Welcome back! If you’ve been following along in my RockARM series, and already 3D printed your RockARM case, then it’s time to fill it with some delicious hardware! In the video below, I take you through the hardware components and assembly, tools and tricks for getting everything built up nicely. After you watch the video, come on back and take a look through the parts list with links!
.. SO! That’s the hardware. Next, you’ll probably want to know where to get it all, right? Here’s links to everything you need. Some of these are affiliate links, which I may earn a small commission in exchange for using them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but helps support these projects. What could be easier?!
| Item | Quantity | Link | Description |
| RockPi4A | 5 | Open Link | Choose 64GB eMMC version |
| RockPi Heatsinks | 5 | Open Link | Need heatsink for each unit |
| Penta SATA Hat | 1 | Open Link | SATA adapter for the storage / NAS node |
| Noctua 80mm fan | 1 | Open Link | Silent 80mm fan |
| 12TB 3.5″ HDD | 2 | Open Link | Can choose larger or smaller, but must have 2 drives for mirroring! |
| 150W PicoPSU | 1 | Open Link | Compact DC-to-DC power supply |
| 12v Power Brick | 1 | Open Link | 12v Power Brick, to drive the DC-to-DC PSU |
| CAT6 connector | 1 | Open Link | Keystone CAT6 RJ45 coupler jack |
| 8 port Gb switch | 1 | Open Link | Extremely compact Gigabit switch |
| 6 in CAT6 cables | 1 | Open Link | Short, thin, fast CAT6! 5-pack |
| 12 in CAT6 cables | 1 | Open Link | Just a little longer, to reach the other side! 5-pack |
| 12v DC Barrel Jacks | 1 | Open Link | Pack of DC barrel jacks |
| Female JST pigtails | 1 | Open Link | Only need the Female ends. Good to have extra! |
| Voltage regulator | 1 | Open Link | Need these to provide 9v to Gb Switch! |
| Brass wood screws | 1 | Open Link | Assorted course wood screws for assembly |
| M2.5 screws | 1 | Open Link | Assorted M2.5 stainless screws |
| iFixIt screwdriver kit | 1 | Open Link | The last screwdriver kit you’ll ever need! |
There it is! This should get you everything you need to get your RockARM built out and on to the next step! A couple notes: the RockPi4A units are sometimes harder to get on Amazon due to supply, but can usually be cheaper when factoring in the alternative of ordering them from China or Europe with International shipping costs.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that you can use the RockPi4B or C models if you wanted to. The reason I selected the model A for this project is the main difference is, the model A does not have WiFi or Bluetooth, which we do not need for this project; may as well save some money! But, if you are only able to find the model B or C variations, they will work exactly the same!
Finally, check out the final assembly with wiring instructions.. video right here!
Hello! This looks awesome, I’m looking forward for the continuation! Have you thought at all about using one of those nvidia Jetson boards (the nano versions)? I don’t have experience with it, but from my readings it can do some AI tasks, with freqtrade now supports, right? My concern is if it could be used for training, or it’s really more of an edge product, since training requires really beefy specs. Thoughts?
I cannot wait to see the software part of this build and how it performs! I am really looking forward to that and possibly building one of my own!