Rack design

 

Rack design

Tutorial: Multiroom Audio System Based On Raspberry Pi And Hifiberry

Even if I need much fewer cables for 7 Raspberry Pis than before, I still need them for the power supplies, the Ethernet connection, and the loudspeakers. To arrange all of this properly, and since I own a 3D printer, I decided to design my own custom-made rack. I used Google Sketchup to design a rack that would hold not only the 7 Raspberry Pis, but also an Ethernet switch with 8 ports.

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Even though my BCN3D+ 3D printer has quite a large plate, I had to print it in 2 steps, which took about 20 h. That’s how this main case looks:

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In the front, the Ethernet and USB plugs are accessible, even though the latter ones aren’t used here. The openings on the side are for the audio and power cables, while the other plugs of the Raspberry Pi (hdmi, audio jack, etc.) are covered, since I don’t need them. The inside has flanges to hold the Raspberry Pis while still allowing air flow in between them. Even though the Raspberry Pis don’t heat up much, some air flow never hurts.

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In combination with the hardware, the final result looks really clean and tidy.

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