Bay2Rack
Turn the 5.25" bays of a PC case into a 6" mini rack with 3D-printed parts.
Why the 5.25" bays?
The 5.25" bay is the only standard slot an old tower has to spare. ATX did not change, so the case is still good: only the bays sit empty.
For twenty years every tower came with two, three or more 5.25" bays for CD and DVD writers. Today they sit empty behind blank covers, and new cases do not have them at all.
But a 2008 ATX tower takes a 2025 motherboard: the standard has not moved. With an old PC and a few printed parts you get a router, a server or a NAS with its own mini rack built in, no rack cabinet to buy.
Three bays give 2U of 6" rack plus a strip for a 6-port patch panel; five bays, 4U. Parts follow the 10" mini rack conventions (EIA-310 spacing) at 6" wide, with M5 screws by default (M6 if you prefer).
A bay repeats every 43.18 mm and a rack unit is 44.45 mm, so N bays hold N−1 units plus a strip for a patch panel, vents or buttons. Letting the panels overlap the case front gives N units. In the bar, blue is one rack unit and grey the strip left over.
What you can build
Ready-made builds: what each is for and what to buy. Swipe or drag through them and load one in the configurator.
Configure yours
- 1
Pick and adjust
Start from an example, change bays, modules, ports and screws. Hover over anything, or tap the i, to see what it does.
- 2
See it mounted
The 3D view puts it in a real PC case, with the devices and the cables.
- 3
Download and print
The .zip kit has every STL, the hardware list and test pieces. Print the tests first: if something comes out tight or loose, change it in the "Adjust after the test prints" step and download again. No supports needed.
Build guide: what to buy, inserts, assembly, cables and power
Words you will see
- Rack: a standard shelf for network gear. A 6" rack is about 15 cm wide.
- U (rack unit): the height of one slot of a rack, 44.45 mm (4.4 cm). 2U is two slots.
- 5.25" bay: the wide slot of a PC case where the CD or DVD drive went.
- Keystone: a small socket module (network, HDMI, USB…) that clips into a panel.
- Patch panel: a panel full of keystones; the cables arrive at the back, short cords plug in at the front.
- Heat-set insert: a brass nut you press into the plastic with a soldering iron, so screws hold well.
- CD-drive front (bezel): the visible front of a drive, flush with the plastic front of the case.
- KVM over IP: a small box that lets you use a computer (screen, keyboard, power button) from a browser.
- Homelab: the servers and network you run at home to learn, store or self-host.
- Strip: the part of the front left over after the rack units, for a patch panel, vents, a fan or buttons.
- Module: a printed piece one rack unit tall that screws into the adapter: a tray for a switch, a KVM, a fan panel…
- PCI bracket: the small metal cover at the back of the case beside the graphics card; a printed one lets cables out.
- M3, M5, M6: metric screw sizes (3, 5, 6 mm across). 10-32 and 12-24 are the inch ones of 19" racks.
- STL: the file a slicer (Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer…) turns into a print. 3MF: the coloured 3D view, not for printing.