt TTL-to-USB-A-female adapter. Nobody uses DP9 anymore.
f
shrug can just use RS232 to USB connector https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/icusb232
they're available on AliExpress and dropshippers as well
d
Nobody uses DP9 anymore. Can you feel a look of all the server admins? 😄
f
think i used one on my Amiga 500 too
or it was a DS10L don't remember
a friend soldered it for me 😄
n
We are getting closer
d
This looks nice!
t
yeah, looks real nice. i wish they were stackable though
f
looks stackable to me
t
Might need a spacer between them unless they have rubber feet.
f
or put your own rubber feet on them, costs nothing on Amazon
t
the fan is on the top though
f
can it stand on the side?
u
not sure how well covered it is in this thread but the MILO10 fits everything a treat with a 140mm fan on top (just)
f
not like 3 or 4 2"5 SATA?
n
they are
yes
t
wouldn't stacking them restrict the airflow?
n
not really. There are 5mm rubber fits and based on heat calculations should be enough
p
@nsky Any possibility of exposing the GPiO pins as well thru the front or rear side?
l
+1 for enough NVME spacing to fit a heat sink!
k
so did you have to add standoffs with the Milo10 case? Or does this case have enough room to use the NVMe modules without standoffs?
u
rn I'm using CM4s only, but I checked, there's about 5mm space under the board without standoffs, which should give you a comfortable 1-2mm gap between bottom plate and the mounted SSD (without heatsink). I'm not proud of my "free floating" Slot-1 USB-SSD hack, but doing this kind of thing with a purpose-built case would feel wrong on so many levels. For the Milo 10, this only works with the 120mm fan btw, and the case could not be a mm less in height.
k
Some glamour shots of my turing pi2 setup, just waiting for a couple more parts to arrive (Jetson Nano TX2's) and a couple of M2 SSD's
d
Nice photos
Also, looks nice in the Fractal Torrent Nano
w
you clearly need some more fans ;-)
k
Definitely overkill for the application, but it should never overheat 🙂
Seems to be the perfect case for it, you can easily access and hide all the drives, even the m2 ones on the back of the board.
b
How are you controlling the fan and case LEDs?
k
l
This is so clean! This is what I was hoping for from the TPi case. What are those PSU adapters?
r
This might not just be a case issue, but I’d like to see 4 dedicated sd card slots for flashing each module instead of having to swap modules to node 2 to flash and keep opening things up and swapping things around. I have multiple orin modules and would like to have built everything, put it in the case and the started with a software focussed part of the installation.
u
Has anybody tried this fan controller? I’m thinking of initializing it from node 1 I2C on boot. See any problems with this? https://learn.adafruit.com/emc2101-fan-controller-and-temperature-sensor
s
Looks groovy, please report back if you implement!
e
Thank you! It's an RGEEK 150W pico psu from Amazon US based
I'd say the downside is there's not tons of room for fans in my case. I'm not particularly concerned though because it's well ventilated/low power.
t
how much the official case will cost ?
d
I don't think there were any announcement about the price, yet
t
I am using this one, which is pretty nice, but there isn't much room for the backside nvme slot
d
What do you mean by 
but there isn't much room for the backside nvme slot
? With the standard standoffs you have plenty of space for the NVMe drives
t
with heatsink ? I feel like there is only less than 10mm clearance
d
Heatsink indeed can be a problem. Does this case have a cutout on the motherboard tray or is it a solid sheet of metal?
t
this case is only 65 in height, may be not standard
d
What about the motherboard tray and the question I asked?
t
it just mounts at the bottom, basically a box
d
Then you do not need heatsinks. With no air moving down there the heatsinks won't help much since they won't be able to cool down. You want to use thermal pads instead and dissipate heat to the case
(assuming it's made of metal)
t
good idea
r
M2 SSDs can not be used by CM4 isn't it ?
k
@rzero That seems to be the case in my build. I Would like to be corrected if not. Thankfully I have been able to get a raspberry pi to talk to the SATA SSD's today
I'm still battling to get the Jetson TX2 boards to work correctly. I got one working then screwed up the local filesystem with my antics, so I need to re flash. Glad to have two CM4's up and running.
All the SBC's have arrived (2X CM4's and 2X Nvida TX2 NX's), and I have Ubuntu running on all of them 🥳
d
Nice!
u
【淘宝】https://m.tb.cn/h.UCHFoyd?tk=1aNVdKpeIfK CZ0001 「全新现货迷你ITX机箱DC-ATX电源DIY台式机超薄卧式核显HTPC小机箱」 点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开
Anyone tried this
Looks like the Turing pi 1 acrylic case
r
Did you follow a particular guide to use the M2 slot with you CM4? everyone seems to says it's not possible. 🤔
d
You cannot use M.2 with CM4 on TPi2. They used SATA SSDs
u
Assuming the case comes like this, what kind of power supply would I need? Am I correct to assume that it would be the one listed on the homepage currently?
d
Yes. You'll need a PicoPSU and a power supply
k
No guide was needed, though you may need to check if the connector has 'bitten' as the nuts on the heatsink may not allow a full connection with the socket
x
Two horizontal cases in 19” rackmount please
e
i
I bought this 👆 and it is super great to work with. If you email them they actually respond with a human. My only gripe is shipping to the US costs a bit more but they ship fast.
c
While the official case is not there yet - any recommendations for cases that have enough room for installing M.2 and a (large) top fan? Did anyone look into e.g. https://en.sharkoon.com/product/1184/16433 ?
w
Scroll back. I left a bit of a QB1 review here https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1048217327851802704/1069035888685891674 Months later I'm still happy with it and the PSU.
k
Do you have a new status update for us regarding the official case? 🙂 I am waiting to complete my order because of the high shipping costs. Thanks.
b
Any update on this project? I would like to know if you were able to finish it and if everything can run off the PICO PSU? Furthermore, I would like to get my hands on the Parts list because your little project will solve my NAS storage problem. EDIT: The reply-link might be wrong, I'm referring to the SATA disk project with the splitter, etc. Thought: Can we have the Turing PI team make a website: "projects.turingpi.com" where everybody can upload there projects with a Parts list so other people can easily replicate them?
d
I got it to this point: https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1030129990211219486/1091312860304511107 (if it does not point you to the right place, thanks Discord), go back and click it again 🙂 The project is paused, but I was able to saturate the 1Gb/s network connection with this
m
Is there an update on the official case. It’s been a while since the last communication. Thanks
n
We are finalizing details. We made a significant change by adding internal psu
e
I hope the people who bought a picoPSU from the shop aren't grumpy about the design change to have an internal PSU now.
n
Pico psu is an option too
d
Hi, are there any plans to release RK1 passive heatsinks with the upcoming ITX case? I assume a fan would no longer be needed on heatsink itself and also fins would probably be vertically oriented as shown in the blog post? It's just $10 but still.
d
@nsky Am so glad you've done that I don't really want expensive Nvidia or your own Rockchip cards running with a budget pico PSU it's hardly plantinum or gold standard even plugged into a UPS would make me nervous.
d
I would say you need an active heatsink even with the case FAN. The fan on the heatsink is meant to quickly dissipate the heat from the module (in this exact spot) and the case FAN is meant to move this warm air out. Passive heatsinks are ok-ish for an Original Jetson Nano (in 5W mode) or the (not overclokced) CM4 (7W), but with anything more, you need active cooling.
What's wrong with PicoPSU? This is a pretty common way of powering low-power Mini ITX boards (not just TPi2) and is more efficient than standard PC ATX PSU at low loads.
d
@DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela) I had to send one of mine back it was faulty. The quality doesn't inspire any confidence with me at all. Before I plug in a £500 Nvidia card I'll be swapping the one I have for a SFX PSU.
d
OK, I understand, but how sure you are your SFX power supply won't break shortly after you start using it? You could also buy a PicoPSu from any other vendor - there are multiple vendors making them with their own designs. The PicoPSU idea is not bad only because one of yours failed - I'm just trying to make this clear to others 🙂
d
@DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela) Sure nothings perfect but I'd expect more quality control the more money I spend and for a gold or platinum I'd expect something significant. Just a clarification it was the power brick adapter that plugs into the Pico PSU barrel connector that was the problem. But they are part of a whole functioning unit so I'd still prefer an all in one.
d
I understand, it just sometimes happens, especially if the package travels around the globe.
For everyone thinking of an ATX power supply with this much max power - it's going to be super inefficient on the low loads, but will work just fine otherwise, of course
r
is this case something we could 3D print ?
p
(Wishful thinking) -Can M.2 screws be bundled with the case 😂
Also - any plans to expose the gpio pins on the back plate of the case?
m
I noticed that when the Turing Pi 2 is powered on it makes an extremely high pitched noise (> 16kHz). I hope the case isolates that 🙈 not sure whether it comes from the jetson nanos or the turing pi itself. It's easy to ignore for some time, but I have it under my desk and hear it whenever I work from home...
c
Think it's coming from your jetsons or pi's... I have one Pi with a high pitch and another one with not so high, and 2 quiet ones... really annoying!!!
m
Should try with different combinations then...
p
https://tecgear.co/product/core-slim-sff-pc-case/ have anyone try this case before?
m
Just checked, the noise is actually coming from the power supply
c
I went with the ITX case from Printables that was linked back in December. With a standard Noctua 140mm installed in the lid, there is just enough clearance between it and CM4 riser boards. All it takes is a couple of zip ties to managing the fan, usb, and power button wiring.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1138974441058078811/6C550112-52DD-4F65-99DA-325F7FB81572_1_105_c.jpeg▾

