Raspberry Pi & LiFePO4 UPS + Fan Case

thingiverse

I used a Raspberry Pi 3 to create a "Pi-Hole" (https://pi-hole.net/) local caching DNS server and ad tracker blocker. As a full-time component of my network, I required reliability. A key aspect of Raspberry Pi's is that if power is interrupted, the SD card can sometimes become corrupted and require re-imaging. Although not difficult, the network interruption can be frustrating. I integrated a smart UPS from LiFePO4wered (https://lifepo4wered.com/lifepo4wered-pi3.html) to prevent corrupting the SD card. However, this UPS wouldn't fit any of the other 3D-printable cases available. That's where this project comes in. The LiFePO4 UPS is incredibly cool and powerful, both in terms of battery life and configurability. To learn more about its features, I recommend visiting their website. The case was designed from scratch but follows the design principles established by Baudler ArtDesign. Since I didn't cut out the USB and network connectors, this case is taller than others. It also needed to clear the LiFePO4 battery and holder. To enhance airflow over the chip heatsinks, I added ducting to the design. Additionally, I recessed the fan into the case for a cleaner appearance. The fan used in this project is a 30mm x 30mm x 8mm Pi-Fan obtained from Amazon, which fits frictionally into the recess. The fan significantly reduces chip temperatures. Without the fan and case, the temperature was reported by the Pi-Hole software to be around 115F. However, with the fan in this case, the temperature dropped to 96F while running the 5-volt fan off a 3.3-volt supply since the LiFePO4 UPS covers the 5-volt terminals. Although I might modify the setup to get 5 volts for the fan in the future, it's still impressive that the operating temperature decreased by nearly 20F.