I have played around with computers since the late 70s and I have owned many types. I would still class myself as a geek and I like some cool hardware. I just do have enough time to play with everything that interests me. Now everyone has lots of computers around their house and usually one in their pocket too. I still play around with various things when I find the time. I have a load of Raspberry Pi tiny computers that are not doing anything right now. I would like to play more with that stuff, but I need somewhere to put it.
The standard for industrial computing is the 19" rack (also used in the audio world), but that can be too big for the average home. A while back I saw this video about a smaller format that is taking off.
He mentions that you can use a 3D printer to make parts for the rack as even a small one can create them. Now I have one I started looking at what I could do and I found lots of these on Maker World. As the 10" is a standard people are creating special parts for all sorts of hardware.
I looked at a few of these and settled on this one as it was small enough to fit on a shelf above my desk. It also looked fairly sturdy and only requires some standard rack screws to put it together. The main frame only needs about half a roll of filament and then you can print off the other parts you need.
Over several days I printed the parts and that is most of them. Some took a few hours, but you can just kick it off and come back later.
I ordered the screws on ebay for a few pounds and was able to put it together over a couple of evenings. I quite like building things and this was as simple as Lego.
One reason for doing all this was to simplify the wiring around my desk. There are loads of cables down the back and many are longer than they need to be. I had my internet router connected to two computers plus the hubs for some home automation. You can buy 10" rack power strips, but I had this one anyway. I printed off a blank plate and put a couple of screws into it that the strip hangs off. That means only one power lead dangling.
I ran out of black filament, so did a red shelf. The router sits on top, but I could potentially add another level to the rack and put it inside. There are short network cables connecting it all up. I could fit a Raspberry Pi in there too. The rack is perhaps over the top for my needs, but I like it and it really did not cost me much.
I will admit that there is still a bit of a mess behind the desk, but it is mostly out of sight. I may look at tidying it up a bit. Of course I can now print off cable ducts and clips to suit my needs. I have the classic Ikea Jerker desk that I have already expanded and people have designed attachments to 3D print. There are lots of generic organisation systems you can print off. One of these is called Underware. The lady who created it is obviously passionate about it and fills her video with innuendo.
I am not sure I will go for that option, but I will be looking at ways to organise all the stuff I have. As well as computing gear my study has a lot of musical instruments and now the 3D printer accessories and materials.
I mentioned that I ran out of black filament. I could see it was running low as I printed off a rack shelf, so I looked for something fun to use the last little bit. I had already printed this guitar and I saw the matching drum. There was almost enough for him, but the printer notified me when it ran out and I swapped in the white that came as a free sample just to finish him off. There is some fine detail there with the sticks and tension rods. In the background you can just see some figures from the comics by 
I am finding more 3D printing fans on Hive and it is fun to see what people are making. We have this community to share in.