p
that looks pretty tight
v
Just received the motherboard plate for the InWin POC, a fold-it-yourself steel case that should be more robust to repeated openings than the Teenage Engineering Computer-1. The opening behind the motherboard (meant to support a GPU) provides easy access to the M.2 slots for nodes 1-3, and mostly access to node 4, and kinda access to the SD slot (with tweezers, or maybe a right-angle SD slot extension). Just an FYI for folks.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1139275251658797219/PXL_20230810_185955579.jpg▾

b
@nsky Is there enough for heatsinks on the nvme's? I'm afraid I can't live without them
u
How much space do you figure you need from mobo to bottom for the nVMEs to breathe?
…with active heat sinks.
t
I'm using 1" motherboard standoffs here. Long enough to provide enough clearance and airflow while still permitting a custom I/O shield. Because I'm using dual-sided M.2 SSDs, it was necessary to remove all the 2mm M.2 standoffs from the TP2. Otherwise, the standoff at the 2260 position was acting as a lever on the back side of the active heatsink, putting strain on the edge connector.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1140110313358888981/PXL_20230813_022316754.jpg▾

b
b
Given the case redesign to use an internal PSU, are there any new 3d design thingies for us to look at? Also what sizes of internal PSU are going to be supported now?
n
there is
b
thanks!
lets ship that thing this week!
u
Do you have more photos?
c
I have photos of the case without the board installed. I only got it closed up and "running" as of last night. Although, I realized that I'm going to have to open it back up to re-flash all of the SD cards on the CM4 carriers. If there's some bit of info in particular you're looking for, I can see if I have a shot that works, or snap a new one later.
u
Curious how it looks with 4 CM4’s running in it, the Noctura fan placement/mounting & if you have any ssd’s in there where they sit? What additional work did you have to do regarding securing or airflow or ease of access? Do you have a pico psu secured in there also? I’m having on printed currently which is why I ask
c
No SSDs, though I have the m.2 slots populated, not that the CM4s can do anything with them. They're waiting for a RK1 overhaul. The case is designed to accommodate a half-height PCI card, so there is space in there if you wanted to VHB tape an SSD to that side of the case, but there are otherwise no native options for mounting a 2.5" drive.
Or you could drill holes and zip-tie a drive if you didn't trust tape not to come loose.
As for the fan placement, there's very little room between the top of CM4s, and the Noctua NF-A14 ULN I have installed. I cable managed using two zip ties to route the front USB headers and power button/led wiring. I used one zip tie to zip the cabling to one of the lower screw holes on the fan, then used the other to take up remaining cable slack.
If something like the USB header cable gets pinched between the bottom of the fan and the top of the CM4s, the lid doesn't close.
I'll snap a pic of what I did for reference and post it later.
I am using a pico psu sourced from the TP shop. As for visibility, I printed the hex pattern lid, and there is plenty of visibility to every LED mounted on the board and the CM4s.
Here you go.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1141190038428844133/65E8156F-2F41-446F-ACB1-377FFDB85F23_1_102_o.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1141190038902804560/3DD13CFE-6F2C-4CB0-8F26-D9008AE71E3D_1_102_o.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1141190039339008113/9C28C014-3223-4368-BF3F-D7BE1595D26B_1_102_o.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1141190042455380059/CA4B8EE9-E1FB-43B6-A2F9-6ED4A89CBE61_1_102_o.jpeg▾

u
Which 3D model did you use?
c
p
Any updates on the case? I saw the bit about the PSU change which is exciting, wondering how much that impacts timeline. Not that I’m in any rush….
d
We have no updates about the case, for now
u
I just had this printed for me, but am trying to locate the hardware in 1 full kit to mount it in the case...* Requires 6/32 threaded inserts for mounting motherboard Requires M3x3x5 threaded inserts and M3x6mm bolts*
c
There are amazon links in the original thingiverse post: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4722232
I've worked with heat set inserts before, so I already had the custom soldering iron tips needed to install them.
u
Thank you... the links were not present on the printables link
t

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1143352154619400222/image.png▾

h
After a bit of thought in regards to the mini itx case, or any case for that matter, I came up with a few ideas. First is that the tray for the board be open to access the m.2‘s and the sd card for the bmc without removal of the board. Second is that it be compatible for a vesa mount. In some way. Pretty sure that any variation to the layout of the back of the board in the future wouldn’t be all that different than the current and previous versions. Lastly, an area for 4-2.5” ssd drives (or laptop hdds) but that probably just me 😎
c
In that case (no pun intended) you might be interested in this (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5978923) design for a module that allows for m.2 access whilst the board is mounted. It's a design that goes with the parent project (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4357399) for a modular stackable case.
If you were considering extra drives through mPCIe accessories, it would be a good choice. For me, I just decided to pre-populate all the m2 and sd card slots before installing the board. It will be an annoying decision if any of the drives turn out to be bad, or the sd card gets cooked in short order.
s
Thanks @Claireity for the tip! Printed using PLA-CF. Waiting for the inserts to be delivered to switch from the borg cube (just not convenient for my shelves) 👍🏻

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1144534127027159070/IMG_7364.jpg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1144534127522099201/IMG_7365.jpg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1144534127970877460/IMG_7366.jpg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1144534129577308170/IMG_7367.jpg▾

d
Nice print. Is this how this filament prints or did you add a bit of fuzzy skin (at least this is how it's called in Cura) to make the surface as it is and hide layers?
s
It's a textured print surface. I like that finish. 😎
d
Bottom (of the print) - yes, but what about the sides?
c
I'm guessing it's just lighting and angle.
d
If this is just angle and light, then I like both the printer and the filament used to print it. Looks great. May I know the printer and the slicer used?
s
This was printed on a Bambulab X1 Carbon using Bambu Studio which uses some of Prusa slicer. There is a another branch version called Orca slicer which also supports other printers as well. The filament is PLA-CF from Bambulab using standard settings, 0.2mm layer height (with tree support for the power button hole).
I am assembling mine right now but not sure how to connect the power button. Do you have a photo or a diagram? (Front I/O : https://docs.turingpi.com/docs/turing-pi2-specs-and-io-ports) My power button has Power LED+ (red) and Power LED- (black) plus a 2-lead power switch (blue and green wire) Red: P-LED black: P-LED GND Blue: ? Green: ?

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1145409196293103769/image0.jpg▾

Oh, no, nothing on the custom skins. I knew that with any CF filament the surfaces get very smooth most of the times hiding layer lines.
d
Yeah, I was sure you used a nice printer for that.Looks super good
Power and GND to blue ad green wire in any way - a button does not have polarization
Ok, thank you! 🙂
t
Sorry for the blurry photo. Electrons flow from the cathode (positive potential) to the anode (negative potential/ground). Electrons flow through diodes and LEDs in one direction (positive to negative). With very low voltages a momentary contact's switch polarity isn't important.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1145428650569781369/PXL_20230827_183038865.jpg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1145428651001790514/PXL_20230827_183300994.jpg▾

g
Is there an update on when the official Mini ITX case will be available?
The blog mentioned something like Aug for release - https://turingpi.com/tpi-case-current-status/
d
There's no update and any new date for any new information, for now.
s
@Terarex (Dan Donovan) thanks for the photos. Now that I got the case open again, it looks like yours show a different MB. * Had the the "POWER LED+" connected to P-LED and "POWER LED-" connected to respective ground -> no light in any state (running or not) * Connected "POWER SW" to POWER + GND -> no function @Claireity how did you connect the switch please? (firmware 1.1.0 if that is in any way important) Edit (possible for others): * with the power switch turned around (blue to ground, green PWR), I can now switch on/off - had it the other way around before. * switched the power leds to S-LED but still no light 😦

