DeskPi Rackmate 2U Mount and Raspberry Pi Inserts

This is basic 10" rack mount for four Raspberry Pi's. It's compatible with Pi 3/4/5. This setup should give you enough room to add a top hat without modification (such as an NVME hat on top). There is a small thumb grip on the inserts to assist in plugging/unplugging power.

Please do not sell prints of these models per the license. I provide these for free to help others with their own projects, not so that you can make money from my work.

Printing

Printing Inserts

I would recommend printing the inserts in PETG, Nylon, or any other non-brittle plastic with excellent layer adhesion. The Pi mounting screw hole tolerances are designed for vertical printing without supports. I printed these out w/ a 4mm nozzle at 0.3 and 0.35mm layer heights on an MK4S to good success.

Printing 2U Mount

You will need a printer with a width of 250mm or more. Make sure to turn off the loops in order for it to fit on your bed. Any material should work fine for this as we don't tap directly into the plastic. If you've got it and your printer could handle it, something stiff like a carbon fiber filament would be ideal. But, I printed this in PETG and it works fine with a small amount of flex.

Materials

Below are the actual parts and tools I used for this, so at least of time of writing I can guarantee they will work as-intended. Links are Amazon affiliate links to help fund project materials.

Required Parts

• 16x M2.5x5mm screws (4 per insert)
• 8x M3x12mm screws (2 per insert)
• 16x M3 washers (4 per insert)
• 8x M3 “nylock” nuts (2 per insert)
• 4x 10-32 rack screws (4 per mounting frame, may need different size if not a DeskPi)

Recommended Adapters

• 1x 90 degree USB C adapter (per Pi4/5)
• 1x 90 degree USB micro adapter (per Pi3)
  • Linked on will link “back” towards the USB/Ethernet ports. May or may not be your ideal setup for your cable management plan.

Recommended Tools

• Hex driver set
• Hex socket driver set

Assembly

Place the Raspberry Pi onto the insert with the USB and Ethernet ports through the rectangular hole. Use the M2.5x5mm screws to affix the Pi to the insert. You don't need to crank down on the screws, only tighten enough to hold in place and get a little “squeak” from the screw (if using PETG).

To mount each insert to the frame, add a washer to the M3x12mm screw. With the flat side of the mount against the insert, push the screw through the insert's hole, then through the frame hole. Add a washer and a nylock nut to the outside. Please note that the nylocks are actually important here: you don't want your nuts or washers to come loose and cause a short! And no, lock washers are not smart for this application.

Place the frame onto your 10 inch rack and attach with rack screws.