Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices can be quite pricey, especially those equipped with four or more hard disk bays. A maker named Jack Harvest is offering a budget-friendly solution specifically designed for those who own a 3D printer. On his website, he provides plans to recreate the Minisforum N5 NAS that accommodates five hard disk bays. Users can distribute data across at least three hard drives using RAID 5 configurations.
The project targets users of Bambu Labs 3D printers, with all necessary parts available on Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld platform. The construction files can be edited through Bambu Studio or the open-source Orca Slicer software. Users should verify that their printer’s firmware allows for print jobs from the slicer.
In the spirit of customization, individuals can personalize their NAS’s exterior by using different colored filament during printing. After printing, users will need to install cables and hardware components inside the enclosure.
The design is built to hold a mini motherboard, specifically one with Intel’s NUC form factor, measuring 10 cm by 10 cm. Users can repurpose older mini PCs to supply the necessary components, including a potentially required M.2 slot for a SATA adapter to utilize all five hard disks. Harvest estimates building costs to be around $215, excluding VAT, alongside expenses for the motherboard and storage devices.
Regarding software options, Harvest doesn’t specify any but suggests open-source alternatives like zVault, which is based on FreeBSD and a fork of TrueNAS, or OpenMediaVault, which runs on Debian and is compatible with commercial NAS units.