Ultimate Raspberry Pi 5 Desktop Server with UPS, NVMe & Stats Display

One Sentence Summary

Building a Raspberry Pi 5 desktop server with NVMe storage, UPS, OLED stats, and a custom, actively cooled 3D-printed case.

Main Points

• Pi 5 as brain: 8GB RAM, BCM2712, 4 cores up to 2.4GHz.
• 512GB NVMe SSD connected via NVMe hat for fast storage.
• UPS (SupTronics X1200) powered by USB-C, ~2 hours runtime.
• NVMe hat placed under UPS; Ice Tower cooler for CPU cooling.
• Generic NVMe hat design to fit similar footprints, no GPIO power pins.
• Fusion 360 case design; stacked components with recessed clear acrylic.
• 2mm laser-cut acrylic side panels; brass inserts and logo accents.
• I2C OLED display shows Pi and UPS statistics.
• Elegoo Centauri Carbon Core XY 3D printer used for prints.
• Out-of-the-box prints look good: smooth finish, minor ringing, no failures.

Takeaways

• Isolate power: place thin film between UPS contacts and batteries to avoid shorts.
• Use trimmed standoffs for secure, spaced mounting of stacked hats.
• Flash OS to NVMe first; start with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm, plan TrueNAS later.
• Optimize airflow: position NVMe below for better bottom cooling.
• Reuse/expand the UPS stats script; share it on GitHub for community use.

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Summary

This transcript documents the creation of a high-performance custom desktop server built around the Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi 5 platform.

The build combines:

• A 512GB NVMe SSD connected over PCIe
• A SupTronics X1200 UPS
• An I2C OLED display for live monitoring
• A custom Fusion 360 designed enclosure
• Active cooling using an Ice Tower cooler
• A fully custom 3D printed case manufactured on the Elegoo Centauri Carbon CoreXY printer

The project emphasizes:

• Reliable uninterrupted operation
• Fast storage performance
• Thermal headroom for overclocking
• Clean modular assembly
• Expandability and maintainability

The final server stack is designed as a compact desktop homelab/server appliance capable of eventually running TrueNAS while initially using Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm.

Detailed Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Hardware Selection

Core hardware components selected:

Main Compute Platform

• Raspberry Pi 5

  • 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • BCM2712 SoC
  • 4 ARM cores
  • Up to 2.4GHz clock speed

Storage

• 512GB NVMe SSD

• Connected through:

  • PCIe ribbon cable
  • Generic-compatible NVMe HAT

Power Backup

• SupTronics X1200 UPS

  • Powered through USB-C

  • Uses pogo pins contacting:

    • GPIO underside pins
    • Pi test points

  • Powered by:

    • 2× 18650 lithium cells

  • Provides:

    • Up to 2 hours runtime during outage

Cooling

• Ice Tower CPU Cooler
• Fan relocated onto side panel for optimized airflow

Display

• Small I2C OLED display

• Used for:

  • CPU temperature
  • CPU load
  • IP address
  • UPS battery status
  • Power state

Enclosure

• Custom-designed:

  • 3D printed body
  • Clear acrylic side panels
  • Brass insert mounting system

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2. Mechanical Stack Design

Physical stacking order:

1. Raspberry Pi 5
2. UPS HAT
3. NVMe HAT

Key engineering reason:

• UPS requires underside GPIO/test-point access
• NVMe board therefore relocated beneath UPS

Connection method:

• Long PCIe ribbon cable

Cooling decision:

• Keeps top surface free for Ice Tower cooler installation

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3. Case Design in Fusion 360

Software used:

• Fusion 360

Case design features:

• Recessed acrylic side panels
• Hidden acrylic edges
• M3 brass insert mounting
• OLED display cutout
• UPS power button extension adapter
• Side aesthetic detailing
• Dedicated fan mounting system

Mechanical improvements from previous Pi 4 design:

• Increased internal stack height
• Easier assembly/disassembly
• Improved cable routing

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4. 3D Printing Workflow

Printer Used

• Elegoo Centauri Carbon

  • CoreXY motion system
  • Direct drive extruder
  • Fully enclosed chamber
  • Magnetic PEI textured build plate
  • Automatic bed leveling
  • WiFi print transfer

Slicer

• Elegoo Slicer

Print Parameters

Material:

• PLA

Layer height:

• 0.16mm

Print bed:

• 256mm square plate

Supports:

• Added manually to overhangs

Fan grill optimization:

• Modified infill pattern used as fan mesh

Estimated print:

• 2h 45m
• 75g filament

Actual print:

• Slightly under 3 hours

Observed quality:

• Minimal ringing
• Nearly invisible layer lines
• No print failures

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5. Acrylic Panel Fabrication

Material:

• 2mm laser-cut acrylic

Characteristics:

• Slightly undersized
• Fits recessed channels

Additional modification:

• Raspberry Pi logo outline added later

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6. Brass Insert Installation

Hardware:

• M3 brass threaded inserts

Installation method:

• Heated using soldering iron
• Melted into plastic

Insert locations:

• Corner mounts
• Internal display bracket mount

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7. OLED Display Installation

Display wiring:

• Ribbon cable connected to GPIO pins

Important note:

• Terminal labels become hidden after installation
• Must identify beforehand

Installation method:

1. Slide display under retaining clips

2. Secure with:

   • Single screw
   • Retaining bracket

Communication protocol:

• I2C

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8. UPS Installation

UPS mounted beneath Pi using:

• Ice Tower standoffs

Modification required:

