Raspberry Pi Cluster

I was hoping to have this assembled before Christmas and work on installing software over the Christmas break, however unfortunately it is not to be.

Following a delay from DigitSpace in shipping out my parts it appears the delivery company used by them isn't reliable, and my package didn't make it to my office before we broke up for the holidays on Friday.

Unable to track the package I contacted Digitspace a few times trying to find out what was happening only to be told I shouldn't have chosen that particular delivery option on their site as they were known to be problematic at times.

This somewhat bamboozled me,has they were listed on their site as an option.

I was also unable to track the package myself, and was told it wasn't possible for digitspace to amend my delivery address to my home address.

I'm hoping that the package doesn't get lost in the ether between now and 2020 when I'm back to work.

I am delighted Digital age contact me regarding sponsoring a project but I'm absolutely baffled by the wierd and wonderful ways they operate.

I've settled on a way to add the boards for my cluster; I've added two rails for strengthening on the back of the frame, and the gap between the two is wide enough for the Pi (mounted to it's own small frame) to slot in. I've made the top bar of the Pi frame 1cm wider each side so it rests on these bars, and I'm using an angled bracket on each to allow me to screw it into place.

Nice and solid, and only takes 1 screw to remove it.

Bonza.

For the frame I was hoping to keep the shape similar to the Totem Mini Lab I have at home.

Now the switch has been chosen I've had to make some changes to allow it to fit; I've raised the front gap by a centimeter to allow full access to the ports on the switch, extended the back by around 8cm to incorporate the switch's hefty power supply, and will be adding more beams to brace the frame.

I'm going to cover the gaps either side of the screen with some panels, leaving a small gap to route the ethernet cables through to where the Pi4 boards will be mounted. I'll also make a cutout at the top of the frame for it to be used as a carry handle.

Regarding mounting I am going to mount them with the ethernet & USB ports facing upwards for easy access. The boards will be mounted to the added bracing area stacked left to right