2U SBC 'blade' mount for 10" rack

Introduction

Yet another '10" rack SBC mount'. There are plenty of mounts for 10" racks out there, many quite good, but none that quite fit my needs. I needed a mount for a variety of SBCs, some with HATs, some with NVMe drives that poked out, some with POE, some with other types of power supply, etc. So, the mount needed to be flexible in terms of what I could put in it...

Specifications

• Designed to fit my Mod10 10" rack, but should fit most if not all 10" racks.

• Takes up 2U in height, depth depends on the SBCs you put in it. I have an Orange Pi Zero 3 that makes it about 5cm deep, and an Orange Pi 5 that gets to about 11cm

• Each mount can hold 5 SBCs 'natively'. I can imagine that you could design a double slot mount to fit something 'fatter', or multiple 'thinner' boards if you want though.

• No lights, leds, electronics of any type on the mount or 'trays' themselves.

Bill of materials (BOM)

For this mount you need:

• 10x 'voron style' heat inserts (M3x4x5)

• approximately 30g or 10m of filament. I recommend PETG, ABS or ASA, since even SBCs can get warm, NVMes even more so, and even though they are light, the constant stress of the SBCs on the frame might cause deforming if you use PLA. YMMV, just be aware that PLA might not be sufficient.

• The usual 'mounting hardware' for the 10" rack (case nuts, bolts, and the like). As the whole setup, even fully loaded with SBCs and HATs is relatively light, 4 bolts should be enough.

For any of the SBC trays designed by me that go into the mount you need:

• Each tray uses about 10g or 5m of filament. PETG, ABS or ASA recommended due to the mentioned temperature and deforming of PLA.

• 2x M3x8 bolt

• 2x M2.5 standard nuts

• 2x M2.5 bolts. Actual length may depend on the tray since some SBCs need more 'bottom clearance', but 12mm long should fit all and 8mm should fit most.

Assembly

Print, using 3 walls, 3 top and bottom layers and >10% infill of any type you like, 0.4 nozzle or larger, and whatever the filament you happen to use might need/prefer. As long as you use PETG 'or better', it should be good enough whatever you do. If you enable 'Sacrificial layer' for 'Bridge counterbore holes' you should not need any supports! If your slicer does not have this option, you might need to enable supports to bridge the mount slots. All models should be oriented correctly.

For the trays, insert the nuts into the recesses on the bottom side. Slide the SBC into its position, insert bolts, which should screw into the nuts comfortably. Then position the tray in the mount, and screw in the M3 bolts through the holes into the frame. There is no difference in up or down for the tray, so you can face the PCB to either side as you like.

Notes

I've added the STEP file for a blank SBC mount so you can design your own mounts as needed. If you use a HAT, but my model name does not specifically mention a HAT in it's name, it is not guaranteed to fit. If I mention a HAT in the model name it means it happens to fit the HAT I have. No guarantees are made that they'll fit with other ones. SBC manufacturers other than Raspberry Pi, and HAT manufacturers are notorious for changing designs, specifications, shapes and sizes. Orange Pi especially so. Even if an SBC has a similar name (Orange Pi 5 vs Orange 5 Pro, or Orange 5 Max, for example) it doesn't mean the mount will fit.

Disclaimer

The usual: I am not responsible for stuff you break, loss of sanity, etc, etc, etc, etc. YMMV. Caveat emptor, yada yada.