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1146363524042465371/IMG_7383.png▾

c
There’s a known bug in the 1.1.0 firmware. The LEDs don’t work on this version.
My switch is on POWER and GND.
t
Yeah, front panel LED control was removed from the bmc daemon code in 1.1.0. This was either an oversight or something that fell out of 1.1.0 due to release scheduling. To manually turn on the "reset" LED (P-LED): echo "1" > /sys/devices/platform/leds/leds/fp:reset/brightness To manually turn on the "sys" LED (S-LED): echo "1" > /sys/devices/platform/leds/leds/fp:sys/brightness To turn each LED off, echo "0" to the appropriate location. This should allow you to confirm correct polarity.
t
Thermaltake Tower 100 Black Edition Tempered Glass Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) Mini Tower Computer is on sale for $80. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SQF9HGH/ref=em_1p_0_lm?th=1
f
Should I wait for this case to get produce? I kind of like it to be honest: https://turingpi.com/tpi-case-current-status/
g
I was also waiting for the official case - and looks like there is no new information based on this response 😢 : https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1048217327851802704/1145447317055479938
u
I finally got my order from tomafabrications. The guy who runs it is super friendly and helped me customize the base mITX case to fit my TPi2. I'm pretty stoked with how trippy it looks in the dark, but maybe it's a bit too much for some 😄

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1148701264494989423/IMG_9907.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1148701265216417882/IMG_9908.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1148701265858138212/IMG_9909.jpeg▾

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1148701266948661308/IMG_9916.jpeg▾

n
This looks rad. Do you have schema or something to get it build DIY?
u
I got some general measurements in a static file, but it’s not directly usable (needs translating to a different format). I worked with this manufacturer to get something created for me and they delivered. The whole thing was just $90 which was a really good price for something custom made
f
Do you have a link to them?
Yeah bummer
u
(I’m not affiliated and I am not incentivized to share their link, I’m just a happy customer)
d
So... that's the old understanding and still used in diagrams by convention but it's not technically true.
t
Thanks. It's what I was taught a long time ago.
d
👍
b
I would like to share some progress on my project; earlier in the chat I believed I gave an update. So I'm working on a nice custom 3D printed case, had to go through several iterations to get here. Not everything is yet shown here. The bottom front panel, (grey, pic-1) will be dual-color printed and the Turing PI logo will be embedded into the panel. * Everything will be printed in black * Everything will be secured with machine screws, some sunken, some with head * All the holes will be threaded by using heat inserts, the top can be lifted, and secured by the top filter tray * Panels can be easily taken out when the top is taken off In the bottom, there is an X bracket, which can be replaced with a mount for hard disks * The entire tower sits on 4 legs, and the X keeps them in place, this will make the tower float in the air because the legs are placed not on the edge * it will house 1 x 140mm Noctua ChromeMax * it will suck air from the front and blow straight on the board, and air exits at the top * 2x filter tray against dust for easy removal and replacement of filter TODO: * Holes in the front panel (yellow, on pic-1) for the reset and power button once they arrive. Hope to start printing soon; waiting on the delivery of Prusa MK4. Curious to hear opinions. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1156152860665454602/TPI-3.png?ex=6513eec2&is=65129d42&hm=04803ab0f9a92c2c899eec2514a7326f83432a36682566df53bd5a5796a83a93& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1156152860950659163/TPID-4.png?ex=6513eec2&is=65129d42&hm=b96023d9ded8862a25a44fc39ed16963741bf08eb0087da59da3e45fb91420ef&
I will also make a shorter version of the bottom part to lower the tower if you do not place hard disks into it. Have not designed the hard disk mounts. However,, I have to also consider that, that also means I have to resize to logo I want to print in there.
u
I used the Teenaged Engeering Computer 1 case, worked the treat
p
Any updates on the case? Or eta for eta?
😂
c
Seriously, the case looks really cool and tpi seems to make the best work on it. I'm waiting to buy one. 🙂
p
Me too! I'm currently using a mini-itx from CoolMaster, though I like the one from Lian Li better. I'm planning to use the RKs & Jetson Orin with the mini-itx and order a new TP2 for the Pi4-Jetson Nano cluster.
r
maybe this can be a good case https://zimacube.zimaboard.com/
b
Very cool case, but this is an end-product, I do not see how to get the empty case
p
I’ve resolved myself to have to mod any case I get, but this one is ridiculous.
u
s
Nice! How much work is it to get to the NVMe slots on the bottom?
u
the most annoying thing ever, lol
it's not that bad but it's honest not a "great" case, it's a functional, artsy-fartsy case
p
username checks out 😂
what if you jacked up the motherboard on taller standoffs. would it fit?
oh, no i guess then it wouldn’t line up with the io shield
n
Was the io plate ever released?
w
p
Asked in the chat channel but got no response! Any update on the official TPI case - It was supposed to be ready by Aug/ Sep….
t
There have been no official or unofficial updates on the TPi2 case.
m
Just take our money?
🤷‍♂️
p
😂
m
I guess right now, I won't be too pushy on a due date. Because I'm still waiting on my original order to move forward (Currently November-December timeframe). But it would be nice to know how this project is progressing. Love the thermal analysis.
b
I installed my TPi in this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I9XP5L4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details It comes with a 130W power supply. The grill /vent means you can still see all the pretty lights!
d
The product page says the max supported CPU cooler height is 42mm. The height of TPi2 with the modules is 2" or 51mm, so I guess it will not fit?
p
Can someone fromt he TPi team respond with a quick status update on the case? Merely curious tho - the last update from summer was so promising...
p
tbh i assume the lack of communication after there was already a major change (from PicoPSU to standard PSUs) is an indicator that the case project has basically failed.
there’s a million alternatives so it’s hard to justify making a whole case, as much as i would like something super custom I bet the economics of it are awful
e
I think it would be wiser not to do a custom case, but to rather try to work with a case manufacturer who has an existing case that is either already compatible or only needs few changes to fit your custom needs. That saves you a lot of hassle having to acquire knowledge in manufacturing metal cases aswell as dealing with subsequent mistakes and errors during design and manufacturing. I backed the Kobol Helios64 NAS kickstarter years ago and afaik making a custom case was one of the reasons their company folded in the end. I did receive my backed mainboard + aluminium case, but it was badly made and difficult to assemble. The backplate was cut wrong and did not properly fit, there were sharp edges on the hdd bays that file off material from the plastic caddies and make them hard to insert. For the TP2 I bought the 10" Myelectronics Mini-ITX case and it's quite good so far. Maybe you can print a custom design on the faceplate to make it an official, limited-run TuringPi case?
b
@ETH I do partially agree, however, there is one significant difference which is a driver for going with a custom case. While the TPI is based on the ATX format, the contents on the board are far from standard, this means that anything designed for a standard setup with optional cooling for a CPU in a certain spot is useless, the TPI has a completely different thermal signature. I ran into this myself, that is why I have designed my own 3D printed case, to solve this problem.
e
Fair point. Thermals is the one thing I feel iffy about with the 10" Myelectronics case, because it only has an 80mm front fan. Unfortunately the picoPSU plug blocks off direct airflow to node 4 and I don't know whether the bottom M.2s get any airflow at all. I thought about installing an air funnel, but I have no know-how for doing that or what not to do as to not make it even worse.
b
The only thing what you can do is run a simulation. For example; with ceetain software when you design for 3D printing, you can also run thermal simulations. And see if all the areas you want cooled get cooled. When it comes to know-how overpressure is better then underpressure when it comes to computer cases. In basic it means, sucking in enough air, and make sure your output is a tiny bit smaller based on the air colume exit.
Regarding the back, its something im also struggling with that is why with my case i have placed the board higher it allows me to install a air flow tunnel which bends around the board and get airflow on the nvme. I also went with the samsung 980 pro+ heatsink which should also mean that I actually do not need any cooling air flow
Search for "3D print" in homelab to find my post about my case. When its all printed and up and running I will post the files on a 3d print website for copying
d
A quick status update is, sadly, that there is no update to share for now. Multiple things are going on, especially RK1 currently and there is no enough progress on the case to have something to share
It did not fail
p
Ithanks @DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela)
p
I just mean in the sense that it would be a mistake to make any decisions assuming it’s going to happen in any foreseeable time frame.
r
which exact model I would like to buy one !!
u
You can email him directly and ask for the same TPi2 design that he made for me (he’ll surely offer to customize it for your needs too). The price was the same as the base MITX120 model.
p
I might venture designing my own custom case… what recommendations do folks have on getting started? I’ll need s/w to make the design and a reasonably priced 3d printing (or similar) service to make render the models( cheap price in case things go wrong)
d
This is made from acrylic and may be a place to start?

