Project Blade Server

I mentioned somewhere else a while back in a thread I cannot find now about my idea to use framework 16 parts to make a 3 “blade” blade server (cluster computer where each ‘blade’ is a computer and the larger chassis they slot into provides connectivity to whatever else).

Pictured herein there are three of the following components:

Expansion bay Shell (I got lazy and didn’t want to figure out my own cooling)

AI 9 HX370 mainboards

Battery (for ups and power stability reasons, not needed for mobility)

Dual M.2 Adapter (the extra connectivity is nice but the real reason is I can mod this just a bit to syphon system power, that can then be fed to a buck converter to ensure //NO MORE THAN// 12v is passed on)

Mainboard-graphics module interposer

M.2 to pcie adapter (the thing that 12v is going to)

Dual 10 gig NIC (the thing the pcie adapter is for)

Usb C 180-degree adapter

Usb C to usb-A/HDMI/usb-C power hub

Hdmi splitter (one leg goes to a keystone hdmi joiner for outside connections to a monitor; the other goes to the next item on the list)

NanoKVM PCIe model

Fingerprint reader (my use case has no need for the //INTENDED// use of this; HOWEVER, by pealing off the sticker on the back so I can remove the sensor bit, the LED’s are exposed for which wire leads can be soldered, along with wire leads on the back side for the power button bit; all of these leads can then be wired into the nanoKVM so it can control power and know the power state.

Short hdmi cord (to go to the keystone module)

Usb C case mount adapter (to be bolted to the yet to be 3D printed case for power input)

1TB 2230 M.2 NVMe drive

96gig ram kit

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Also Shown in this picture is:

a forth ‘dual m.2 adapter’ that I validated my idea on and then destroyed accidentally with my horrendously shitty soldering skills… so now I am looking in the local area to find a pro to do the soldering required for this project.

A buck converter with leads attached as will be in the final product but again my shitty soldering skills killed that module, 12v in (oddly exactly the voltage I need but the rail being tapped into according to a guy in another thread here can go up to 17v, the dead m.2 board will give power via my mod but will not drive the fans or recognize any drives, and the back of the board is a bit melted from my attempts to warm the board with the wrong kind of hot plate), 0v out… the buck converter came as a 6 pack, I only need 3 so I am still good there

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Not pictured, in a box off to the side is a 10gig switch, and a 10gig capable NAS with 32TB of raw storage though I haven’t chosen how I will partition that yet but I promise parity will be in it so not all 32TB will be available…

A 600 watt usb-c power supply

Two DC-to-DC UPS units 1 each for the Switch and the NAS (usb-c-to barrel jack is the power in from the same 600watt power supply as the compute)

All of these items I intend to place in the larger housing into which the compute blades will be slotted.

Sounds like a cool project! Also a neat way to make use of older mobos once there’s more of them.