Orange Pi 5 and 5B are affordable single board computers based on Rockchip RK3588S processor, but so far they did not have a fanless enclosure nor an easy way to add a heatsink leading some to create an ICE Tower cooling fan for the boards.
But Orange Pi has recently launched an aluminum enclosure for $12.99 on Aliexpress(or $25 on Amazon) for both models that should help with cooling and protect the hardware from dust. But note that it does not work with the Rockchip RK3588-powered Orange Pi 5 Plus SBC since its dimensions are different.
The Orange Pi 5 fanless enclosure is made of aluminum alloy, measures 105.9 x 68.7 x 27mm, and weighs 126 grams with all ports accessible from the outside, except for the 26-pin header and the 3-pin UART header. The company also included a power button to cleanly shut down the system.
We’ve given plenty of renders from the enclosure, except for the internals which will dictate how well cooling will perform. But luckily, people who purchased the enclosure shared some of those and we can see a metal block meant to be in contact with the Rockchip RK3588S processor and the RAM chips.
Another photo shows some thermal pads, rubber pads, and screws used to complete the assembly.
Some say there’s also a user manual explaining how to do the assembly, but I couldn’t find it in any of the photos, while others complain a user manual would have been good to have… The users on Aliexpress appear satisfied with their purchase and the cooling works as expected.
As a side note, Orange Pi is also having a promotion on Aliexpress selling the Orange Pi 5 and 5B boards at a discount from $9 to $40 until June 30. They don’t seem to run the promotion on Amazon.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
Does anybody know, if there is space for the SSD (on the bottom of the board for Orange Pi 5) ?
I have buy this aluminum enclosure, it works fine with 2230 nvme SSD.
Seems they don’t want me to purchase a board. All Aliexpress links don’t work from Germany.
Xunlung’s Aliexpress stores haven’t worked in Germany for about a year now. It’s a shame, the H3 Orange Pis I ordered there years ago are still serving me well.
I could not see any way of accessing the maskrom or reset buttons without taking the case apart, as is common with many Pi 5 cases.