https://youtu.be/9Llchw14cDA?feature=shared▾

I thought he had a tutorial or maybe even was selling plans or something
p
Thanks, I’ll check it out
j
Has anyone tried the k39-steel case? https://www.amazon.com/SGPC-Itx-Mini-Case-Applicable/dp/B09BJZGKDD/ref=psdc_3012292011_t1_B09KM9R7KJ?th=1 Looks like it would have good thermals, easy access to the nvme slots, room for drives. A little bigger than I would prefer though
n
Please share the mechanical design of the board. See the request here: https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1167736511635128410
p
And just when we thought the pi case was dead 🫡… slow bake!!! 🍺
h
Does this case work well?
t
I'm currently using a Sharkoon C10 with 4 x 2.5" SSD hotswap dock, only using 2 bays and I'm going to remove it because the tiny fans are horribly noisy. https://en.sharkoon.com/product/16426 All sides of the case unscrew, including the bottom but Node 4 M2 slot is blocked, as is the ssd slot so I will be modifying it slightly.
t
I just posted a question on hackaday if this maker would upsize his CM2 case to fit a TuringPi 2. I think this would be an outstanding looking case so long as it has proper cooling. https://hackaday.io/project/193444/gallery#6051da643207d20a44f351bf25639880 https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1171885332774531213/image.png?ex=655e4e43&is=654bd943&hm=e40c7d43706d9b96b800a5e6809c0642513d68b97eff347ce7b76ff4b4af0b3d&
p
that is sexy as hell
r
my 2cents, perfect fit for TPi2 and six disk drives (3 nodes x 2 disk each) to host K3s and Longhorn https://a.co/d/4QwrIGs Expected to fit M2, just need to get my first RK1. We are going to get them soon, do we?
m
curious about this case too... any idea how accessible the underside of the motherboard is for the nvme SSD ?
Anyone tried the velka 3 ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5_1x9cWbOE▾

