piStor V2 - A storage case for a Raspberry PI 5

Description

I have used my original case for a while, however I found that in situations where I had to disassemble, I really wanted to have the fan not connected to the top.  This newer version utilizes a fan tower.

I also updated the externals to make it a little more attractive.

Printing

The outside of the case was printed in Numakers PLA-CF,  the fan tower was printed in PLA, and the feet in Flexible PLA.

Printed on a Prusa MK4S, printer with a layer height of 0.2mm, with a 0.4 nozzle, infill 15% with very minimal supports.

NOTE:

When printing the case body, set the number of top and bottom layers to zero, and select Honey Comb for the infill pattern.  The infill pattern will create the air exit vent.

Hardware

1 – Raspberry PI 5

1 – Radxa Penta SATA Hat

4 - 33mm of standoffs

1 – GeekPi Micro Connectors 40 pin, with right angle

1 – Noctua NF-A8 5V PWM Quiet Fan

4 – 2.5mm Screws (or what ever fits your stand offs)

1 - PHD2.0-2x5 Connector

1 - 1x4 Dupont connector housing

1 - 1x1 Dupont connector Housing

Links

Penta Hat - https://radxa.com/products/accessories/penta-sata-hat/

Right Angle Connector - https://www.amazon.com/GeeekPi-Connectors-Raspberry-Expansion-Compatible/dp/B0888W3XN4

Noctua 80mm Fan - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DXMF32M?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

PHD2.0 Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKZF94RR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

DuPont Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X6C7PZM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
 

Assembly

1. Follow the install for the Radxa Penta SATA hat (https://docs.radxa.com/en/accessories/penta-sata-hat/penta-for-rpi5). Don’t forget to insert the GeekPi right angle connector.
2. Flip the case bottom over and press the feet in. You may need at pair of needle nose pliers to pull the tab on each foot from the inside, while pressing on the bottom of the foot.
3. Once all 3 feet are inserted, flip case bottom back over for installation of the Raspberry PI unit.
4. Create a cable with the PHD 2x5 connector on one end, and a Dupont 1x4 connector and 1x1 DuPont connector on the other end.
5. Connect the PHD connector to the Radxa Penta Hat
6. Connect the Blue line to the Raspberry PI pin #33 (otherwise known as GPIO 13)
7. Insert the Raspberry PI unit into the case bottom. You may need to wiggle things about a bit to make it fit.
8. Using 4 2.5mm screws, connect case bottom to the PI.
9. Install all of the drives to the top of the Penta Hat.
10. Install the fan to the fan tower.
11. Install the fan tower to the drives.
12. Connect the DuPont connector to the Fan, ensuring power, ground and PWM all line up properly.
13. With fan connected, place over the top of the case bottom, line up tabs with slots and give a 1/8th twist to connect.
     

Install Software

Installing the fan software is fairly simple, it requires python and the gpiozero library to be installed.  Luckily this is already done for the Raspberry PI OS.   The following command will run the setup code:

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JeffCurless/piStor/main/setup.sh | bash

Feel free download the repository:  https://github.com/JeffCurless/piStor

You should hear the fan go from 100% to around 40% right after the install.