Posting a Pi setup to a friend.

[PieFace]

Hi guys, a little while back my friend asked me to install RetroPie etc onto his Pi 3. I've done all that needs to be done and just need to send it back to him (he lives far from me). A thought occurred to me before posting though, do I need to get some anti-static foam sheets (pink ones) to post this while avoiding any static damage to the Pi? Maybe I'm just being overly cautious, but I can't remember how I received it originally. Hope someone can shed some light. Thanks.

[hippy]

I would use anti-static foam myself. Just in case and it will also help protect the GPIO pins and other components from damage.

More important IMO is a decent box to post it in, something which can stand up to the rough and tumble of postal excursions, will offer some protection against heavy things placed on it or it being accidentally dropped and stepped on.

I find old VHS tape cases good for posting PCB boards. And for storing them.

I know most suppliers won't send out Pi's with such levels of protection but, if there is damage done, they will simply send another. You don't have that luxury.

Which reminds me; keep a backup of what's on the SD Card you are sending with it so you don't have to recreate again from scratch if that gets lost or damaged.

[Heater]

hippy,

I find old VHS tape cases good for posting PCB boards

Wow, where does a kid find VHS tape cases? I don't think I have seen one since last century.

[rpdom]

Wow, where does a kid find VHS tape cases? I don't think I have seen one since last century.

Charity shops.

[W. H. Heydt]

More important IMO is a decent box to post it in, something which can stand up to the rough and tumble of postal excursions, will offer some protection against heavy things placed on it or it being accidentally dropped and stepped on.

Reminds me of a science fair project I read about some decades ago... Kid got the loan of some recording accellarometers and shipped them through the US Postal Service using various classes of shipping. Working from memory, the one sent First Class recored drops up to 3 feet. Second Class, up to 4 feet. The lowest class used gave no data because it came back smashed flat...and that takes some doing as the devices are pretty rugged.

[drgeoff]

I'm constantly amazed that despite the minimal and flimsy packaging, the stuff I order from China suffers so little damage in transit to me in the UK.

[hippy]

I'm constantly amazed that despite the minimal and flimsy packaging, the stuff I order from China suffers so little damage in transit to me in the UK.

It could be that so much is in the middle of the bags which get rough treatment that most is generally well protected and only an small amount will ever get damaged.

I did receive a Hard Disk which sounded like a chainsaw the second I powered it up. I'm guessing the heads had bounced around in that quite a bit but it's the only damaged item I have received through the post. A few bent and battered boxes but no actual equipment damage - All hail polystyrene packaging, bubblewrap and clearance spacing!

[PieFace]

Thanks for your help guys. Picked up some foam sheets and it's now en-route