Cheap, scalable mining rack - Build overview + files for 3d printing

[brickend]

I wanted to build a rack for mining rig that was affordable and scalable.  After seeing some people use this same style racking I thought I could improve upon a few things.  

Everything starts with the cheap rack.  I bought mine from my local Target on clearance for $14.00.  You can purchase these in most stores like Target & Home Depot for around $20.  

https://i.imgur.com/23h1hDj.jpg

I wanted to be able to use this rack with two power supplies so I made a quick drawing of what i wanted to do so i could cut the wood base.

https://i.imgur.com/657ahxu.png

Here's the wood cut with the standoffs mounted for the motherboard.  Power supplies are placed with their fans down so the holes allow for ample airflow.

https://i.imgur.com/kJuhmGU.jpg

Board is simply held to the shelving with a few zip ties.  

https://i.imgur.com/Uwi9cPq.jpg

Here's a mockup of the motherboard mounted and the first PSU in place with no mounting yet.

https://i.imgur.com/gywot4i.jpg

There is a slot cut in the wood in front of the motherboard that wasn't shown in the rendering.  This is necessary to mount PCI Express cards in the motherboard without risers.  Necessary for testing.

Next thing was mounting the power supply to the board.  Made this bracket so the PSU could be screwed to the base.

Power Supply Mounting Bracket - STL File
https://mega.co.nz/#!EMRAhIaC!F0XW4pZE1ajVd_3ABwvb6lOKVxjS7hR5hpbozW3-W-s

https://i.imgur.com/TP5yB6D.png

Bracket mounted on PSU shown here:

https://i.imgur.com/WXtFtOc.jpg

The next challenge was to figure out how we're going to securely mount the video cards for maximum airflow.  Since the rig is designed to be used with PCI express risers we need a way to hang these cards.  The first part was designing a bracket that could be screwed to each card and then hung from the shelf.

GPU Mounting Bracket - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!xZwTnApa!3ukkuM2UFLETKrHvtjf-X2Q3Q-OfiTbnH8l2bKmVCDk

https://i.imgur.com/sfzbTLd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wEjlKzN.jpg

These brackets are designed exactly for the OD of the wire racking and are very secure/stable while offering flexibility in lateral & horizontal mounting.

So now that we have the front end of the card secured we needed some way to support the rear of the cards.  The challenge here was I wanted infinite adjustability.  Went to Home Depot and bought 2 x 3/4" CPVC Tee's for under a buck each.  Then designed a plug that i could put in the middle of the tee's so that we could run a dowel between the tee's and have a nice place for the video cards to rest.

CPVC Tee Plug - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!dQBFmDJQ!aYjEbCCy8IN2HGPt4yJlrSqMzAG8HnFG5ycvTuOUmPg

https://i.imgur.com/vpqMJXr.png

The hole is offset since i wanted the wooden dowel to be as inward as possible.  I didn't want the rear end of the video cards extending beyond the rack if possible.

https://i.imgur.com/ct5rA6R.jpg

Here's the 3/4" CPVC tee which i've painted black, then the 3d printed plug w/ ~12mm dowel.  Below the tee you'll see a C clamp which will give us the infinite vertical adjustability.

C Collar Clamp - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!0VIUGRyS!s9WucsPgzS1lzmu0g9XXscguKcsTuOEomvUj4zbmeJE

https://i.imgur.com/NKYC4Zk.jpg

Once we have all of that we can finally put it all together.

https://i.imgur.com/1I9Lzn1.jpg

Still waiting for the second power supply here which will allow me to run another 2-3 GPU's.  The rack will comfortably support 5-6 GPU's.  If you have a 3d printer the cost for the rack plus all associated parts should not exceed $40.

[The_Architect]

Hi there,  I tried downloading the stl but it's no longer hosted.  Could you repost it or send it to my email:  jczapf@gmail.com

Thanks a bunch

John

[pix530]

Thank you for sharing, this is interesting.
We design our own rig frames. Aluminum custom frame with wood support.

From what I can tell the mid level rack is useless and would not allow to work with risers and cards easily. I would remove it.
I like the MB support and PSU brakets (no idea where u found them).

Main issue as I can see is that due to the size limitation it will be hard to place 6 GPU, and 8 just impossible.

[michnern]

Anybody know where to get the .stl files for all the different brackets that aren't hosted anymore?

Thanks,

[0xcosmos]

I wanted to build a rack for mining rig that was affordable and scalable.  After seeing some people use this same style racking I thought I could improve upon a few things.  

Everything starts with the cheap rack.  I bought mine from my local Target on clearance for $14.00.  You can purchase these in most stores like Target & Home Depot for around $20.  



I wanted to be able to use this rack with two power supplies so I made a quick drawing of what i wanted to do so i could cut the wood base.



Here's the wood cut with the standoffs mounted for the motherboard.  Power supplies are placed with their fans down so the holes allow for ample airflow.



Board is simply held to the shelving with a few zip ties.  



Here's a mockup of the motherboard mounted and the first PSU in place with no mounting yet.



There is a slot cut in the wood in front of the motherboard that wasn't shown in the rendering.  This is necessary to mount PCI Express cards in the motherboard without risers.  Necessary for testing.

Next thing was mounting the power supply to the board.  Made this bracket so the PSU could be screwed to the base.

Power Supply Mounting Bracket - STL File
https://mega.co.nz/#!EMRAhIaC!F0XW4pZE1ajVd_3ABwvb6lOKVxjS7hR5hpbozW3-W-s



Bracket mounted on PSU shown here:



The next challenge was to figure out how we're going to securely mount the video cards for maximum airflow.  Since the rig is designed to be used with PCI express risers we need a way to hang these cards.  The first part was designing a bracket that could be screwed to each card and then hung from the shelf.

GPU Mounting Bracket - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!xZwTnApa!3ukkuM2UFLETKrHvtjf-X2Q3Q-OfiTbnH8l2bKmVCDk





These brackets are designed exactly for the OD of the wire racking and are very secure/stable while offering flexibility in lateral & horizontal mounting.

So now that we have the front end of the card secured we needed some way to support the rear of the cards.  The challenge here was I wanted infinite adjustability.  Went to Home Depot and bought 2 x 3/4" CPVC Tee's for under a buck each.  Then designed a plug that i could put in the middle of the tee's so that we could run a dowel between the tee's and have a nice place for the video cards to rest.

CPVC Tee Plug - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!dQBFmDJQ!aYjEbCCy8IN2HGPt4yJlrSqMzAG8HnFG5ycvTuOUmPg



The hole is offset since i wanted the wooden dowel to be as inward as possible.  I didn't want the rear end of the video cards extending beyond the rack if possible.



Here's the 3/4" CPVC tee which i've painted black, then the 3d printed plug w/ ~12mm dowel.  Below the tee you'll see a C clamp which will give us the infinite vertical adjustability.

C Collar Clamp - STL File Download
https://mega.co.nz/#!0VIUGRyS!s9WucsPgzS1lzmu0g9XXscguKcsTuOEomvUj4zbmeJE



Once we have all of that we can finally put it all together.



Still waiting for the second power supply here which will allow me to run another 2-3 GPU's.  The rack will comfortably support 5-6 GPU's.  If you have a 3d printer the cost for the rack plus all associated parts should not exceed $40.

For pictures!

[0xcosmos]

btw what a quality work here
you look a professional in hardware building
will love to take a look on finished pictures when its completed
good work

[nc50lc]

A cable management system will be a great addition to this.
A clip or something in one edge or holes for the wires would do the trick.

Otherwise, this is a quality work.