Wiring Scheme

WIRING SCHEME

Pi-NAS Schéma zapojení

In short

The heart is the mini-computer most often the Raspberry Pi. This mini-computer is powered directly by a USB hub. Hard drives are connected to the USB hub. The USB hub has external power at 230V. See the image above.

In detail

The actual NAS starts with a selection between the 3.5" and 2.5" options. Because of direct USB power, the easiest use in this case is 2.5" HDDs, which have both lower consumption and noise, but also a lower performance compared to 3.5" disks. For geeks, SSD disks can be used. You can choose between an internal HDD with a reduction to USB 3.0 or buy a finished external portable HDD.

The key is to find a powerful USB HUB with external power (at least 25 W) that can handle the RPi 4 or Pine64 microcomputer, as well as all 2.5" disks. The HUB USB is then the only one plugged into the 230 V network. There is also a LAN cable from RPi to the internal network. It can also be operated on a WiFi network, however it is not so fast and can be less secure.

The last, very subjective thing, is the case or cover, where we put all the electronics. For those who don't want to experiment (you'll miss out on a lot of fun), we offer a finished Pi-NAS with an economical variant case with a clean design and enough space inside for up to 12 pieces of 2.5" discs. If you choose to fold into your own box, be mindful of the criterion of good ventilation. There are no limits here, you can reach for another mini-itx case or customize universal box, make your own case out of wood, print on a 3D printer or assembly from Lego.

You can find the necessary software and installation guide in the How to section.