Key Takeaways
1. Affordable Alternative: The N5 Mini offers a budget-friendly substitute for expensive NAS devices, with total hardware costs around $215, significantly lower than many commercial options.
2. 3D-Printable Design: The enclosure is fully 3D-printable and can fit on a Bambulab A1 Mini printer, promoting accessibility for DIY enthusiasts.
3. User-Friendly Features: The design includes modular and open parts, magnetic faceplates, a tool-free mini-PC drawer, and easy electrical connections, enhancing ease of assembly.
4. Energy Efficiency: The N5 Mini is designed for low power consumption, contrasting with larger, energy-hungry custom NAS setups commonly used in the DIY community.
5. Free Resources: All print files and assembly instructions are available for free, with plans to share original CAD designs, encouraging community involvement and reuse of older mini-PCs.
A new DIY project has unveiled a completely 3D-printable substitute for expensive, compact NAS devices, drawing inspiration from the well-known Minisforum N5 series. Tech fan Jack Harvest shared the “N5 Mini” on Reddit; it’s a five-bay NAS enclosure measuring 175mm, crafted to work with nearly any mini-PC.
Affordable and Accessible Design
Building on the modern aesthetic and modular features of the N5, which has AMD Ryzen variants that start at $729 and go up to $1,299, the N5 Mini offers a much more affordable option. The creator claims that the complete design fits nicely on a Bambulab A1 Mini 3D printer bed (currently priced at $399 on Amazon) and can be made using PETG plastic for the main casing and TPU for the feet and motherboard offsets. His main aims included compactness, simple assembly (no print supports needed for major components), and low power consumption – presenting a clear difference from the larger, less energy-efficient Mini-ITX-based custom NAS setups often found in the DIY community.
Open and User-Friendly
This project is delightfully open: print files are available for free, and the entire build uses widely available “open” parts like standard keystone jacks, a five-bay SATA backplane, and modular cabling. A list of features includes magnetic faceplates, a tool-free mini-PC drawer, and easy electrical connections. A breakdown of costs indicates that, not including the mini-PC itself, the essential hardware totals around $215 – which is less than a third of the price of many commercial NAS devices that offer similar drive capacity.
Resources and Future Plans
Complete assembly instructions and part suggestions can be found on jackharvest.com. The build guide also suggests reusing older mini-PCs to serve as the brains of the NAS. Harvest has made the files available at no cost on Makerworld, and he plans to share the original CAD designs soon.
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