Continuation thread (See first comment below for beginning)

Is That a Node in your Server Rack?

...”or are you just happy to parallelize me?”

Now onto the build for the server nodes themselves. These are pretty simple; again I went with the K.I.S.S. method of building here, and using the original HDD Caddies for the DS14MK2, I surface mounted the SBCs using these awesome double-sided adhesive standoffs. This allowed me to get the R-Pis and the like, very very closely surface mounted. This was an important element, since there’s barely enough space width-wise for anything too thick (that’s what she said).

It took me a few iterations to find just the right location within each caddy to mount the SBCs, but I finally got it down to a not-so-exact science. Each caddy/tray now comes with a naked (ripped off the plastic shell) 48vdc -> 5vdc Gigabit Active PoE Splitter, which conveniently has a micro usb charging end for the R-Pi power.

Additionally, some of the nodes also have a “UPS” battery backup system — ahem, basically it’s a USB Powerbank 3200mAh, which gets power from the PoE splitter, and then gives that power to the R-Pi’s. Nothing fancy.

Oh, some of the nodes also have a real fancy Movidius Neural Compute Stick from Intel. Cause, you know. Neural Networks and stuff.

• Each node is a separate unit, which processes data and vomits results back to the main rack server.
  
• Each node has its own UPS, Operating System, and is inter-changeable with others in the array.
  
• Each SBC in the node can be spiffed up with additional hardware, such as a sensor shield/hat (temp, humidity, light sensors, et al).
  
  Note: everything in the caddy gets mounted with heavy duty double-sided adhesive tape. This makes it easier to replace/reposition/remove certain parts if needed later on.
  
  
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Lots of people do this. It works fine. Google "Lego Computer Case" to see all sorts of awesome inspiration. It's not, however, cheap - unless you've got lots of lego kicking around already, anyways, that you don't mind dedicating for a case.

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Grounding isn't a problem; all the components are very well grounded to the PSU through connectors (be it power connectors, and/or PCI slots). People like to get all worried about that here, but it's an absurd worry.

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Heat isn't a problem, unless things go horribly wrong: say a fan fails, and for some reason the CPU doesn't throttle and hideously overheats, then while you're destroying the CPU you may also discolor/deform some lego. Just be sure you've got air flow through the case, of course, so you don't cook your gear. This has nothing to do with building materials, though, just case design.

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Some tips:



How you will mount the motherboard: Adhesive motherboard standoffs. Stick them into the motherboard, peel off the backing, stick the motherboard to the case. Done. I use these in wooden cases/shelf computer systems regularly, and they're awesome.

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Fan mounts? Some double sided foam tape or Technic shafts(those + cross section shafts) through the screw holes in the fan, holding the fan in position on the shafts with those couplers that slide tightly along the shafts.

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Use the existing IO shield (if you care about that) and sandwich it in place between thin lego pieces.

I was recently approached by a guitarist to build a Meathead Deluxe clone. I had never heard of this pedal before, but after some research I realized it was quite an iconic pedal. Its the same pedal used by Troy in Queens of the Stone Age.

This pedal, simply put, is a modern voiced Fuzz Face. It uses silicon transistors that are biased wide open for a rich crunchy grind. It is bigger and much more aggressive than your standard Fuzz Face. To quote the original designer of the pedal, "If you want a true vintage sounding Fuzz Face and purchase a Meathead, you wont be a happy bunny. The Meathead is supposed to break things."

I decided to use this build as an excuse to experiment with a few new build techniques. Screenprinting graphics is fairly cumbersome for just one off builds and I wanted a way to apply professional looking decals simply and effectively. Other DIY builders on the forums have been using Waterslide Transfers with impressive results... It was totally worth it. Its a very simple process and I think it looks very nice and tidy. I coated the transfer with a clear-coat once it dried for added durability. I would highly recommend this process to any pedal-builder. For better results, I think I need to wipe down the surface of the decal while it dries. I had a few water spots on the surface while it was drying that caused some minor dimples in the finish on this build.

I also wanted to find a better way to mount veroboard builds inside the case. With PCB builds, I typically design them to mount to the back of the pots and anchor in place that way, but its not always easy to do this with vero builds. I have seen some other guys use plastic standoffs in their builds and decided to try this for myself. These require a 1/8" hole to properly mount, so you will have to find a fairly empty "cut" to drill out in order to use these, but I think they worked pretty dang well. It makes the build look much cleaner in my opinion.

After the build was complete, I tried it out on my Bass. It was noticeably more aggressive than any of the fuzz faces i have tried in the past, but still sounded very musical. That being said, this is definitely a Guitar pedal. It sounds incredible higher up on the neck, but starts to lose some definition at the low E... Forget about even trying to play drop C with this on Bass haha.

The schematic I used can be found here

Sound clip can be found here

Picture of the cute little circuit

Gut shot here

(The photos are missing a resistor... Smallbear sent me 820K instead of 820R resistors so I had to wait another day for this to re-ship.)

You can mount it directly, but should use stand offs. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R4ZT1FY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_dxvPDbXGHQF41