Raspberry Pi 4b OpenWRT Router Case - 4 Port and 7 Port with USB 3.0

thingiverse

These are cases for a Rasberry Pi 4b and TP-Link switch to create an OpenWRT router, complete with virtually silent Noctua fan for Active cooling. Printing should be pretty easy. The hardest part I found was making a small Cat6 ethernet cable to go from the switch to the Raspberry Pi. I hate making ethernet cables! I actually create this router to be an 'OpenMPTCP' router (multi-path TCP) - allowing you to channel bound internet connections via a VPS (OpenMPTCP is based on OpenWRT) for increased bandwidth. There are 3 versions here: - 4 Port, Model 1 - 4 Port, Model 2 - 7 Port ## 4 Port, Model 1 Uses the board from a TP-Link TL-SG1005D model 1 for the switch https://www.orbitadigital.com/en/network-telephony/switch/883-tp-link-tl-sg1005d-5-port-gigabit-desktop-switch.html ## 4 Port, Model 2 Uses the board from a TP-Link TL-SG1005D model 2 for the switch https://www.orbitadigital.com/en/network-telephony/switch/883-tp-link-tl-sg1005d-5-port-gigabit-desktop-switch.html ## 7 Port Uses the board from a TL-SG1008D model 6 for the switch https://www.serversdirect.co.uk/p/1039033/tp-link-8-port-gigabit-desktop-switch ## Difference between 4 port model 1 and model 2 Not very much, apart from the placement of the screw mounting holes that hold the board to the case. With model 1, the holes are further inside the board. It was annoying to find out they have different designs of boards for the same switch... Since the bases for this router require screwing the board to the case on brass pillars, it was hard enough getting the placement of the holes right the first time, never mind when I discovered another type of board. # Shopping List 1. Raspberry Pi 4b (2GB version is more than enough for a router) 2. A TP-Link TL-SG1005D switch (for the 4 port version) or a TL-SG1008D V6 switch (for the second port version) 3. M2.5 brass pillar set, that contains 6mm male and 15mm male https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spacer-Standoff-Stainless-Assortment-Storage/dp/B08W9BKZ37/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=m2.5+brass+standoff&qid=1660351199&sr=8-6 4. Noctua 40x10mm 5v FLX (3-pin) Fan https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NEMGCIA/ref=twister_B077VX8JXM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 5. 16GB Micro SD card 6. CAT6 ethernet cable (that you will cut) 7. RJ45 CAT6 connectors https://www.amazon.co.uk/VCE-Connector-Through-Ethernet-Modular/dp/B07W4V6W6W/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=rj45+connectors&qid=1660351138&s=electronics&sprefix=rj%2Celectronics%2C62&sr=1-3 8. 2x 20CM 'Left' angle USB extension cables https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07SLYC9YQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 9. A micro buck-converter (step down) https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DJ5HZ7G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 # Building 1. Remove board from TP-Link switch. 2. Connect wires to live and ground on TP-Link switch board (we'll power the raspberry pi using the same power source for the TP-Link), and then connect those wires to buck converter, then buck convert to 5v and ground on raspberry pi GPIO. You should set the buck converter to 5.5v. 3. Add 6mm brass standoff pillars to board and pi mount. 4. Add pi to pi mount with the 15mm brass standoff pillars and 6mm screws. 5. Add fan to fan mount and mount to pi on top of the 15mm brass pillars. The fan should connect to the 3.3v GPIO (it's quieter and all it needs). 6. make a 80mm ethernet cable and connect from pi to switch on last ethernet port (the port that will be hidden). 7. Screw what you've just made to the 3D printed base part. 8. Hot glue the USB 3.0 extensions to 3D printed top part. 9. Connect USB 3.0 cable to raspberry pi. 10. Screw base and top part together, using the 6mm screws from the brass pillar set. 11. Super-glue (carefully) the micro SD card to the micro SD card rail holder extension. 12. Insert micro SD card that's now glues to rail holder into side of case (carefully) until the SD card is inserted into the raspberry pi. # Notes for Micro SD card extension You may notice in a couple of photos, there's a Micro SD card ribbon cable extension going from the Pi to the side of the case. I've not uploaded the design for this, because the ribbon cable is very prone to any interference and the Pi get read errors. Therefore I scrapped that model and instead created a micro SD card 'rail' extension (it's the red sticky out part on the first image). With this, you insert the SD card into the rail extension which is large enough to go through the case, bride the gap and the SD card card then goes directly into the Raspberry Pi. To make sure you get a flush fit: What I did, was slot the micro SD card into the rail extension without gluing it. It should be tight enough to hold it. And then insert into the side of the case while the 'top' part of the case isn't connected, and ensure the micro SD card is lined up nicely so that it just slides in... Once happy, carefully pull out and glue in. Also... I'd print out multiple of these SD card rail extensions... If you want to swap out the Micro SD card for another it will be easier to have some extensions on hand rather than having to print out more later, or having to dismantle the case.