Fan section for MultiPi Raspberry Pi Cluster Case

thingiverse

Jesse76 has designed an excellent Raspberry Pi cluster tower, but one thing is missing: a section for a fan. I've created a solution to address this minor issue. This remix of Jesse's original design involves pulling the no-vent lid into OpenSCAD and then modifying it extensively. The modifications include cutting, stretching, and drilling, finally assembling the pieces into a functional fan section. Fortunately, Jesse's "Multi" logo remains intact. I've made two versions - one for 40mm axial fans and another for 50mm axial fans, with an optional switch mount. In the future, I may create a version for blower fans, but this is purely for completeness; the axial fans work perfectly (although they can be a bit noisy). To improve the design, I've carved out a small space (~0.5mm) in the connector area to allow the connectors to fit better and the top section to snap into place more easily. You may notice that I included a photo of a broken microSD card, which doesn't use a fan section. This was done to inform you that this can happen if you're not careful. It happened to me when I removed an installed Raspi from one of the cluster sections without first removing the SD card. The end snapped off, and then I broke the rest with my fingers - it's easier than expected; they're quite fragile. From now on, I'll make sure to remove the microSD card before handling the Raspi. [Edit] I forgot to mention that the holes for mounting the fan are sized for M3 screws. I use M3-14 button-head screws, which fit perfectly into the nut-slots in the fan housing. If you use different screws, you may need a few more mm of length. Once through the fan, your screw has about 5mm of plastic to bite into - it doesn't take much to hold these little fans in place - maybe a turn or two. Be careful not to let the screw heads touch anything on the Raspi that might get damaged.