This is a laser cut case for a small diy NAS server I've built. I started designing this when I realized that there isn't any case that would have the features that I wanted (small, mounts for several 3.5" HDDs). As a bonus it came out a bit cheaper than the cases I was considering buying. I've had it lasered from 3mm beech plywood, when assembled and glued together it feels light and solid.
- Holds a mini-itx mainboard, three 3.5" drives and two 2.5" SSDs.
- Has no room for internal power supply, it is intended for use with external power brick; either use a board like ASRock Q1900DC-ITX, or a picoPSU power supply.
- Front panel of the case has a large 120mm fan, two USB ports and a power button. No LEDs (I want a server, not a christmas tree).
- Side walls are attached with flat neodymium magnets.
In case you are building this case (or modifying it, or something), let me know and tell me what you think about it. Other than the SolidWorks models, there also is a dwg file. It is possible that you will need to modify the front panel to mount your USB ports and power switch, I've used USBs from a PCI bracket and a shiny chromed outdoor doorbell button.
The model in this repository is the version I've built, but there are some upgrades I'd do if I made another of these cases:
- The box is pretty cramped when fitting the mainboard in. The ceiling should be on magnets for easier access as well. This would require redesigning the whole top part, but shouldn't be too complicated.
- There is more than one way to fit the parts together (especially switching left-right sides of the drive frame and back wall) and only one of them is the correct one. The locking notches should be assymetrical, so that the only way to fit the box together is the correct one.
- Maybe think of some way to simplify cable management?
- The drive slots should be 1mm-1.5mm larger than the drives and the edges should be covered in foam tape for tighter fit and reduced vibrations.