• Threads trimmed shorter

Additional bottom standoffs:

• 20mm standoffs
• Also thread-trimmed

Important safety warning:

• Avoid:

  • Shorting battery terminals
  • Pressing UPS power button accidentally

Recommended precaution:

• Insert insulating plastic strips between:

  • Battery terminals
  • UPS contacts

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9. CPU Cooler Installation

Cooler:

• Ice Tower heatsink

Fan:

• Removed from heatsink
• Relocated to side panel

Thermal interface recommendation: Preferred:

• Thermal paste

Alternative:

• Included thermal pad

Reason:

• Paste gives superior thermal transfer

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10. NVMe Installation

Steps:

1. Flash OS to NVMe before assembly

2. Install SSD onto NVMe HAT

3. Install batteries before closing assembly

4. Mount NVMe HAT using:

   • 8mm standoffs

Reason for spacing:

• Improved airflow under SSD

Operating system used:

• Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm Desktop

Long-term intended OS:

• TrueNAS

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11. Final Case Assembly

Mounting:

• Pi stack secured using:

  • 4× M2.5 screws

Fan mounting:

• M3 nuts pressed into fan pockets
• M3×16mm screws used

Side panels:

• Mounted using:

  • M3×8mm button head screws

Additional cosmetics:

• Decorative screw accents
• Port-side accent glued using super glue

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12. OLED Stats Script Setup

Modified custom monitoring script installed.

Features:

• Rotating dual-screen interface

Screen 1:

• CPU temperature
• CPU load
• IP address

Screen 2:

• UPS power state
• Battery level

Repository:

• Hosted on GitHub
• Mentioned in video description

Key Technical Details

Hardware Components

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Mechanical Specifications

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Software Mentioned

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Connectivity

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Assumption: Standard/Typical Setup

The transcript does not specify:

• OLED model number
• NVMe HAT brand
• SSD manufacturer
• Raspberry Pi overclock configuration
• Fan voltage or RPM
• UPS firmware/software integration steps

Typical assumptions:

• SSD likely uses standard M.2 2280 form factor
• OLED likely SSD1306-based 128×64 I2C module
• Pi OS flashed using Raspberry Pi Imager
• UPS monitoring probably communicates over I2C or GPIO

Pro Tips

Use Thermal Paste

Thermal paste provides significantly better conductivity than thermal pads for sustained server workloads and overclocking.

Flash NVMe Before Installation

Access becomes difficult after full assembly.

Prevent UPS Shorts During Assembly

Use insulating pull tabs between batteries and contacts to avoid accidental power-up.

Add Air Gap Beneath SSD

The 8mm standoff spacing improves airflow and reduces SSD thermal throttling.

Recess Acrylic Panels

This improves:

• Visual finish
• Edge protection
• Structural rigidity

Use Brass Inserts

Threaded inserts dramatically improve serviceability compared to threading directly into PLA.

Separate Fan from Cooler

Moving the fan to the side panel improves:

• Internal airflow
• Cable management
• Case aesthetics

CoreXY Advantages

The CoreXY system on the Elegoo printer improves:

• High-speed accuracy
• Reduced ringing
• Better print consistency

Potential Limitations/Warnings

UPS Stack Complexity

The pogo-pin UPS arrangement severely limits HAT compatibility.

Thermal Constraints

Even with active cooling:

• Overclocking may still stress VRMs
• Enclosed airflow must remain unobstructed

SSD Heat

NVMe drives can become very hot in compact enclosures.

PLA Limitations

PLA may soften under prolonged elevated temperatures.

Better alternatives for production:

• PETG
• ABS
• ASA

Acrylic Scratching

Clear acrylic side panels scratch easily during assembly.

Battery Safety

18650 cells require:

• Proper polarity
• Safe handling
• Quality protected cells

Ribbon Cable Routing

PCIe ribbon cables are sensitive to:

• Sharp bends
• Compression
• EMI interference

TrueNAS on Raspberry Pi

ARM support can be more limited than x86 deployments.

Recommended Follow-Up Resources

Official Raspberry Pi Documentation

Raspberry Pi Documentation

Fusion 360

Fusion 360

TrueNAS

TrueNAS

Raspberry Pi OS

Raspberry Pi OS

Elegoo

Elegoo

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Suggested Books (5)

1. Raspberry Pi Cookbook — Simon Monk This book provides highly practical Raspberry Pi implementation guidance, including GPIO interfacing, storage configuration, Linux administration, hardware integration, and automation. It directly complements the server-building and hardware integration workflows demonstrated in the transcript.
2. Designing Embedded Hardware — John Catsoulis An excellent engineering-focused resource covering embedded electronics integration, power systems, interfaces, thermal considerations, and practical hardware architecture. Particularly useful for understanding UPS integration and GPIO/I2C interfacing.
3. Mastering Fusion 360 — Jake and Joshua Scott A practical CAD-focused guide that supports the custom enclosure design process shown in the transcript. It covers parametric modeling, mechanical assemblies, tolerancing, and fabrication-oriented workflows.
4. 3D Printing Failures — Sean Aranda This book focuses on diagnosing and optimizing FDM print quality issues such as ringing, under-extrusion, support tuning, thermal artifacts, and slicer configuration — all directly relevant to the enclosure fabrication workflow.
5. How Linux Works — Brian Ward An implementation-oriented Linux systems book that helps deepen understanding of Raspberry Pi OS management, storage devices, boot processes, networking, monitoring scripts, and server deployment practices relevant to this Pi server build.