The Raspberry Pi is becoming a very capable computer for network tasks. Everything from ad blocking, to a VPN server to home automation. The Raspberry Pi is able to perform these tasks at a relatively low cost and low energy usage. Unfortunately there are not many options on the market for mounting the Raspberry Pi in a traditional server rack.
After scouring the internet for a good rack mount option. I ended up finding a good 3D printer model on Thingiverse.com. This rack supports four Raspberry Pi’s of any model version in a 1u size mount. In this article I will show you what this Pi rack mount is like, where to find it and how I got it printed.
Thingiverse 3D Model
The Thingiverse Link to the Pi Rack is here. The Thingiverse page has a link to submit the project to Treatstock.com. After sending the file to Treatstock I was able to get the design printed by a company they contract with. I chose ABS plastic because of its greater strength and heat resistance. I had the design printed by a company near by me and in less than a week I had my 3D printed Raspberry Pi Rack Mount.
In the above pictures you will see this mount with 3 Raspberry Pi’s mounted to it. A Raspberry Pi 4B, 3B and 1B. In a few places I had to file the opening at the front of the rack to get the Pi’s to fit but otherwise they fit great. To screw in the Pi’s to the mount you will need to purchase M2.5 screws and nuts either 8MM or 10MM in length. Unfortunately M2.5 screws are not common and difficult to find. At Home Depot the smallest I was able to find was M3.5 screws which did not fit. You could probably drill the holes on the Raspberry Pi’s to make the M3.5 screws fit. I did not attempt this because I was too afraid of damaging the Pi’s.
Commercially Available Raspberry Pi Rack Mounts
Are there any commercially available Pi rack mounts? Unfortunately I am not aware of any commercially available Raspberry Pi rack mounts. This was my reason for going with a 3D printed option.
Other options for multiple Pi’s in one case
Are there other options on the market for mounting multiple Pi’s in one case? If you do not need to rack mount your Pi’s and just want a case to hold multiple Pi’s then there are cases on Amazon they call cluster cases. On Amazon search for Raspberry Pi Cluster Case and you will find quite a few listings with pretty much the same case it holds up to 4 Raspberry Pi’s in a vertical mounting case.
BONUS: Best way to keep the new Raspberry Pi 4 Cool
The latest generation of Raspberry Pi the 4B has a tendency to run a lot hotter than the older versions of the Raspberry Pi. This can reduce the longevity of the device. This can also cause it to slow itself down through thermal throttling to prevent damage. The most elegant solution to the thermal problem I have seen is the Pimoroni Fan Shim. This little fan easily secures itself onto the Pi by sliding onto the GPIO pins no soldering, glue or screws required. If you choose to pick up one of these they have really good installation instructions on their website here learn.pimoroni.com.