t
I found the source files for the Connection Machine on Adafruit website and I started 3D printing them. I'll be placing an order for the electronics today. This version isn't big enough for the TuringPi2 so I will need to do some scalingup once I get this design all printed. https://learn.adafruit.com/little-connection-machine https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/downloads/pdf/little-connection-machine.pdf
Upsizing the Adafruit CM2 STL files to 165% is the largest I can fit on my XC1 build plate (and that requires some fiddling) but as you can see the TuringPi 2 board fits inside. I'm not a designer so I don't know how to change the actual design to make mounting points for the board and other items but this is a start for someone who is or you can just jerry-rig a mounting solution. the photos show the board in a horizontal position but the case needs to be rotated so the MB would actually be vertical. I'm printing the other half of the case now. The mother board did not fit in a 150% upsized case. There was some bed adhesion issues which is why you see some warping along the bottom edge.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1173712556993548380/20231113_095652.jpg?ex=6564f400&is=65527f00&hm=1959334d6d7f027d1ac592e2bf0c0441f71dc0bd7645af13005a2e690723a413& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1173712558306381905/20231113_095641.jpg?ex=6564f400&is=65527f00&hm=1faa69f7b0008b99964a5d330a605b81b69a68e5dec099cff37d784e2aff4121& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1173712559598211153/20231113_095717.jpg?ex=6564f400&is=65527f00&hm=d1be3d425f821a92a088d4a0dbccf8304bb765ddf745907b8f5063c7dd37dfac& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1173712560952975480/20231113_095706.jpg?ex=6564f401&is=65527f01&hm=8e8e600d5c6eff7fb93ea4011791680adbf011c6a8301dfb5e97de0674639e9d& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1173712562265804891/20231113_095738.jpg?ex=6564f401&is=65527f01&hm=661956341d798fa0f0a8d414ce599442730a6084ff2b3061d2546ba78ae044db&
j
I ended up getting the k39. Pretty pleased with it so far (now I just need my CM4's and RK1s to arrive!) 3 of the 4 nvme's are fully accessible, and the power brick fits nicely inside the case too! (held in place with a little double sided tape) https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1177438687445913630/ADCreHfTi8LWHLaQJVYHrtmmj8q5qzWjoJYJ2fgh6_HSX0iv2Qlu-vS-q3NtLYu8Cuwn4tK1Lk1qe2Egd1Cz_kawmaiKWhZYZGSf09YcHw0fOILEDq0DMb9Oxf4gz27SSsoeDp9Cpc-iBW-Nuqkn2blXHgD_6pAvBdieCddiH0eHlMk5NGSRuUArhWVg8b-ueRke-509kz7yHxtVNoyo4mK5s16lv5hdzOp64PCziYzXlzBwDv-ynLNhE0d3wqkh-Grhu5lh0claCQE7ZQDAC2fJKZnSl5lz8WGpQxGeqdzbcrniThQOQtAhzxCxtb-IP9qv6hV242_IokkCQikCEhSzT8mVTaYqoeDTRQCTuC00TvbjvNYX8s2VItqdQ1cQcB8ObbI7CCmV-vwFOWZX2oSPVZxnnokeM0KNHPv2Q_lfBBWpqdAoVKUbjjziy8w5zlITWmLtyZ8SsW7E294SrTHulA66z-JVRdgj0dqJ3vTqk9fUqycA0i7V87DO..png?ex=6572823a&is=65600d3a&hm=afabcbc3d989af18b69e4aab490446c5f587182b7a1af569a7416d5dae8c3608& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1177438688112820285/ADCreHcFp6Y4ZGZ-4xor8M6Nz_Ei1f1vKWOyUKiBAUdRhTE8PDhhPRxtNDvDY_xuSj1HOqRIjks0wowMzTFNq6pyBAcyIUXhYxOhtvP2_kgjdNCkTF-1bOVVtPeUFwgasVJfSqLH_AaZjKFSosAgX660cVKtTXTzzTZvrIx3R_ebAIke6n1vyioLCMjQg62XL-nBh0XUPA54EJm_Kt-3fQ1Pkjo36I4RE8ONUBmu0Rnhwnwlkemqr40khAfBSDJZRKLxh5OMbwNuIYfrzXcYF3pDkS_NhFQI7EpiEb2Qh6Cr-FKBFx2wPFHWeC-Nqov9mSsMzh1BhM33txWfJUCKRmsq-pYTuzEBuNNZuLJXvRoajkoKFnyTKQJimwX6mRnUmQnBL1mbcqJK83cJY4djatlmK64lHlueh24cW7ZN2ZvHRiD3aoHC3uDVjriXxGsqfHJ8Iw7FuSxwKLESaPiRE7NT3c1UCw3q9sVuswvKA2Erao_6aRnpClXcrvae..png?ex=6572823a&is=65600d3a&hm=4e195df8b61b9442038244310de6e3ea7ac232dddebf32cd77af57ffd72c5f52& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1177438688792285204/ADCreHeFHw-6RmwSbJBLzeq5o6oilxN-l3UyQ06ZPBIBKee0xTkewDwfUj4P-_keSMFK8itQzvw4m9ZQZYnuMW63mC-u76OnbnhEXdM6OzM0KTyLoKHDpRllwK5rd4frDdIPmxjVN_tJr0pYQCSPYy4KuUFCCNXBSnExlFwLXldsewciEm4j5TSimahHhi4JDkf5nbLwOyrdZldQyeIGVCVfGLZc7yVvm20AM8H0WstNwtOkmCzaMcer3PeXBsGG1Ha7kLP_eSa2kuwmg1cUijVuEfdmYunHHSlOdIM3lwYLLVNgDcm6HgG40hvxIPNV4oFqB6rzyeSZg3bzkliZ_uevDiuc3wbR-XydJWMpNbq_GsZy5uShtdTSLNyDt4lFgF6jK1sAhNFly0_4XVSyYtArzJNa2ssl5wGrksFvD4WZn2dGP89fwz6Q2kwhEdQdKTFYXuP2Zq33I93YkgoRALWG36_EbawuLFAtnFKyY7WLG3zmPU6RBryo_odb..png?ex=6572823b&is=65600d3b&hm=6c198bbba013e1ecac7842451bb35fc4e1979d93b654c435657afe2315456037&
n
Guys, what do you want to see in the internal PSU? What is must, what is nice to have? Like what kind of protections, and other features?
b
Power consumption measurement
w
Must have: short circuit protection on ALL rails. How much internal space did you decide on? That's relevant to the max power output, but 200-250W and high efficiency would be nice. Disclaimer: I already have a mini ITX case and ATX PSU and am unlikely to be buying another TPi2, case and PSU any time soon.
e
Consider making the case HDPlex psu compatible, along with atx or sfx. No need to reinvent the power supply wheel.
n
Flex ATX max. Curious why would you need 200w?
b
How about a case for 2 tpi? Is like guitars, one is good, 2 is better 🙂
n
b
I like, but unfortunately no 19" rack in the house, was thinking a kind of a tower case, but thanks for the idea
w
Well that's why I asked how big the TPi2 case is going to be. 4 RK1 would be about 80W. I want to run a bunch of SSDs or HDDs. If funds permitted I could easily run 10-12 (if there was space) at about 8-10W each which takes the load to around 200W max. A bit of headroom in a PSU is never a bad thing. The Pico PSUs go to about 150W so the Flex ought to go to a worthwhile bit extra (assuming there's space in the case for devices to use the extra power) otherwise people might as well stick with the Pico. Presumably the Flex (sized) PSU will have separate voltage rails, and S/C protection on all of them would be an improvement over a number of ATX supplies (mine included) which cut costs by only protecting the 12V rails. But like I said, I already bought a mini ITX case (and ATX PSU) and unless I win the lottery, won't be buying more TPi2 stuff any time soon. So I'm really just flapping my gums ;-)
b
Not a lot to add on features, other than I too would love for a dual case potentially. While I'd love to get a rack I don't have space for it. So as small as possible is my desire. I find many small form factors still try to allow for a GPU and it isn't needed. I ended up going with a thermaltake core V1. I put Samsung 980 pros with heatsinks on them and it doesn't fit in. My solution was adding stand offs as head space isn't an issue, but that nullifies the IO shield. I ended up using a plastic IO Mesh shield that can be cut to fit. So the board is in and I have ample room for the PSU. But I wish it were smaller still.
t
Connection Machine Case - I finally got around to learning enough FreeCAD to make a mounting bracket/adapter for the CM-2 case (scaled up 165%). If I put a couple more holes in my bracket I can mount a second TuringPi2 board in the CM-2 case both standing vertical. This still leaves room in the bottom of the case for a large fan. There is access to the backside of the MBs to change out NVme SSDs and the SD card. I'm waiting on a shipment of larger sized LED (Neopixel) matrix boards (to fit this 165% upsized case). I have the AdaFruit electronic "kit" for the smaller CM-2 case but assembly requires lots of small soldering. Progressing slowly.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913209985736876/20231203_090600.jpg?ex=657f2621&is=656cb121&hm=a93e82af4a9d1b6848d65ea62b0116f191380bc80ee4a4560c16c8902c52e2c1& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913211294371942/20231203_090916.jpg?ex=657f2621&is=656cb121&hm=4b0dc40c69a7bf19eeddb50ce4766e9badab7ab238c79ddd756ffb3615dececd& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913212611379280/20231203_091003.jpg?ex=657f2622&is=656cb122&hm=6bcd0e5ef16cc694c6fc1f52508dcc0838d2a63ae516717aaebda7976c0c753f& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913214289092708/20231203_091057.jpg?ex=657f2622&is=656cb122&hm=7e43ace2b3c179948ed895e2b95f594757bbc9fa91dacd5babdc8e0589fbd5f7& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913215698391212/20231203_091117.jpg?ex=657f2622&is=656cb122&hm=27377d5e32ebc8e6aaae4c83f16171cbeb917bad517d7dd3af7de624f3b08768& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913216973455471/20231203_091229.jpg?ex=657f2623&is=656cb123&hm=10e7a6c4987cdab49161d722ce3275d6efa214411b66bb767fd509fbb3a346be& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913218139463710/20231203_091329.jpg?ex=657f2623&is=656cb123&hm=a6b660a389cdaf53251fae35dc878563035d855857c919da74dadfc0ea40c06a& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913219368407111/20231203_092703.jpg?ex=657f2623&is=656cb123&hm=346d619eb9a3f625f8b1a10e0a8aa0d1a39d65dcaa21eb0b5b8c20a7f61df62c& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913220949647450/20231203_092731.jpg?ex=657f2624&is=656cb124&hm=c93928f732509558cbb37de27f04cdf8d320e1b298ca52500d36b473ab022d8f& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1180913222354747473/20231203_090532.jpg?ex=657f2624&is=656cb124&hm=0d43b489b8130f188cc34a693784ad7a07fcb2616a59e00c588014322699136d&
p
this is looking great. you got my attention with the space for 2 TPIs
t
