Abstract: An electronics system is implemented within a compact enclosure comprising two or more hinged layers. The functionality corresponding to a shelf of a conventional cabinet resides in a corresponding layer. Backplanes are eliminated, each layer having contact surfaces that mate with matching surfaces of adjacent layers when the layers are rotated about their hinges into the closed configuration. Additional interconnection may be made through cabling housed within a special channel or compartment. Each layer may include cooling fans, which are smaller than conventional counterparts (due to shorter convection paths). Expansion may be effectuated by mating additional units of similar conformation in a modular fashion. Optionally, the functionality corresponding to a given layer may be implemented in circuitry integrated onto a single board to reduce cabling and facilitate replacement and repair. Additional functional layers may be stacked along the depth direction as well as the height or width direction.