N100 NAS - 5 bays (2.5" HDD/SSD)

DIY mini PC NAS

DISCLAIMER: this model was built over the Beelink EQ12, however after some research I think it should also be compatible with the Beelink ser5.

Hi Makers! I had some 2.5" HDDs laying around my lab gathering dust and I wanted to get some use out of them. So why not transforming my N100 server into a very power efficient NAS? :)

Things I added after taking photos:

• supports to help inserting the caddies and hold them in place while you secure them with bolts
• added some more clearance between the last hdd and the bottom as it was causing some troubles with cabling

Features:

• This design features some vibration damping caddies in order to increase the longevity of your HDDs as well as make the whole NAS more silent.
• Some 3mm holes were added on the top and the bottom part to let you add some accessories like a 120mm fan in front of the HDDs or some cable managements guides to keep everything clean.

Materials used:

• Beelink EQ 12 (Intel N100)
• NVME to 5 SATA ports adapter
• SATA cables
• SATA to molex cable
• M3 bolts and nuts
• M3 threaded inserts

Printing tips & settings:

You can print left_side.stl and right_side.stl both horizontally or vertically. I personally chose to print them vertically as it gives a really nice and smooth surface.

My settings:

• Material: PLA
• Temperature: 210°C (tool) 50°C (bed) 
• Speed: 60mm/s
• Supports: everywhere (only for the sides)

Assembling:

All the bolts and nuts are M3 except for the 4 used to secure the mini pc to the top plate that are the original ones used for the stock bottom cover.

1 - Preparing the mini PC:

1. remove the bottom cover
2. remove the 2.5" ssd bay
3. disconnect the little pcb but leave the flat cable attached to the mainboard
4. remove both the fan and the little pcb
5. Install the NVME adapter in the M.2 slot of the mini PC

2 - Preparing the caddies:

1. Glue 4 M3 nuts for each caddy using super glue
2. Secure the HDD in the caddy with some bolts

3 - Assembling all the parts:

1. Mount the fan in the same orientation as originally intended by using the 3 original M2 bolts. Simply position the fan in the center and press down while you screw them to force them in. You can punch some pre-holes with the tip of the screwdriver to make it easier.
2. Connect the fan to the mainboard and insert the flat cable in the little rectangular hole while you lay the minipc on top of the part. It should snug over the protrusion perfectly.
3. Use the original 4 bolts to secure the mini PC on the top part.
4. Put 4 M3 threaded inserts for each side-part (2 on the top and 2 on the bottom).
5. Keep the flat cable sticking out the right side and screw the top, left_side, right_side and bottom together with 8 M3 screws.
6. Connect the flat cable to the little pcb
7. secure the pcb to the side with the original screws (or some self-tapping one).
8. connect SATA cables to the adapter BEFORE inserting the HDDs
9. slide the caddies w/HDDs in the slots and secure them with some M3 bolts
10. slide a SATA ssd in the slot on the side (the connection is enough to keep it in place)

All you have to do now is plug everything up and your done!

Additional info:

As power source I use an external power supply but any 5v power supply with at least 3A should do the trick as 2.5" HDDs only need 5v to operate.

Let me know what you guys think! 

Happy printing! Have fun!!! :)