I've reworked the mounting plate and even figured out how to add 3d text to the plate. I've attached both of my TP2 boards and micro power supplies to mock up the case. Yes both boards fit nicely in the 165% upsized case. Airflow might be an issue with a fan in the bottom of case, the bottom is perforated but if sitting on a solid surface like a desk it will need to pull air thru the "USB access port". I still need some CPUs. I'm shopping for a fan now and possibly a controller. My intent was to run the LED panels off Pi Pico H and possibly the case fan. I need to re-read the threads about fans, connectors and controllers unless there is a general agreement on what works best. Here are my latest pics.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022552705990746/20231203_164930.jpg?ex=657f8bf6&is=656d16f6&hm=acc049cc65b09c28455b84ab91132c2638ea72edef5fe9cdbfafd7b6843480f5& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022553993662545/20231203_165041.jpg?ex=657f8bf7&is=656d16f7&hm=84c0865b3af0339fcfeb660f47c396e6b0d37e28978c3576b0c3810340698f5a& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022555390361672/20231203_151857.jpg?ex=657f8bf7&is=656d16f7&hm=91019d41d2e59285db84abaa249ad30a70ad10d7aac93139b8d85751bec71876& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022556615082044/20231203_161017.jpg?ex=657f8bf7&is=656d16f7&hm=94ffe1b4b954959bcb21ae21133fed7b4761cc58e57a8170d030f0c7590cd844& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022558670311554/20231203_164035.jpg?ex=657f8bf8&is=656d16f8&hm=62e06ec3f67cc352a32ad638246c72667521e869e3606cde79e427bf27b67449& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022559857295360/20231203_164633.jpg?ex=657f8bf8&is=656d16f8&hm=83a493166caa411f0a6b15b98a44c968dfa5290d0fd7e2d18a6c3b18ec5e240e& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022562411610142/20231203_164646.jpg?ex=657f8bf9&is=656d16f9&hm=d96fe58d561a6f0988004a25ab595e4d20d562b1a399a7cdfda7d9662178970a& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022563569258516/20231203_164701.jpg?ex=657f8bf9&is=656d16f9&hm=eeec6962087b351f3fb650aca95e34856939200b2c3506733d8ba9d1e0545cb5& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1181022564835934278/20231203_164812.jpg?ex=657f8bf9&is=656d16f9&hm=8c98a6a69af4df42aba0e13036491a01164a4ea088f9bf5dc14356eeffca15e2&
After plenty of struggles with learning FreeCAD, I now have the quad function mounting plate with standoffs done (one plate works for both boards even though they have different mounting points and the mother board can also be mounted in a high or low position). I've also created (designed just doesn't seem correct) a mounting plate with standoffs for a 120mm fan for the bottom of the case. Mounting is tricky as the bolts holding down the fan need to be inserted before bolting the plate to the main case. FreeCAD files (forgive my limited design skills) are available for anyone who wants them. I am waiting on right angle connectors for RJ45 and HDMI just to avoid sharp cable bends and keep the cables away from the slim fan (not sure I have the direction correct) and I'm still waiting on LED displays from China (eta Dec 22nd or so). And of course CPUs.......... https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556282113249340/20231207_215121.jpg?ex=6585205c&is=6572ab5c&hm=ebb2010b5c86f97377462288fcf3a44fdae7d012dcf9a9a0e591fb32609d9cf2& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556283426054185/20231207_072829.jpg?ex=6585205c&is=6572ab5c&hm=532ed4c76022fcfc7438d1e355e16cebb955df03d39edcae2295a69488e9c28a& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556284659171408/20231207_170135.jpg?ex=6585205d&is=6572ab5d&hm=34fb0294da9efc563a455461dbde43fd368d16e302d583e9c0e290dbfd8392e5& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556285896511548/20231207_170357.jpg?ex=6585205d&is=6572ab5d&hm=d6c5ae92be2a21392e5f0354ded625ed1245419ac75c5382376e8560af90b446& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556287007989891/20231207_221035.jpg?ex=6585205d&is=6572ab5d&hm=4632aab31de5bd8c346c599b79e4e1151783b83e05bdb150416c97ce0ebdf92c& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182556288207552542/20231207_222348.jpg?ex=6585205d&is=6572ab5d&hm=b1960bcd8fe5c904a283f2337466f3a6d7b0f9341c98ccb4835d6d8db411d782&
p
looking awesome
the LEDs will be so dope
t
I made another attempt to underestand using ShapeText in FreeCAD and maybe figured it out for more than a single string. I've placed an order for brass inserts to make the assembly easier as handling m3 nuts in tight spaces is for smaller hands. I will have two versions of the brackets available (as FCStd and STL) one for using bolts and nuts and the second using brass inserts where it makes sense. I will attempt to install inserts inside the CM-2 case where the plastic thickness allows (I don't have access to the design files just the STLs). https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1182876800460787743/Screen_Capture_Fan_mounting_brackets.PNG?ex=65864ade&is=6573d5de&hm=4587f77d2281091ceca8b53e03fb8e5d869228ce8ec00c2c41d32749429be8e1&
Brass inserts arrived to day and wow did they make assembling the whole case a lot easier. As I sit here looking at the case I see that if I upsized the "cube" from 165% to about 200% I could probably 3 TuringPi2 mother boards in their vertically (I would need another bracket to support the 3rd board and some standoffs to connect) and upsizing the "cube" again to maybe 225% 4 or more TP2 boards could be made to fit inside for some real serious old fashion super computing power and it would still fit on a desk. My big 3D printer can upsize the model to 305% (about 16.5" by 16.5") so if TuringPi wants to send me 16 mother boards I'll get started printing. (4 rows of two boards high by 2 boards wide ). 🙂 🙂 Along with 4 x 16 = 64 RK1s !
m
t
Just for reference. The 165% upsized CM-2 computer case components take 29hours and 15 minutes to print on my Bambu Labs X1C at 0.20mm resolution and consumes approximately 880 grams of plastic. Add in about 24 brass inserts (5 to 10 cents each), 24 M3 bolts (2 or 3 different lengths) and the cost is about US$22.00 if your PLA costs you $20.00 per roll. The cheapest I can get PLA, PETG and even ASA that prints well is $14.00 per thousand grams ($0.014/gram) so that lowers the price to about $17.00 per case excluding my time and depreciation on my printer. Of course I added a Noctua fan and I will be adding those LED panels controlled by a Pico (or whatever it takes) once they arrive.
The Thermaltake Tower 100 case in BLACK is on sale for US$56.00 at several places: Walmart, Ebay, Newegg (shipping costs varies). https://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9B-11-133-443&nm_mc=knc-googlebiz&cm_mmc=knc-googlebiz-_-cases%20(computer%20cases%20-%20atx%20form)--thermaltake--9B11133443&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic+shopping&utm_campaign=knc-googlebiz--cases%20(computer%20cases%20-%20atx%20form)--thermaltake-_-9B11133443&source=region
t
I have this case in white. In my opinion it's best suited for lab top use. It's very configurable and can be left without panels for easy access to everything on the TPiv2. I do recommend replacing the factory standoffs to provide better NVMe M.2 port access. My only complaint is that space for internal cable routing is constrained. The addition of a PMW fan header on the TPiv2.5 (or component retrofit on the v2.4) will free up the space used by a Noctua NA-FC1 or similar.
p
any chance of getting a pic of the case with a board in it?
t
I created a forum thread for the case: https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1071828898343559269 The photos were taken as I progressed through the build. No photos since I added the PWM header, on-board fan controller IC and removed the Noctua fan controller. I'm still working out the reduction of cable volume and length.
p
Thanks, that’s a great thread.
t
LEDs have arrived (80mm x 80mm) and I've created two plates to sandwich them to fit into the "eyes" of the case. Next up I need to do some wiring and code copying (and tweaking). The larger 160mmx160mm LEDs also arrived and those are for a much larger CM-2 case ..... https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1186113010591346688/20231217_175426.jpg?ex=659210d2&is=657f9bd2&hm=33d2368220ea2d1a7833494f96baa6a4632d1a3111673898b6f62df5db284645& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1186113011908350002/20231216_134649.jpg?ex=659210d2&is=657f9bd2&hm=03306a6c2b82c071267840ca93f25281f8470fda1ea292ee39b553de1e09107d&
r
In-Win BQ Series BQ656T Mini ITX PC Small Case
b
@costa-al can you give an update?
s
Hey folks, it looks like xtia also has a xproto mini. https://www.xtia.design/pages/xproto-mini Btw, has anyone seen this setup with a turing pi in the wild?
r
Seems like half of that case would be wasted with a TPi2, since you typically don't pair it with a big graphics card.
s
Yeah I would definitely be over indexing on aesthetic over practicality. I'll mainly be using this for self hosting and running a nomad cluster. If it's possible I think I'll make some custom fabrications to mount a small monitor and throw up a grafana dashboard or maybe make some mounts for SSDs
g
Sparrow MQ4 is available on aliexpress if you are interested 😄 https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005005980244147.html
m
thanks! but sadly "Sorry, this item is no longer available"
g
m
yeah found some.. but it looks like some scalper / reseller with prohibitive shipping charge (as in 40% of the sale price!)
g
Yes shipping cost is very expensive
r
m
j
Ooh. That’s classy
r
have you purchased and tried this case out? This is what I am looking at also.
s
Hey folks, finally got my RK1s and I'm ready to put together my cluster once I get a case. I don't want to bother with too much DIY stuff for the case. Any suggestions from the community on a case that will work well enough as it comes from the factory? It should, ideally, work for a single board with 3xRK1s and possibly a Jetson later on, filled m.2 slots, 2x SATA drives and the ability to connect an external USB 3.0 drive. If it had some protection from dust it would be a big plus as well. PSU can be internal or external to the case, I don't mind much.
p
essentially any MiniITX case with active cooling will satisfy these requirements. The biggest thing that people look for is space under the mobo to plug in the NVMe drives.
u
You guys know any rack mount case that can fit 2 mini-ITX motherboards into it?
d
s
Here’s another
u
I've checked this one, pretty good but I'm planning to run from a PSU and this case does not support it
As far as I can tell, the reviews on this case doesn't look too great, I'm still looking for other cases but most of the time, they're pre-built system
e
u
You can only fit 1 mini-ITX motherboard into this one though?
e
correct
Cramming a PSU and a mini-ITX board into a 10" case is gonna be a challenge
u
I've seen 14" deep ones that can hold dual flex ATX PSU for each board, still looking for the model though

