The Captain's Cabin
Tech and gaming
Home lab, home office tech, and gaming gear, the Raspberry Pi cluster, the NAS enclosure, power banks, and a gaming setup, split between what is already running here and what is on my list to add.
Anker Prime Power Bank, 27,650mAh 3-Port 250WOwnedView on Amazon
Bought this one for travel and it genuinely keeps a laptop and phone both charged through a long day out.
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27,650mAh across 3 ports at up to 250W, and a digital readout shows exactly how much charge is left instead of a vague row of dots.
Skip it if you only need to top off a phone occasionally, since a bank this size is overkill for that.
Anker Laptop Power Bank, 25,000mAh Triple 100W USB-COwnedView on Amazon
A real purchase, bought close to the Prime power bank above to have a second one dedicated to the laptop bag.
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25,000mAh with three USB-C ports at up to 100W, so phone and laptop can charge off it at the same time.
Skip it if you already own the Anker Prime bank above and do not need a second dedicated laptop pack.
Soundcore AeroClip by Anker, Open-Ear Clip-On EarbudsOwnedView on Amazon
Picked these up for calls and music without blocking out the room, which matters more than it sounds like when you still need to hear someone walk in.
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Open-ear clip design that stays put better than expected, no eartip seal to lose or replace.
Skip it if you want noise cancellation for a loud commute, since open-ear buds trade isolation for awareness.
TERRAMASTER D4-320 4-Bay External Hard Drive EnclosureOwnedView on Amazon
Holds the drives for the home server and does exactly what it is supposed to do, which is the highest compliment an enclosure can get.
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Diskless 4-bay enclosure over USB 3.2 Gen 2, so transfers stay fast enough that it does not feel like a bottleneck; you supply your own drives.
Skip it if you want built-in NAS software and RAID management, since this is a bare enclosure, not a full NAS.
SUNLU PETG Filament 1.75mm (1kg, Black)OwnedView on Amazon
Keeps the home 3D printer fed. I reorder this one instead of experimenting.
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PETG holds up better than PLA on anything that will see heat or stress, and this brand prints clean without much stringing.
Skip it if your printer is not PETG-tuned (higher nozzle and bed temps than PLA), since it needs different settings.
Not photographed yet22
Picks I have not photographed yet. Each is labeled owned or shortlist, and each fits a gap I can name.
- Denon AVR-S970H 8K Ultra HD 7.2 Channel AV ReceiverView on AmazonOwnedBought for a real surround setup for movies and games instead of TV speakers. Honest status: it is still in the box waiting on the room, so no listening notes yet.
- Plaud Note Pro AI Voice RecorderView on AmazonOwnedI own this recorder. It handles recording and transcription in one device, for meetings where typing notes live would mean missing half the conversation.
- Pironman 5 NVMe M.2 SSD Case for Raspberry Pi 5View on AmazonOwnedBought for the next Raspberry Pi 5 rebuild. Still on the shelf, so this is why I chose it, not a report from running it.
- Crucial P310 500GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSDView on AmazonOwnedBought this one for a small-form-factor build and the read speeds make a real difference booting and loading.
- Logitech C920S HD Pro WebcamView on AmazonOwnedI own this webcam. It gives clearer video on calls than a laptop camera, with a physical privacy shutter.
- GeeekPi 4 Layer Cluster Case for Raspberry Pi 5View on AmazonOwnedI own this four-layer case. It is an open stacking frame for the Pi cluster.
- GeeekPi ICE Tower Cooler for Raspberry PiView on AmazonOwnedI own this tower cooler. It combines a heat pipe, fins, and a fan.
- View on Amazon
- Keychron K8 Tenkeyless Mechanical KeyboardView on AmazonShortlistA tenkeyless board with real switches that leaves room for the mouse.
- Logitech G502 Hero Wired Gaming MouseView on AmazonShortlistFor a desktop gaming setup that does not need the flashier wireless versions.
- Geekworm X1001 PCIe to M.2 NVMe HAT for Raspberry Pi 5View on AmazonShortlistAn NVMe boot drive on a Pi 5, the step up from running the whole thing off a microSD card.
- GeeekPi 12U 10 Inch Mini Server RackView on AmazonShortlistA desk-size rack to get the Pis, the switch, and the drive enclosure into one tidy stack instead of a shelf pile.
- SABRENT 5-Bay USB-C 10Gbps HDD EnclosureView on AmazonShortlistFive drive bays over one USB-C cable, for when the 4-bay TerraMaster fills up.
- WD Red Plus 10TB NAS Hard DriveView on AmazonShortlistThe NAS-rated drive I would fill the enclosure with, CMR and built to spin all day.
- View on Amazon
- Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black CPU CoolerView on AmazonShortlistThe quiet air cooler on my shortlist instead of an AIO.
- MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED 32 Inch 4K MonitorView on AmazonShortlistThe 4K OLED that would replace my main display, the one big-ticket item on the list.
- SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4KView on AmazonShortlistOver-the-air TV into the home network, so the Jellyfin box can record broadcast channels too.
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power StationView on AmazonShortlistBackup power for the network closet and the fish tank during an outage, and a charger for the e-bike battery off-grid.
- 3DZWMAN Vertical Heat Set Insert ToolView on AmazonShortlistA press that sets threaded inserts in 3D prints straight, instead of by hand with a soldering iron.
- ruthex Threaded Inserts M2 to M5 AssortmentView on AmazonShortlistThe brass inserts that make a 3D-printed part screw together like a real product.
- Comgrow Filament Dryer BoxView on AmazonShortlistKeeps PETG dry while printing, which is the fix for the stringing I get in a humid Chicago summer.