RackPilot is a Raspberry Pi board designed to turn servers on and off in a controlled way. It connects the Raspberry Pi's 40-pin GPIO header to two server connectors and provides two relay-based control channels.
The goal is automated server management using GPIO startup pulses, shutdown commands, and scheduled workflows through Airflow. This repository currently contains the hardware design and manufacturing files; control software and Airflow DAGs are not yet included.
V1.0.0 — all items ordered from JLCPCB.
This release captures the existing hardware design and manufacturing files. Bring-up results and functional tests of the manufactured boards have not yet been documented.
- 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO connector (
J1). - Two 2×5-pin server connectors (
J101,J102) carrying power-button, reset-button, power-LED, and HDD-LED signals. - Two Omron G5V-2 relays (
K101,K102) with AO3400A MOSFETs and flyback diodes. - Four indicator LEDs: two yellow and two white.
- CAT24C256 EEPROM on the HAT ID interface, with a solder jumper for write protection.
Refer to the schematic for the definitive wiring and pin assignments. Compatibility with specific Raspberry Pi models or servers has not yet been established through documented tests.
| File / directory | Contents |
|---|---|
| RackPilot.kicad_pro | KiCad project |
| RackPilot.kicad_sch | Schematic |
| RackPilot.kicad_pcb | PCB layout |
| production_files | Gerber archive, bill of materials, and component placement data for JLCPCB |
| gerber | Supplementary NPTH drill map PDF |
To edit the design, open RackPilot/RackPilot.kicad_pro in a KiCad version that supports the included file formats. The schematic and PCB layout use format versions 20260306 and 20260206, respectively.
All manufacturing files are available as individual assets in release V1.0.0:
| Release asset | Purpose |
|---|---|
GERBER-RackPilot.zip |
Gerber and drill files for PCB fabrication |
BOM-RackPilot.csv |
Bill of materials with component references, quantities, and LCSC part numbers |
CPL-RackPilot.csv |
Component positions, rotations, and board sides |
RackPilot-NPTH-drl_map.pdf |
Supplementary map of non-plated through holes |
SHA256SUMS.txt |
SHA-256 checksums for the four manufacturing files |
Use the Gerber ZIP for PCB fabrication, and provide the BOM and CPL for assembly. The manufacturing files in this release were taken from the repository without modification. The source snapshot is available through the V1.0.0 tag and GitHub's source archives.
Before connecting a server, compare its front-panel header pinout with the schematic. Verify the GPIO assignments and relay behavior during initial bring-up.
For a controlled shutdown, the future control software must initiate an operating-system shutdown and account for its completion. A power-button signal alone does not confirm a successful shutdown. Specific GPIO pulse durations, shutdown commands, and schedules are not yet implemented in this repository.
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.