https://static.mini-itx.com/store/images/3898-02L.jpg▾

does anybody know which model this case is?
b
h
When is the turing pi case coming out?
u
That’s a good question! 🙂
p
last update was end of March 2024 or thereabouts...
t
That's a Travla T2240 case. There are other models that have more internal and/or front-removable drive bays. Portwell seems to sell the same case.
s
Hmm, interesting. I do intend to use NVMe drives and this sounds very non-standard... I'd be interested in what people have found works well.
p
so, on one hand you just need some extra standoffs, but depending on the case you might need a custom IO shield
d
We have no updates about it yet, sorry
t
Any thoughts on this one? 2 internal and 8 hot-swap seems workable for a pair... https://www.plinkusa.net/webTWIN-ITX-S2082.htm
s
I see, thanks for your insights. Sounds like the standoffs should be easy enough to source; I dunno about custom IO shields though... I lack the tooling, knowledge and time to deal with custom h/w stuff. I guess I better see if there's something in the UK market that will work with minimal intervention.
f
has someone tried the Jonsbo V10 Mini ITX case? (https://www.overclockers.co.uk/jonsbo-v10-mini-itx-case-black-ca-01t-jb.html) its kinda big for what is needed, but it also means less faffing about?
g
Has anyone made a 3d printable io shield that has an offset for standoffs?
Apparently yes
r
I have, but do not have a thingiverse account to repost it. Mine is a remix from @DhanOS (Daniel Kukiela), offset for 12 mm standoffs. It was a quick modification in SCAD.
f
What fan controller can I hook up to the 12V case fan header? I want to hook 2x 120mm fans but I’m not finding any with that connector?
p
I’m also having a hard time figuring this out
i’ve found single fans with the 2-pin connector, but they’re limited
otoh i know there’s a fan connector on the PicoPSU
e
Any 3 or 4-pin fan plug can fit on that 2-pin connector (just make sure you connect the right pins). You just won't get any speed ratings nor PWM adjustments.
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p
that’s a negatory good buddy
h
Sounds good! I'll keep waiting for it then.
a
If your still taking some suggestions, some type of tophat/bottomhat configuration so you can screw in an extend. For example so you could add a hard drive bay
t
I made a brief blog post with some dual-ITX rack mount case options: https://rasmurym.wordpress.com/2022/12/19/homelab-expansion-turing-pi-2/
n
Looking to get a prototype next month
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Great news! Looking forward to it
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Apologies, some of the links don’t work atm; Travla ones are here https://www.kiwatek.com/ec99/rwd1703/category.asp?category_id=30
h
curious if anyone has thought of making a rack mount case for the turingpi, but orient the boards vertical. I think you could fit 5 turing pis vertical in a 4U slot. Then you could possible slide the boards out on small rails to be able to access the nodes and nvme. With the NVME on the underside of the board accessing them is kinda a pain.
the small rails could just be 3D printed holders with end stops to keep the board from falling all the way out.
t
something like this ^
h
yes
looks like 4U might be a bit tight i guess, that is 6U. I think the mini-itx is 6.75" and 4U is 7" so probably too tight
t
both state they're for ITX boards max of 1U tall iirc
you'd need something similar with 2U
h
yep and the turing is taller so would not fit
but yes that is the general idea i was thinking of
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Or, you could just use every other slot, perhaps? That being said, I don't see how to actually purchase that rackmount case and the blade trays.
h
decent number of dual mini-itx 2U chassis that would work nicely, just thought having an easier way to access the nvme slots. If you power off say node01 does that also cut power to the nvme slot? Or do you need to power the entire turing pi to be able to safely swap out an nvme?
r
Are there any tentative specs available, such as # of drive bays etc?
My RK1s arrived today, so figure I should probably decide what I'm doing for a case soon heh
n
2x 2.5” SSDs + 4 NVMe
r
Thanks, my current plan has 3x 2.5" SSDs so I'll have to look elsewhere
t
it is a good idea for NVMe access
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I like my Sharkoon QB1. I 3D-printed an internal drive caddy with room for upto 10 x 2.5" SSDs for it. https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1048217327851802704/1069035888685891674
d
Has anyone looked into using the Fractal Design Terra? It's a bit on the expensive/overkill side but I really do like the look of it. https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/terra/terra/terra-graphite/
m
d
Oh that's nice - surprisingly I can get free shipping too.
Did you have much trouble with clearance for a fan? My napkin math says my RK1s + a 15mm deep fan might just barely fit the 67mm max (or if you mounted a fan at all, doesn't really advertise that you can mount a fan to the panel)
m
i can measure it up but it's well over 67mm
d
Perfect, thanks for the pic! (and the recommendation)
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Yes, I do currently. It fits in fine, but the case has no mountings for hard drives and only a single SSD mount
I mounted mine in the GPU housing with cable ties. However if you're handy with 3D printing you'll have plenty of space
Do note it does not come with a case fan. But has a mount for one.
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Is a PSU integrated? How about Slots fpr SSDs? Thanks in advance 🙂
m
no PSU, the board at the back can be changed, so you can use an external brick with the pico PSU, an flex ATX power supply or get a FlexHD GaN (no fans)
no slots for SSD, the case is very small (ie <5L)
but you could probably attach/stick on one of the wall/grill
h
Didn't want to wait for the official mini itx case any longer. Bought Teenage engineering mini itx. Went for style over functionality here but spent about $100 on the case and about $100 dollars on spare parts (io cover, psu cover, 2 fans, fan controller, screws, psu, and power supply). Finally was able to get my turing pi 2 set up after a year and getting all the parts. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1213522422700187678/20240302_112113.jpg?ex=65f5c7d3&is=65e352d3&hm=a7cb1c5681d46a46ffa78c4adc9f497c99c995bea04e7eaa7198377bbc57263d&
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This looks nice! What fan(s) did you put inside, and how does it look space-wise? I have some RK1s incuding their fans/heatsinks, but am wondering if big case fan would be sufficient… Also wondering if there'd be enough space for the FlexHD GaN PSU
m
flex GaN is smaller then a FlexATX and the case support both, I didn't put any cluster fans but you could probably fit a large fan but it's gonna be complicated to open/close the case. Also the nvme are all easily accessible by removing a panel. Accessing the RK1 or motherboard require removing the case's walls. https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/1475sn2/4l_densium_apu_ryzen_9_7950x_email_machine/
i'll try to post pictures later
Here's the pics https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095405025431582/20240306_192539.jpg?ex=65fb80c7&is=65e90bc7&hm=fd2150303e51301bcdf547f4c62eaf61d1feb390b9d53f75f94de5fa67ad09bb& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095405675810836/20240306_192603.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=94ccb256321aac4bb2e9b4e0e0b817b6dbb55774857b4583e354e5397cadeb33& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095406153703516/20240306_192607.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=a6eb4a04e78f757c96840fe7eccfc79e278892185772ab7681018ae698f8b2ed& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095406661345320/20240306_192612.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=08fe4ce3edf2536a967f68acdb71a223aed5b77838e74c82d5db7691656f78ec& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095407135424522/20240306_192714.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=479df0a8b707c68a1f9a75f9653d5dfc2d3b68d22b83de084f19226038616711& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095407596671036/20240306_192907.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=3ebb3e0c8cfdc82c56f3a0e18ecab5a37d0e9582c786e9b4009eb42b171173b6& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095408058175588/20240306_192922.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=b3882410f8ee3fddbdfedafdb11efd48c1bd02c8874d5b2a99bfa0523b68d961& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1215095408481804348/20240306_193123.jpg?ex=65fb80c8&is=65e90bc8&hm=662110f5f7d5df27854317c5be8fb453eda3f891ff34647f6e9f0034d215b853&
r
Das Ist Pretty
Does that case come with a power supply?
m
Nop, thats extra $$
h
Anyone try this case? Circotech RM-2270 I just got it an not impressed at all for the price. The tiny screws that hold the top lid in are painted on and as such damn near impossible to get out with out stripping them. Then the case has tons of sharp edges. But the worse part is the IO plate hole is way too small, I can not fit the IO plate in it.
the IO hole on the case is 152.44mm x 36.38mm. The shield supplied by turing is 158.6mm x 44.26 (which is within tolerance of what the standard is)
thinking of returning it for this case, anyone know if this one is any better? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ6V89HD/?coliid=I3JL449N242YV0&colid=PNJF92DAVL77&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Ok so I returned the Circotech RM-2270 and picked up https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ6V89HD/?coliid=I3JL449N242YV0&colid=PNJF92DAVL77&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it This case was a good bit cheaper in price, but build quality I think is as good if not better int hat the IO panel is a standard spec size and I could fit the turing pi io panel in it. The screws removed easier without strippign them as well. It does have 2 minor issues, one I knew about and one i did not 1. The front panel is open/closed with a silly key and the key is not captive in any position so you can not just leave it in place. Annoying but can live with. 2. A bit more of an issue is my Silverstone flex psu have a small power switch on them, this case covers that switch, so make sure you turn them on before installing them. You can reach the switch with a small screwdriver if need be. Not a big deal for me, I never plan on using that switch anyhow.
x
Thanks for the pics, exactly what I'm looking for, just ordered mine, the difficult decision was whether to go Ash or Walnut 🙂 and free shipping to AU, Paypal over 4 payments $276 / 4... mmm great looking case. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1217641848785342545/image.png?ex=6604c457&is=65f24f57&hm=bac091883413df56f22de572aa8b497b0cf33fc9b382cbc996d368ee3f27a4d3&
t
