Pi Case

[steveps3]

I have been tinkering with a design for a Pi Case. I think that I am almost there and just wondered what people thought. I am very open to design ideas so if you have some bright ideas then please let me know.

[daVirus]

looks nice, is there a cover under the cut out raspberry?

[jacques]

Stop designing cases, start selling
these guys have done the best that can be done.

[steveps3]

I priced my case up at Shapeways and it is going to be about €20 if anyone wants to buy one then please let me know and I will obtain an accurate, non profit, price.

[steveps3]

looks nice, is there a cover under the cut out raspberry?

No cover under the cut out no. With no fans etc I don't think there is any need. It is purely something to put your PI into.

[thexman]

it would be worth noting that the HDMI and the Sound and Composite both stick out of your case and your not gonna be able to bend the PI or your cover i assume the split will be along the top of the holes like all the others

just wondering thats all nice looking a lot of talk about supporting the sockets does your case design or any case design support the sockets not that Ive seen so far and Ive been looking quite closely

keep up the good work 20 Euros isn't that much with the pound so strong

[steveps3]

Supporting the board is something that I had considered. I may have a think about it some more.

[jacques]

I priced my case up at Shapeways and it is going to be about €20 if anyone wants to buy one then please let me know and I will obtain an accurate, non profit, price.

i am interested, but please, black or white and no holes in the top.
It is very cool and does no needs venting.
If you can have rounded corners like on the picture above, it would be better.
A nice way to easily open and close it without screws is a must.
Externals pads to screw it it to a wall would be welcome

[ray0665]

I tend to drop stuff, so I think the embossed raspberry with no cutouts is what's called for. I wouldn't want a small bit of metal detritus shorting stuff.

[HansH]

Looks like mine.... also on Shapeways



But never the less nice case... It is always better to design something yourself, then you know that you like it...

[JonB]

Stop designing cases, start selling
these guys have done the best that can be done.

I agree. Now, where can I buy one?

[n3tw0rk5]

i am interested, but please, black or white and no holes in the top.
It is very cool and does no needs venting.
If you can have rounded corners like on the picture above, it would be better.
A nice way to easily open and close it without screws is a must.
Externals pads to screw it it to a wall would be welcome

I second this, I aim to use a few RasPi's in my workshop, so a dust free RasPi would be good(ie no pretty holes) and also the ability to screw it to a wall is a very nifty idea.

[steveps3]

Well I will be getting my first case printed in a week or so. Once I've done that I will iron out any problems with it. I will then have them for sale on Shapeways for anyone who wants to buy.

I will certainly take into account the comments about the open vents. I'd cut the holes to reduce the price. So far I have shaved the price down from around €30 to a fraction over €17. The closed vent will add a couple of Euros to the price.

[steveps3]

I made a slight design change to give it a bit more interest.

[praest76]

I don't mind the cut-outs. I'd probably stick some coloured film or something underneath.

[steveps3]

I have an idea for the holes. Hopefully a rather nice design feature. Stay tuned for an update later.

[Tony Phillips]

I like the chamfered edges on the top and the design concept - the colour is a little too orange for my liking but I'd consider this case - even with the holes!

Someone suggested that you'd struggle to get the board in, I agree! You would have to drop the board in diagonally with the USB end and Composite Video side going in first. Looking at my board now, the connectors that stand proud of the board aren't the HDMI and ethernet connectors as they are both less than 1mm each. The SD card is flush. USB sticks out 7.5mm, composite video 7mm and the 3.5mm audio just 4mm.

A possibly mad question: could you split the case along it's length rather than taking the traditional box-and-lid approach?

[ArborealSeer]

do these case designs not have lightpipes or anything so you can see the lights on the board power/sd card access/network ??

[jacques]

could you show the 2 parts of the box, the inside and the locking system please

[steveps3]

Ask and you shall receive.

Sadly no light pipes. I don't think that Shapeways do any material that would be suitable.

pi2.jpg (45.22 KiB) Viewed 7086 times

[simonlc]

Very cool, I'd personally like a version that doesn't have the USB ports extruding, for aesthetics, and protection.

How good is shapeways? What kind of quality would you get for a case like this?

[steveps3]

How good is shapeways? What kind of quality would you get for a case like this?

That is what I need to find out next. From what I have seen, 3D printing is pretty good but it is obviously not as good as if the object had been injection moulded. I will report back when I get one printed.

As for the USB ports. What would you do with the network port? That would be inset by about 8mm.

[steveps3]

Well I have finally bitten the bullet and I have ordered one of the cases. Shapeways have a 10-14 lead time so I am hoping to get my case back in a week of so. I will report back when I finally do.

In the meantime if you want to also give on the cases a whirl then please visit my shapeways shop.
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/steveps3

At the moment the case is still experimental. I have ordered one but I wouldn't be 100% surprised if this version required a little bit of adjusting in order to correctly accommodate the Pi.

[HansH]

What wall tickness you used ?? .. Looking at the price I think you used <=1mm
Be aware that with 1 mm walls it will be very thin and flexible...
You need approx 1.4 or 1.5 mm walls to have a normal strength box

I have from shapeways some different cases laying around, the case with 1 mm walls you can twist and break it easily. The problem is that when you increase the wall thickness, the price goes up..

Usually they sent your case within 10 days...

[steveps3]

Yep, 1mm walls. I did have 2mm walls but as you say the price was quite a bit higher.