How The TKT Works Builds a Custom Acrylic Case for ZimaBoard 2

Thank you to The TKT Works for sharing a custom ZimaBoard 2 case made with a rod frame, clear acrylic, a small display, and revised cooling. The build follows the mechanical work from alignment problems to the final assembly. You can watch the original YouTube video on the creator’s channel.

Watch before reading: This video is useful if you want to enclose a mini server while keeping the hardware visible and accessible. In about 13 minutes, The TKT Works explains why the open board needs a case, then shows the materials, spacing aids, display, cable routing, and top cover.

The main lesson is that adding a case changes the whole assembly. Protection, alignment, cable clearance, and airflow have to work together. The video is a fabrication walkthrough, rather than a NAS software tutorial or a measured comparison of cooling performance.

Keep the hardware visible while giving it a structure

The creator starts with the distinctive metal body of ZimaBoard 2 and a storage kit that can become a small NAS. The goal is to add protection around the assembly without concealing the board’s appearance. Clear panels preserve that view, while a separate frame provides positions for mounting the surrounding parts.

That is a useful starting distinction for a custom case: the panels, frame, drives, and board each impose different requirements. Work from the assembled hardware, including its connectors and attached cables, rather than treating the published board dimensions as the entire space requirement. Check access to the fasteners and connections that you will need during maintenance.

Solve alignment before closing the frame

The TKT Works uses linear shafts and cross clamps to form the structure. During assembly, the clamps shift away from their intended positions and prove awkward to align. The creator solves this by printing temporary spacers to the required dimensions, securing the frame, and then removing those aids.

The spacers are an assembly tool with a clear purpose: they hold a repeated distance while the fasteners are tightened. For a similar project, a small positioning aid can be more useful than repeatedly measuring each joint. Check the frame for squareness and verify that the board and drive mounting points still line up before fitting the panels.

Fit the acrylic to the frame, then check the edges

Clear acrylic becomes the second main material. The creator marks the cuts and works with a handsaw, while noting that laser cutting would be preferable for higher precision. This is a record of a particular workshop process, not a dimensioned cutting plan that can be transferred directly to a different set of rods, clamps, or drives.

Dry-fit the panels before final fastening and leave the clearance required by your actual connectors. A case can look complete while making a cable impossible to disconnect. Smooth the cut edges and check that a panel is not pressing against a connector or exposed component. Keep the cutting debris away from the electronics and test the physical fit with the equipment disconnected.

Treat the front display as its own integration task

A 3.5-inch display is fitted at the front. The creator describes plans to use it for status information or a basic command-line interface and shows the display connected during the build. The physical screen is part of the assembly, while the planned status interface is a separate software task.

Before choosing a similar screen, verify its input, power requirement, and mounting dimensions. The creator modifies the display’s unused pins, but a different module may use those connections differently. Check the documentation for the exact screen before making a permanent modification, and allow room for the plugs as well as the visible panel.

Route the cables before deciding the case is finished

To tidy the front view, The TKT Works rotates the hard drive, changes the cable arrangement, and routes the connections underneath. These choices show how drive orientation affects the rest of the build. A clean front is the visible result; sufficient cable length, connector clearance, and access from below are the practical conditions that make it possible.

If your own version uses different cables, check the route with the drive installed and the panels in place. Avoid tension at the plugs, leave enough movement for maintenance, and keep wiring clear of the fan. If you add a second drive later, revisit the space and power arrangement before assuming that the original routing still works.

Revisit cooling when an open board becomes enclosed

The creator replaces the original fan arrangement with a larger fan because the hardware now sits inside a box. A one-piece bent acrylic top completes the enclosure and gives its otherwise straight-edged frame a softer outline. Both changes belong to the same final check: the finished shell must allow heat to leave while holding the hardware securely.

Before relying on a similar case, compare behavior with the panels open and closed during the same sustained workload. Watch the board and drive temperatures, check that the fans have an unobstructed air path, and confirm that the enclosure remains accessible. The Noctua fan catalog can help compare candidate sizes and specifications, but a larger fan by itself does not establish a measured improvement in a particular case.

For the storage and client setup that comes after the mechanical build, Smart Life’s private cloud walkthrough follows that next stage. Use the ZimaOS 3-2-1 backup guide when deciding how to protect the files you put on the finished NAS.

The first milestone is a secure frame, accessible connectors, a verified display connection, and acceptable behavior with the enclosure closed. Build out the software after those fundamentals work. Return to The TKT Works’ full custom ZimaBoard 2 case build for the original cutting and assembly sequence. The creator discloses that the board was supplied by IceWhale and includes an affiliate link in the video description.