2.2 The mini PC
The Beelink Mini S12 Pro is 115 × 102 × 39 mm by the maker's figures. Every permanent cable (power, two HDMI, RJ45, two USB-A) leaves from the rear. Both sides carry vent slots, as does the top of the rear face. The power button is on the front.
The base has two brass M3 inserts near the front edge for Beelink's own VESA bracket, which I do not have. Those inserts are the mounting interface, so their positions matter more than anything else on the unit.
The wrong photo
The first insert spacing came from a review photo of a base, labelled "Model: EQ". It matched the S12 Pro's front, so it was taken as the same unit. At the S12 Pro's width it gave 29.8 mm between the inserts. A third-party bracket on Printables had 32.0 mm.
Both were for the Beelink EQ12, a bigger case (about 124 × 113 mm) with the same front layout. Rescaled to the EQ12's width, the photo gave 32.1 mm, which matches the bracket. The lesson: read the model code on the label and check the case size before you trust a third-party photo.
Measuring my own unit
I photographed my base square-on with a steel inch rule under the inserts. The script scales from the rule's 1 and 2 inch lines (21.69 px/mm), not its worn end. The rule hides the lower half of each brass ring, so it takes each centre as the midpoint of the widest visible row.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Insert spacing | 34.1 mm (photo with rule); 34.6 mm by hand |
| Front face to insert centres | 5.4 mm |
| Usable insert depth | At least 8 mm |
| Height on the base plate | 38.2 mm (callipers) |
| Height on the corner pads | 39.6 mm (callipers) |
The corner pads
The feet are stuck-on triangular pads in shallow pockets, too shallow for a depth rod. The pad measured 2.00 mm. The unit is 39.6 mm on its pads and 38.2 mm with one pad off, so the pads stand 1.4 mm proud and the pockets are 2.00 − 1.4 = 0.6 mm deep.
That 1.4 mm matters. A bar screwed flat to the inserts must fit between the front pads (about 87 mm along the front edge) or it rocks on them. A 110 mm bracket like the EQ12's lands on the pads.
The model
The model carries the case, the front panel, the ports and vents, the four pads in their pockets and the two inserts at (±17.05, −45.6) mm. Its check proves each port and vent opening is open to its depth and closed beyond it, and that nothing overlaps. The next step was to test those insert values on the real unit with a gauge (3.2).