First it’s “what’s Kubernetes?” and next thing you know, you’re 3D printing magnetically latched airflow panels for a custom rack build with PoE-fed Pis and a GPU-class server tucked into 12U.
It started, as these things often do, with a question.
“What is Kubernetes?”
Innocent enough. I was curious about how containers scaled across systems, how people ran services in their own homes, and what it would take to dip a toe into infrastructure I could learn from hands-on. The answer — or what should have been a Wikipedia article and a weekend project — spiraled into something else entirely.
Today, I’m building a 12U white-out mini rack that hosts:
- A Minisforum Ryzen 9-powered NAS with 64GB of RAM
- A 6-bay SSD RAID array
- A full Ubiquiti network stack
- A Kubernetes cluster running across four Pi 5s with NVMe storage
And an increasingly ridiculous number of 3D-printed panels, mesh filters, and magnetic faceplates I designed in Tinkercad.
It escalated quickly.
Why a Rack?
Another PC tower didn't suit my goals. I didn’t want loose cables running across a desk. I didn’t want a Pi cluster zip-tied to a shelf like a tech goblin.
I wanted something compact, clean, and modular. Something that would grow with me.
Enter: the RackMate T2, a 12U 10-inch mini rack case that caught my attention while watching through a Jeff Geerling video. Just small enough to be reasonable. Just big enough to be dangerous. With it, I could bring together networking, compute, storage, and a dedicated space to tinker without sprawl.
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| The Rackmate T2, featuring 12 units of space, just over 2 feet tall. |
The Vision
I had a few key goals going into this:- Quiet operation — nothing louder than a gentle fan hum
- Low power draw — something I could leave running 24/7 without guilt
- Room to experiment — containers, ZFS, Kubernetes, media, dev work, all of it
- Total control — no cloud dependency, no vendor lock-in
I planned out my goals for the rack:
Needless to say, I got pretty invested. I started planning first - a spreadsheet of parts, sizes, prices and links. I spent hours trawling through the GitHub page for Project Mini Rack (or the more readable webpage version) taking notes on other builds and slightly dreading having finally commit to learning how to do some 3D modeling for the sake of the customization I knew I wanted. Thankfully, I've got a friend with a printer available to me (though I did seriously consider buying one for this project).
So the spreadsheet - I broke it up into 4 parts: The Rack and Networking Gear, the Kubernetes cluster, the Server, and the NAS.
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| The sheet got long enough that I couldn't capture the full list. |
Each section went through countless adjustments as I discovered new parts or solutions that would fit the build. I considered building my own case several times, scrapping the Kubernetes cluster, tossing out my ITX server plans and just re-using my current device (which is on its last legs), and the NAS went through almost a dozen different iterations of plans.
I was constantly thinking "Should I go with HDD's or SSD's?" "Which parts can I replace to increase power efficiency?" "Should I keep a GPU on the ITX board in the server for video encoding? Or can I use an Intel CPU for encoding? Can AMD do that now?"
The back and forth gave me whiplash. But now it's all ironed out and I've committed! Probably.
I've drawn up a general plan for the placement of the equipment in the rack:
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| 2U's of space left over! |
3D Modeling
After looking at the price of panels for the Rackmate T2 I decided that I had to go ahead and commit myself to some 3D modeling if I was going to achieve an aesthetic that I was comfortable with being visible in my home. So, I researched some software and dove into Autodesk Fusion360's...
..and was immediately overwhelmed.
Rather than do the reasonable thing and watch some videos on how to get started, I jumped ship over to their baby CAD: TinkerCAD. A browser based solution for learning the basics. From there I drew up a 1U panel for the server rack:
I thought it was a decent start! There were plenty of models out there for the 1U panel though, so this was just a learning experience for me to get used to the dimensional tools of the software.
I took the 1U panel over to a new project to start making the first custom panel that I was interested in: a dust filtering 3 fan panel for air intake in the rack. I went through several iterations of this model.
This was a learning experience! The first print out made it obvious that the model was too thin to support three fans:
So I made the panels a millimeter thicker on each side and added a bracing support each side that would also act as a shelf for the panels to rest on. My plan to adhere them together is some magnets in these slots:
I'll have to give you an update on whether or not that works! Between the movement and the weight of the fans - I may need a different solution. There should be plenty of room for 3x40 mm fans. Here's the new version with a piece of paper sandwiched between the panels as an example of where the dust filter will live:
Where It’s Going
At the time of writing this, I’ve:
Committed to the RackMate T2
Ordered the Ubiquiti switch, gateway, and the Arris modem
Designed and printed a custom honeycomb 1U fan panel that sandwiches a mesh screen between two magnet-held layers
Pivoted away from traditional Mini-ITX builds in favor of a Minisforum BD795i SE for its size and performance
And begun building out the dream: a full-featured homelab that fits in a rack I can actually live with.
This blog is where I’ll document the process — design choices, print files, wiring strategies, thermal wins, and occasional mistakes. Because if I’m going to go overboard, I may as well leave a map for the next person who asks, “Hey… what’s Kubernetes?”
Until next time,
Stay warm and toasty.
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