Fully 3D Printed Case Is Stacked High With Mini PCs [Hackaday]

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Over the years we’ve seen no shortage of 3D printed cases designed to hold several Raspberry Pi computers, often with the intent to use them as convenient desktop-sized platforms for experimenting with concepts such as server load balancing and redundancy.

The reason the Pi was always the star of the show is simple enough to explain: they were small and cheap. But while the Pi has only gotten more expensive over the years, x86 machines have gotten smaller and cheaper. Which is how a project like the N100 Obelisk was born.

As the name implies, [Jay Doscher] has packed this printed tower of power with a number of mini computers utilizing the Intel N100 CPU, namely the QC12 from Beelink. At $250 a pop they’re definitely a more expensive option than the Pi 5. But with each one packing 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB NVME drive, plus the option to plug in a SATA drive, you’re getting plenty of bang for your computing buck.

Each QC12 lives on its own printed “shelf” inside the case, which will fit up to five of the machines at once. Though [Jay] notes that heat could become an issue at that point, so four seems like a safer number. The front panel of each computer can be accessed through a cut-out in one side of the case, while the rear (and all the cables) are covered with easily removable panels should you need to get in there and reconfigure anything.

With everything all buttoned up, it looks like it could survive a bomb blast. Considering it took two rolls of filament and the better part of 100 M4 screws to put the thing together, we’d wager it doesn’t just look tough, either. The write-up says the goal was for the final product to have a certain brutalist style, and it certainly seems like the mission was accomplished on that front.

Of course, the really standout feature of the Obelisk is the integrated Waveshare AMOLED display. This 13.3 inch panel boasts a resolution of 2560×1440, and even offers touch support. Here it’s been rotated into portrait orientation to provide plenty of vertical space, making it ideal for working on the command line, writing code, or scrolling through long documents. Don’t need a screen? No problem — the case has been designed in such a way that you can forgo the display and fill in the opening with more of the printed panels.

As we’ve seen with his previous projects, [Jay] has a knack for turning extruded plastic into devices that are both functional and visually striking. We’re always excited when one of his creations come our way, and can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for the future.