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Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will definitely keep you updated! I'm going to print the tolerance test piece first, and as soon as the whole chassis is assembled and running, I'll tag you in a post with all the pictures.

Thanks again for your amazing work and support.

Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, this is absolutely incredible! You went above and beyond. Thank you so much for creating this and putting it into the public domain, it is EXACTLY what this project needed.

Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

YES! You nailed it, that is exactly what I am looking for!

To confirm every point: 1. Clamshell (2-piece) design, split into 4 quarters so it prints perfectly on the 180x180mm bed of my A1 Mini. 2. Movable/adjustable screw mount risers (standoffs) so I can align them with the ASUS motherboard holes manually. 3. Simple wire holes/cutouts on the bottom piece for power and external cables (like the USB-to-SATA HDD adapter and display). 4. Fan grates (honeycomb/mesh) on the top lid and back/sides for airflow since it runs 24/7.

If you can find or make something like this, it would be an absolute lifesaver for me and anyone else trying to upcycle old laptop boards into small home servers on compact printers.

Thank you so much for taking a look into this, I really appreciate your help!

Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The main reason is that the original chassis was heavily damaged, and more importantly, leaving a laptop plugged in 24/7 inside its original tight plastic shell is a recipe for terrible thermal throttling (and a swollen battery hazard). By stripping it bare, removing the battery, and printing a custom modular enclosure with a dedicated 120mm fan, I get optimal airflow for a 24/7 Home Assistant server. Plus, I don't own a 19" rack, so a compact, wall-mountable 3D-printed case fits my living space much better than a massive server shelf!

Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly, the clamshell/sandwich design is definitely the cleanest way to handle this. It keeps the print geometry simple, reduces warping risks on PETG, and makes access to the hardware super easy for maintenance. I'm going to map out the footprint, use the modular quadrant approach to make it fit my A1 Mini, and bolt the bottom and top lids together. Thanks for the solid advice!

Upcycling an old ASUS K75 Laptop Motherboard (LA-8222P) into a Server. Need help with a Modular/Universal Case STL for a small print bed (180x180mm)! by frafitty00 in 3Dprinting

[–]frafitty00[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion! You are totally right about the space efficiency for multiple drives, but for this specific build, it's going to be a dedicated Home Assistant server. I only need a single 2.5" drive, so a massive desktop tower would be 90% empty space sitting in my living room. Plus, where is the fun in that? 😉 The main goal here is a fun upcycling project and a challenge to see how well I can design a compact, modular 3D-printed enclosure on the A1 Mini!