I currently have a 2U case but it isn’t very pretty 🙂 iStarUSA Group 2U Compact Rackmount 2 X 5.25 (D-214-MATX) , Black https://a.co/d/3ktXDEo
I’m curious what everyone else is doing…
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w
are you happy with it? are you able to fit two turingpi?
h
Happy with it but only installed one so far but see no reason a second will be an issue. I do have 2 psu installed
w
Alright, I think it will order it too then 😛
what kind of psu did you took? Amazon is recommending me the "SilverStone Technology Bloc Flex ATX 350 W "
h
That one
b
p
Hey was wondering, how long did it take for the case to arrive ?
says 20-30 days on the website which seems a bit high 💀
d
I'm in Canada, but I ordered it on March 6, it arrived at my doorstep on March 18. They used their regular mail carrier (Royal Mail) to ship.
p
Thanks for the reply, that's decent, hopefully it'll arrive quicker in the uk 🤞
m
Def would love to do the same build once all the parts come in, love the nostalgia
r
Woppr?
x
t
Thinking Machines CM-2
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Sorry for bringing that up, but how did you fix the front panel ? I feel like the front panel need to have spacer installed otherwise I can't install the main panel
Really wish there was a manual with case, so many screws but pretty much had to wing it on what went where
Found that https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/18oqpkr/densium_apu_4l_5600g_oreo/kej6jzr/ guess we need to use the magnet but that looks a bit weird using those screws
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i
My RK1s are scheduled for delivery tomorrow (😍), and as a result figuring out what case to purchase is starting to become relevant. How was the prototype? What's the expected release time as of now? Will it support Pico PSU with the brick or a fully internal PSU? If internal, what PSU form factors will fit?
u
Stupid question: Are there build instructions for that case? I could not find any. Thanks for any hint.
d
Not really. I had someone DM the same question a little while ago I'll paste what I said there
I ended up finding these links for reference, the last one being the most helpful if you're willing to go through the pages. I linked the more useful page directly. I recall there being two different imgur albums that covered different aspects. In the second link an account from Overtek gives some pointers on assembly and what screws to use. https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/1475sn2/4l_densium_apu_ryzen_9_7950x_email_machine/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/18oqpkr/densium_apu_4l_5600g_oreo/ https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/pictures-of-prototype-densium-apu-3l-hdplex-250-47mm-cooler-hardwood-frontpanel.17897/page-13 The most weird thing is the screws for the magnets, since there's only four of the ones that would work better with the magnets' countersink, so I ended up using the other ones that there's enough of. One guy in the third link goes into that. The washers go between the magnets and the front panel. If you attach the front panel before sliding on the outer frame it looks like it'll stick out too much but the frame actually slides up flush against the panel, thankfully. Also if you're using a Flex PSU you'll probably find that the socket doesn't quite line up with the hole in the cutout. I found that if I angled the PSU in so that top of the socket goes through the cutout then levering it in, it seems to fit/stay in place a little better. I ended up not using my Flex PSU though because the one I have isn't modular at all and I wasn't liking how the extra cables were sitting on the board. The fourth silver knob doesn't fit next to the ATX connector. I've left it out for now since I've been keeping it on its side. I'll probably have to find something at some point though. I didn't use the additional frame support (the bar that was taped to the box of screws) because I guess I didn't attach it correctly and was having trouble getting the frame panel to clear it properly. I really wanted to get the case together so I could play around with the board so I took it back off. I may come back to that later. And I'm pretty sure this board doesn't have the right header for the front panel USB so I left that out as well. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662598517428224/PXL_20240401_170955494.png?ex=6637c62e&is=6625512e&hm=4967b7d43cb2688a665cf3515b0cbe6aa42602ed6a6b11db356fe8ee10525d64& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662600396476467/PXL_20240401_170917358.png?ex=6637c62f&is=6625512f&hm=29aaac714d17959f559ee64014a2c4cf97d14a740eb20e01a1919c698afa9d62& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662602527047710/PXL_20240401_170902320.png?ex=6637c62f&is=6625512f&hm=e5be3983b72f0c5e269119a6a9abfbea08d0c5bd46ba3002c9bb415a552f0fc9& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662604707958924/PXL_20240401_170839999.png?ex=6637c630&is=66255130&hm=e734654c71b96fbafd0f4f910bb848647ff08d270d7b6fa419ae5ed9ad17cdb9& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662606901837855/PXL_20240401_170238197.png?ex=6626a2b0&is=66255130&hm=80f9a0b8ffeab496063bfa2fa81a086fed3eb55eb09d777affe4fc7fe50bf95e& https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1231662609024024606/PXL_20240401_170225753.png?ex=6626a2b1&is=66255131&hm=39ecede96029bbd108a458ff3509b5e814551fd5e459bfd5f6df5aa6e2ad10b6&
m
the only thing I "dislike" about the case is that it's so open you can hear the coil whine pretty all the time
d
I have an old noisy server next to my desk that drowns out everything else around it, so I haven't noticed that. Although I also have tinnitus and live next to a fire station so maybe I'm not really one to gauge what's noisy 😆
u
Thanks so much, this will help me a lot!
d
I have two of those, though I only use one for the TP2. So far the best option I have found.
f
I have this case, don't recommend. Way too large
lol, my god. The LEDs... ugly AF, I/O shield standing out as well. It is nice and tiny, but I'd put the lights off
if I could do it over and had the space I'd just get a 19" rack and put my stuff in that, way more neat
also the Noctua fans are ugly, too. If they're in view I'd avoid them
d
Just as an FYI: I added a 120mm Noctua fan to the Silverstone above. As a result, the temperature of my RK1s dropped by 10-15 degrees and non of the fans on the RK1s ever ran since then. However, I had to use the higher volume variant of the case.
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Is an official Turing Pi 2 case still in the works or is that discontinued? I can’t find new blog posts about it since last year
x
yeah, have a look at the latest announcement from nsky in the announcements section. https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/754950670175436845/1232719868726349824
p
Has anyone seen this https://www.owc.com/solutions/ministack-stx case? Is there a possibility to approach this company to make case for Turing pi board?
I feel that the case should be easily accessible from top and bottom and fitted from the bottom into the sides of the case.
u
I have built a 4 node Jetson Xavier with a 140mm and 92mm fans for cooling
I can share my build, if anyone interested
t
Are there any 2U or 3U mITX cases with standoffs to lift the board and the I/O shield up off the bottom? I’m curious if this would help with airflow and access to the bottom of the TP2 for the NVMe.
i
I have these now. Nice case! There was one gotcha, though: The SSD drive cage in the picture would not fit with my full-sized 150mm PSU. (My PSU had modular cables connected to the top of the PSU.) Luckily I was not really planning on using the drive cage. I'd nevertheless recommend a shorter PSU for this case. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1048217327851802704/1246011822994358312/Screenshot_2024-05-31_at_10.59.51.png?ex=665ad670&is=665984f0&hm=6db6b469a2e63f6298b21e3a0595e2d2699f316306d35204beb38f927a76b91b&
There is a note about this on the SilverStone page, but I didn't take it seriously enough. 😅 "* Maximum length for PSU is 150mm, we recommend 140mm due to varying connector locations on PSUs and the unique structure of SG13."
u
Go with 150watts/200watts ATX psu https://a.co/d/4d7j7pG
I also added 3 fans, 140mm to blow in and 92 mm, 80mm to blow out
Also have 2 sata SSD attached to top rack
i
Yeah, the brick + pico PSU route is probably the better fit, but the lure of having no bricks dangling out of the cases was eventually just too great
u
a
Can anyone recommend any 3d printed cases? I'm still holding out for the turing case, but really could do with something in the meantime.
f
Another option is to also produce a PC-style backplate so that we can use an old ITX case. (I assume the board stil lfits the ITX form-factor).
t
My TP2 came with a standard I/O shield… I assume I missed part of the conversation
m
b
Looks very simple and clean @Muellermann
u
p
t
Yes, but ... if you plan to use the M.2 sockets or the BMC microSD slot, it may be difficult. Thr Jonsbo C6-ITX is a recently released case I purchased as an experiment: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805348620302.html. They're available from other sources, including NewEgg. The only question is how many 2.5" SSDs can be installed. I have 2-drive and 4-drive, 2.5" SSD mounting brackets on order to check out. My only complaint is with the single front-panel power button (no reset). IMHO, you want two push buttons.
p
How does it look from nvme drive side
p
it's a tricky thing to find a good case 😦 I like yours though!! I take you haven't received it yet?
I actually wanted to reuse some 3.5 that i have laying around
:/
t
I have it. Ordered from NewEgg. For some strange reason, they sent me a 2-pack, so I'll definitely be selling one. The case supports mounting one 3.5" or one 2.5" storage device next to the bottom 120mm x 120mm fan. The side brackets I have on order (one set is two high and the other is four high) have an 11mm center to center gap. No issue with typical 9.5mm SSDs, but HDDs are taller. Access to the bottom of the TPiv2 is easy, but I need to confirm that M.2 clearances are sufficient without using longer standoffs. The case supports both ATX and SFX PSUs. I picked up a fully modular, Corsair SF400 off eBay.
p
Cool! Thank you! I have the pico psu for now, but good to know i can get a bigger one. Ok, great! I'll get it! Thank you!
c
A vented bottom. There's no special access to the drives. If I need to swap or remove them, I have to remove the whole board.
t
Making progress on a build using the Jonsbo C6-ITX case. The 2.5" dual and quad SSD side mounts arrived yesterday. I experimented with places inside the case that are stamped for mounting SSDs, HDDs and 120mm fans. The included pamphlet for the case doesn't really discuss these mount points in detail. For those who might be interested, I'll create a single-subject forum thread with photos, comments and a component list in the next few days.
g
Hi how did your build go?
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