Shucking, in the tech world, refers to the process of removing a drive or component from its original enclosure to use it in a different setup. It’s a technique often used to repurpose or upgrade hardware, like taking a hard drive out of an external enclosure to install it in a computer.
I’ve shucked plenty of drives in my time, and recently, I’ve taken that skill to a new level by shucking various components and using them to build a powerful and portable Raspberry Pi Backup Box. Once I started shucking lithium batteries, my world changed!
This project started with a Raspberry Pi 4 (link: Amazon Raspberry Pi 4), a fantastic little computer that’s perfect for DIY projects. I paired it with an M.2 SATA SSD to 2.5 Inch SATA III Aluminum Enclosure Adapter (link: M.2 SATA SSD Enclosure) and a Multi USB Port Splitter (link: USB Port Splitter). This setup allows me to plug in a USB cord to a power brick to power the Pi and the connected USB devices and by default most just plug power into the hub. But of course, I had to take it a step further.
I hotwired my Raspberry Pi 4 to send power directly from the power plug to the USB ports. This little hack means that using the Little Backup Box (LBB) software (link: Little Backup Box), I can efficiently offload drone footage and other media from SD cards to a fast 2TB SSD drive inside the enclosure.
The best part? This device is connected to my Wi-Fi, so I can access the 2TB drive via a shared folder on any of my devices. On top of the Raspberry Pi, I’ve mounted a Stream Deck (which I also shucked). This handy control panel uses the Companion Pi software (link: Companion Pi) to let me control everything from Home Assistant to live streaming, all powered by lithium cells from shucked battery packs.
And don’t worry, this is just my preliminary mock-up. I’m planning to have another 3D case printed so everything can fit together very nicely. But until then, I’m using this setup with VMIX, a powerful live streaming software. This allows me to control VMIX and manage multiple cameras during live streaming sessions. It’s pretty cool and makes my streaming experience seamless and professional.
This DIY project showcases how versatile and powerful a Raspberry Pi can be when paired with shucked components. It’s not just a backup solution—it’s a central hub for managing and controlling various aspects of my smart home and mobile setup, all while staying portable and efficient. Whether you’re offloading drone footage or looking for a robust control center, this Raspberry Pi Backup Box is a game-changer.
