@LambdaCalculus
As long as "cheap chinese clones" only try to bamboozle with specs and not get their documentation and drivers onto an acceptable standard (and the #Pi5B sets the bottom line here!), noone wants to buy those.

• I literally have a #BananaPiZeroM2 that I bought during the great #PiShortage but I never bothered to use it anywhere because it's more hassle than to antenna mod a #Pi0W or #Pi0W2 and call it a day because it doesn't require me to download some janky custom image to get even a regular 80x25 #Linux CLI up and running.

@trevorflowers OFC if learning to do stuff and get experience on how to machine things is the main motivation, then I guess that's totally fine on it's own...

• Given the low density heat output of a #Pi5B you'd likely get away with some big chungus copper block, tho considering the "final design vs. machining limits", I'm shure this would rather end up as a 12-slice "Trashcan Mac Pro Heatsink" where each Pi 5B gets top-loaded into the case...

But that's just me trying to figure out how to make that work.

Most certainly, it'll likely need good cable managment even if you only use #PoE and not even bother to put a PSU into the same case...

@trevorflowers otherwise you could try to DIY a custom heatpipe + board mounting bracket to get those connected if you want it to remain #fanless...

• The challenge would likely be that either way you'll need some big PSU to shove out 5V@3A for each @Raspberry_Pi / #Pi5B...

Or you'd #PoE those but good luck finding a PoE-HAT without a whiny fan included and/or airflow needed...

Either way you'd need to add like a heatsink on the #RP1 if you don't choose a cooling block that mounts over it and the Pi 5B's SoC and RAM, THO at that power level you might get away with soldering a cheap waterblock onto a sheet of copper and screwing it into the cooler mounts.