--- title: Collabora custom ARM hardware build farm | daily.dev description: Collabora built a custom ARM hardware build farm using a 19-inch eurocard subrack system to replace a disorganized 'pile of stuff'. The project involved... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/collabora-custom-arm-hardware-build-farm-vknriyjrz twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Collabora custom ARM hardware build farm | daily.dev og:description: Collabora built a custom ARM hardware build farm using a 19-inch eurocard subrack system to replace a disorganized 'pile of stuff'. The project involved... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/collabora-custom-arm-hardware-build-farm-vknriyjrz og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/VKNRIyjRz.png og:image:alt: Collabora custom ARM hardware build farm og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Collabora custom ARM hardware build farm **[Collabora Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/collabora)** · 12 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Collabora built a custom ARM hardware build farm using a 19-inch eurocard subrack system to replace a disorganized 'pile of stuff'. The project involved 3D-printed eurocard carriers for iMX53 QSB and iMX6 SABRE Lite boards, a custom rear rail system using threaded rod and aluminium tube, a stripped-down TP-Link Ethernet switch, and Ethernet-controlled relay boards for switched power control. Ten ARM dev boards fit in a 3U subrack with shared Ethernet, power, and serial console. The final cost was approximately 3000 GBP for nine slots (~330 GBP/slot), with an estimated 1500 GBP in engineer and workshop time, totaling around 5000 GBP for a fully populated rack. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How many ARM dev boards can fit in a 3U 19-inch eurocard subrack? Ten ARM development boards fit in a 3U, 355mm-deep subrack using 8HP-wide eurocard carriers, with an eleventh 4HP slot for a Raspberry Pi console server. The 84 usable HP limit is the binding constraint. Above twelve units, Ethernet switch port availability becomes a bottleneck — a 16-port switch loses 4 ports to uplink, relay boards, and console server, leaving only 12 for systems. _Engineers designing ARM lab infrastructure track build farm approaches like this on daily.dev._ ### What is the cost breakdown for a custom ARM build farm using eurocard subracks? A nine-slot ARM build farm using iMX6 SABRE Lite and iMX53 QSB boards in a Schroff 3U subrack cost approximately 3000 GBP in parts, or about 330 GBP per slot — roughly 100 GBP per slot more than an unstructured setup. Engineer and workshop time added an estimated 1500 GBP, bringing a fully populated rack to around 5000 GBP total. _Developers budgeting embedded lab infrastructure find real-world cost breakdowns like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [MNT Station fanless, modular open-hardware computer supports a choice of 10\+ Arm CPU or FPGA modules \(Crowdfunding\)](https://daily.dev/posts/mnt-station-fanless-modular-open-hardware-computer-supports-a-choice-of-10-arm-cpu-or-fpga-modules-xwj9hbxhg) · CNX Software · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A tiny 11x11cm mini PC runs my entire media center and smart home for less than one prebuilt NAS](https://daily.dev/posts/a-tiny-11x11cm-mini-pc-runs-my-entire-media-center-and-smart-home-for-less-than-one-prebuilt-nas-f1wzcdv2j) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [An ARM Homelab Server, or a Minisforum MS-R1 Review – Sour Coffee Labs](https://daily.dev/posts/an-arm-homelab-server-or-a-minisforum-ms-r1-review-sour-coffee-labs-rlobj6kyd) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware), [#embedded](https://daily.dev/tags/embedded), [#arm](https://daily.dev/tags/arm) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/collabora-custom-arm-hardware-build-farm-vknriyjrz) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Collabora custom ARM hardware build farm","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/collabora-custom-arm-hardware-build-farm-vknriyjrz","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/collabora-custom-arm-hardware-build-farm-vknriyjrz"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:57:11.648Z","dateModified":"2026-08-11T09:36:09.775Z","description":"Collabora built a custom ARM hardware build farm using a 19-inch eurocard subrack system to replace a disorganized 'pile of stuff'. 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