> **Source:** Core Electronics is an Australian maker-electronics retailer and manufacturer based in Newcastle, NSW, run by a team of makers and educators. We design and manufacture our own product lines (PiicoDev, CE originals) and are official retailers for iconic maker and industrial brands including Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Adafruit, SparkFun and DFRobot. Orders ship Australia-wide from our Newcastle warehouse. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Pricing, stock and dispatch on this page are generated from the store's live catalog. Full machine-readable index: https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt # ClusterCTRL: Stack **Type:** Product page · **SKU:** CE08447 · **Brand:** [The Pi Hut](https://core-electronics.com.au/brands/the-pi-hut) **Page:** https://core-electronics.com.au/clusterctrl-stack.html ([markdown](https://core-electronics.com.au/clusterctrl-stack.html.md)) The ClusterCTRL: Stack (controller and passive backplane) is a simple way to both power and control cooling for a stack of 5 Raspberry Pi boards (not... ## Pricing - **Price:** $179.95 (inc GST) — $163.59 AUD, exc GST - **Quantity discounts:** 5+ $157.05 (exc GST) · 10+ $152.14 (exc GST) ## Availability & dispatch - Out of stock — the product page offers email notification when it returns. ## How to buy - **Build a cart:** compose `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link?items=CE08447:1` (comma-separated SKU:qty pairs) and share the link. Opening it shows a confirmation page with live pricing and stock before anything is added to the cart. - **Verify the cart first:** fetch `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link/CE08447:1.md` for live line prices (inc & exc GST, quantity discounts applied), stock and dispatch estimates, and totals. Append `/to/{AU-postcode}` (or `/to/{country-code}:{postcode}`) before `.md` for delivery options and prices to that destination. Unknown, retired, or out-of-stock SKUs are flagged. (Query form `cart/link.md?items=...` also works but some robots parsers refuse query strings here.) - **Checkout** is completed on-site and includes a captcha at the payment step. Share the cart link; checkout takes it from there. - **Search the catalogue:** `https://core-electronics.com.au/search/{query}.md` (URL-encode the query; pages 2-3 at `search/{query}/{page}.md`; `search.md?q=` also works) - **Payment methods, purchase orders, policies and contact details:** https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt ## Description The ClusterCTRL: Stack (controller and passive backplane) is a simple way to both power and control cooling for a stack of 5 [Raspberry Pi boards](https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi/boards/model-b.html) (not included). The entire stack of Raspberry Pi can be powered by a single 12-24V PSU with a 5.5mm jack and 2.1/2.5mm pin (not included - see notes below on power) via the onboard 10A 5.1V DC-DC regulator - providing 2A per Raspberry Pi. The main board includes a 6-pin header for monitoring each Raspberry Pi, and includes connectors for 2 independently controlled fans. The USB-A connector is intended for 5V power only to run a low-power switch or similar. Connecting the ClusterCTRL Controller (via the Micro USB connector) you can use the "clusterctrl" tool which allows the following: - Control power for each Raspberry Pi individually - Ganged FAN On/Off (when "off" the individual fans are still controlled via GPIO as above) - Measures both the voltage supplied to the Raspberry Pi and the 12-24V input voltage - Configure power-on state (each individual Pi can be set on/off by default) - A single Controller Pi can control many ClusterCTRL devices (Stack/Triple/Single/etc) **Controller** - Powered by 12-24V PSU. - 20 pin header for Power (2x5V and 2xGND for each Pi). - 6 pin header for monitoring of Raspberry Pi (1 GPIO pin per Pi). - Onboard 10 Amp 5.1V DC-DC regulator (2 Amp allowance per Pi). - Connectors for 2 independently controlled fans. - Micro USB for ClusterCTRL allows controlling individual Pi power, fan, auto power on, voltages, etc. - USB Type-A connector 5V (ONLY) power output, can be used to power a 5V switch for example. **Passive backplane** - Connects between the ClusterCTRL Stack Controller to each Raspberry Pi. - 20+6 pin connectors for ClusterCTRL Stack Controller. - 20 pin connector for each of the five regular-sized Raspberry Pi (B+/2/3/3+/4). - Connects GPIO BCM18 of each Raspberry Pi to the Controllers monitor header. **Usage** As supplied the Controller can be used standalone - once power is applied to the ClusterCTRL Stack each Raspberry Pi will be powered on in 1-second intervals. The GPIO (BCM18) pin from each Raspberry Pi is monitored, when this is set high the corresponding FAN is turned on (P1/P2 = FAN1 and P3/P4/P5 = FAN2) as required to cool the Pi. You can use any software on the Raspberry Pi nodes (Raspbian/Ubuntu/etc.). To control the nodes you will need to [install the clusterctrl software](https://8086.support/?action=faq&cat=23&id=120&artlang=en). Currently, this needs to be manually installed - see the [FAQ entry](https://8086.support/?action=faq&cat=23&id=120&artlang=en) for manual installation steps. To enable the fans to be turned on/off automatically when a Raspberry Pi requires cooling add the following to /boot/config.txt on each Raspberry Pi (in the example below it will turn the FAN on at 75C and off at 65C). **dtoverlay=gpio-fan,gpiopin=18,temp=75000** Connecting the ClusterCTRL Controller (via the Micro USB connector) you can use our "clusterctrl" tool which allows you to. - Control power for each Raspberry Pi individually. - Ganged FAN On/Off (when "off" the individual fans are still controlled via GPIO as above). - Measures both the voltage supplied to the Raspberry Pi and the 12-24V input voltage. - Configure power-on state (each individual Pi can be set on/off by default). - A single Controller Pi can control many ClusterCTRL devices (Stack/Triple/Single/etc). 8086 recommend using two 70mm fans for cooling, one for the ClusterCTRL Stack Controller+P1+P2 (FAN1) and the other for P3/P4/P5 (FAN2). However, users may wish to utilise different fan options. **What comes with the ClusterCTRL Stack** - ClusterCTRL Stack Backplane - ClusterCTRL Stack Controller - 4x M2.5 12 mm F-F spacer - 24x M2.5 25 mm M-F spacer - 8x M2.5 6 mm screws **Note**: [Raspberry Pi boards](https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi/boards/model-b.html) and [heatsinks](https://core-electronics.com.au/3pc-heatsink-kit-for-raspberry-pi-4.html) not included. **What do I need to use the ClusterCTRL Stack?** - 12-24 Volt Power Supply with 5.5 mm 2.1/2.5mm barrel jack (60 Watt recommended minimum) - 5x [Raspberry Pi](https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi/boards/model-b.html) (Pi2/3/3+/4) - 2x 5V fans and [heatsinks](https://core-electronics.com.au/3pc-heatsink-kit-for-raspberry-pi-4.html) (optional) - Controller Pi (can be one of the stack) (optional) - [USB Cable to connect to controller](https://core-electronics.com.au/micro-usb-cable.html) (optional) - Gigabit Ethernet Switch (optional) When choosing a power supply for the Stack searching for laptop/monitor power supplies with an output of 12/19 Volts and more than 60 Watts of power should help (ensuring they're 5.5mm jack with 2.1/2.5mm pin). Due to the backplane being a fixed size you can only add an additional board under the last Pi. **Cases** - [STL files for a 3D printed case are available on Pinshape](https://pinshape.com/items/98243-3d-printed-clusterctrl-stack-frame-case) ## Images - [Product image 1](https://core-electronics.com.au/media/catalog/product/i/m/image_13323.jpg)