DeskPi RackMate 10-inch 2U Rack Mount with PCIe NVMe Board for Raspberry Pi 5 (DP-0046)
Description
The DeskPi 2U RackMount (DP-0046) is an expanded 2U height server rack solution designed to accommodate two Raspberry Pi 5 or Raspberry Pi 4B single-board computers side-by-side in standard 10-inch server racks (such as RackMate T0 and RackMate T1).
The 2U height profile provides superior vertical thermal clearance, allowing both boards to run active heatsinks and tall cooling fans while integrating two independent high-speed PCIe M.2 NVMe SSD expansion boards and front panel programmable status LEDs.
Key Features
- 2U Height Advantage: Extra vertical clearance provides optimal airflow channels and supports taller active coolers or HAT boards without clearance constraints.
- Independent Dual NVMe Expansion: Two independent M.2 slots directly interface with each Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe bus via dedicated 16-pin FPC ribbon cables.
- Full Form-Factor NVMe Support: Accommodates M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and full-length 2280 NVMe SSDs.
- Convenient Front-Facing Access: Quick access to MicroSD slots, USB ports, Ethernet jacks, and power switches.
- Robust Carbon Steel Construction: Finished in scratch-resistant matte black powder coat for professional homelab aesthetics.
- Programmable Front Indicators: Independent red UID identification LEDs mapped to GPIO4 for software-defined telemetry or alerts.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model SKU | DP-0046 |
| Form Factor | 10-Inch Server Rack Mount (2U Height) |
| Dimensions | 254 mm × 100 mm × 88.9 mm (10" × 3.94" × 3.5") |
| Board Capacity | Up to 2× Raspberry Pi 5 or Raspberry Pi 4 Model B |
| Storage Expansion | 2× M.2 M-Key NVMe SSD slots (PCIe Gen 2.0 / 3.0 on Pi 5) |
| Supported SSD Sizes | 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 |
| Chassis Material | Cold-Rolled Carbon Steel (SPCC) |
| Cabinet Compatibility | DeskPi RackMate T0, RackMate T1, and standard 10" cabinets |
Hardware Layout & Installation
Assembly Steps
Mount the Raspberry Pi boards, seat the PCIe FPC ribbon cables, and install your NVMe SSDs as illustrated below:
DP-0046 assembly and cabling breakdown
Software Configuration Guide
1. Enable PCIe Interface on Raspberry Pi 5
Enable the external PCIe connector by editing /boot/firmware/config.txt:
sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
Append the following under the [all] block:
[all]
dtparam=pciex1
Save and reboot (sudo reboot). Verify that the SSDs appear under lsblk:
lsblk
2. Enable PCIe Gen 3.0 (Optional)
To enable experimental PCIe Gen 3.0 transfer speeds:
[all]
dtparam=pciex1
dtparam=pciex1_gen=3
If you experience PCIe bus timeouts or filesystem errors during sustained load, comment out dtparam=pciex1_gen=3 to run at stable, certified Gen 2.0 speeds.
3. Direct Boot from NVMe (No MicroSD Card)
sudo rpi-eeprom-config --edit
Set BOOT_ORDER to prioritize NVMe boot:
BOOT_ORDER=0xf416
Front Panel UID LED Control
The front-facing identity LED is mapped to GPIO4. You can control the indicator using Python:
Using gpiozero (Recommended)
from gpiozero import LED
from time import sleep
led = LED('GPIO4')
while True:
led.on()
sleep(1)
led.off()
sleep(1)
Using RPi.GPIO
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.OUT)
try:
while True:
GPIO.output(4, GPIO.HIGH)
time.sleep(1)
GPIO.output(4, GPIO.LOW)
time.sleep(1)
finally:
GPIO.cleanup()
Frequently Paired Accessories
Complement your 2U dual-node compute mount with these modular 10-inch accessories:
| Accessory | SKU | Form Factor | Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeskPi RackMate T1 | DP-0022 | 8U Cabinet | Enclosed 10" homelab rack with acrylic front door |
| DC PDU Lite 7-CH | DP-0042 | 0.5U | Centralized DC power for both Raspberry Pi nodes |
| 12-Port CAT6 Patch Panel | DP-0034 | 0.5U / 1U | Clean network interconnects to upstream switch |
| 0.5U Cable Management Panel | DP-0044 | 0.5U | Manage ethernet patch cords and USB cables |
| 2U Dual Cooling Fan Panel | DR-0006 | 2U | Active exhaust cooling for high-density SBC clusters |