I already run a Synology DS925+ that holds all my videos, photos and work files. That box is the vault: only the essentials installed, upgraded as far as it goes, and absolutely no tinkering. But I love to tinker. So I needed a second machine — a backup target for that very NAS, and a playground for the riskier experiments.
ZimaBoard 2 — a computer the size of your hand
ZimaSpace's ZimaBoard 2 is a compact x86 board you can turn into a home server, a NAS, a VM host, a router, or a box for running AI at home. Mine has a quad-core Intel N150 and 16 GB of RAM, and ships with ZimaOS.
Its I/O is exactly what a NAS wants: two 2.5GbE ports, two powered SATA ports for drives, two USB 3.1 ports, a Mini DisplayPort for setup — plus a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot on the side for a network card, an SSD tray or whatever module you need.
I hooked up two 8 TB hard drives. The stock metal frame works great — but it looks pretty industrial, not quite my channel's spirit or my personality. So this project happened.
The real ZimaBoard 2, two 8 TB drives and my 3D model of the board on the iPad.
Making an accessory? Model the original first
As always, the first thing I did was rebuild the whole ZimaBoard 2 in 3D — every port, every drive, down to the millimeter. It sounds like extra work, but it pays off three ways: it sharpens your modeling skills, it shows you why the maker designed things the way they did, and once the case sits on the host model you catch every clash before printing — far less risk, far fewer misfits.
Always model the host first, then build your product or accessory on top of it.
— A rule I always follow
Starting from the board model, the case takes shape right on the iPad.
The older Noctua fans I still use — that beige and brown is a brand on its own.
Why Noctua?
If you build PCs, you know Noctua — the Austrian brand famous for quiet, high-performance fans and coolers. Their beige-and-brown palette is practically an icon: instantly recognizable, and synonymous with reliability, craft and quality.
Every now and then Noctua teams up with other brands on something fun. My favorite is the Pulsar Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition mouse — an NF-A4x10 fan hidden inside to cool your palm, a perforated shell and very distinctive grooves. That design language plus the beige-and-brown palette became the raw material for this case.
A case that's cool, quiet and easy to open
Every cut-out and groove on the shell is borrowed from the Noctua Edition mouse: great airflow, true to the spirit, and less plastic. Everything uses Noctua's two signature colors — beige for the body, earthy brown for the accents.
The full render: two 40 mm fans and a 2.8-inch screen up front, a carry handle on top.
Two Noctua NF-A4x10 fans (40 × 10 mm) pull air in at the front, and an NF-A12x25 (120 × 25 mm) sits in the rear base. Air flows straight across the board and both drives.
The base that holds the 120 mm fan snaps onto the body with four magnets. Need to plug something in? Pull the whole assembly out and every ZimaBoard port is right there.
A small front display wired to the board shows the system status — useful, and it makes the case feel alive.
Exploded: board and drives slide in on a rail and lock with a latch; the rear fan base snaps on with magnets.
A few more details: the board and drives slide in on a rail, held by a latch and two screws from below · a carry handle on top · a cable channel underneath routes power and network out the back · two recessed grooves for silicone feet.
When Noctua sent filament and fans
To get the colors right I needed two spools: Prusament PETG Noctua Beige and Noctua Brown — made by Prusa Research in Prague and tuned to match Noctua's fans. Nobody sells them in Vietnam, so I contacted Noctua to buy them.
They asked what I was building. I walked them through the concept and the design — and Noctua decided to send two 1 kg spools in exactly the colors I needed, plus a set of their latest fans so the project could be finished properly.
The gift box from Noctua: Prusament PETG Noctua Beige + Brown and a set of new fans.
When a brand respects your project and wants to help you finish it — for a DIY fan, that beats cash sponsorship by a mile.
— Duong Tran
The box held the NF-A12x25 G2 — the new generation with redesigned blades for better airflow — along with NF-A4x10s for the front. The rest I'm saving for the next project.
From spool to finished case
Every filament should be dried before printing. I use a Sunlu S4 Pro dryer with two independent drying zones. PETG usually needs 2–5 hours; a spool fresh out of its vacuum bag needs about 2, then it keeps drying while it prints.
The main body printed bottom-up in about 22 hours and ate more than half a spool. It was my first time with this filament, so a few spots are under-extruded — with only 1 kg per color there was no second chance, and I'd rather keep the right colors.
Remove four screws, slide the board and both drives in, and the internal latch holds everything. The NF-A12x25 G2 goes on the back, two 40 mm fans on the front, and the base snaps on with magnets.
No PC motherboard here, so I joined the fans with Noctua's bundled cables into a 4-pin fan controller: press once to speed up, twice to slow down, or clip the temperature probe onto the board for automatic control. Power comes from the Ariel Power Supply I built over two years ago.
ZimaOS: plug in and go
Plug in power and network, install Zima Client on your computer — it finds the device on its own and jumps straight into setup. Or just open the web interface by IP address.
I paired the two 8 TB drives as RAID 1 — one live, one mirror — for 8 TB usable, running on 16 GB of RAM. First job: back up my Synology NAS onto the ZimaBoard for an extra layer of safety.
Beyond storage, the ZimaOS app store has plenty to play with: a private cloud, a media server to stream to the iPad, Home Assistant, Homebridge, ESPHome for the smart home… And if ZimaOS isn't your thing, wipe it and install Windows or Linux.
Zima × Noctua on the desk
Around the back: the NF-A12x25 G2 sits in the base, which snaps on with magnets.
Left: finished, with the 2.8-inch screen. Right: the freshly printed body next to the ZimaBoard 2.
The full 20-minute video on the Ariel Studio channel (in Vietnamese) — from the design and the Noctua unboxing to assembly and ZimaOS setup.
Case & system specs
| Board | ZimaBoard 2 · quad-core Intel N150 (up to 3.6 GHz) · 16 GB LPDDR5X |
|---|---|
| Storage | 2 × 8 TB HDD · RAID 1 (8 TB usable) |
| I/O | 2 × 2.5GbE · 2 × USB 3.1 · Mini DP 1.4 · PCIe 3.0 x4 |
| Fans | 1 × Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 (120 mm, rear) · 2 × Noctua NF-A4x10 (40 mm, front) |
| Screen | 2.8-inch system status display |
| Material | Prusament PETG Noctua Beige + Noctua Brown |
| Print time | ~22 hours for the largest part |
| Assembly | 4-magnet base · slide rail + latch · 2 screws |
| Fan control | 4-pin controller with temperature probe · Ariel Power Supply |
| OS | ZimaOS |
Parts
- ZimaBoard 2Required
- Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 (120 mm)Required
- 2 × Noctua NF-A4x10 (40 mm)Required
- 4 magnets + 2 screwsRequired
- 2 × 3.5-inch HDDOptional
- 2.8-inch displayOptional
- 4-pin fan controllerOptional
- Silicone feetOptional
Thanks to two great partners
Grab the files & build one too
The design files, print files and assembly guide are in the video description on YouTube. If you're running a ZimaBoard 2, download them and give it a go — and follow Ariel Studio for the next project.