Clay sculpted Pi Zero SNES

By Russell Barnes. Posted

This SNES case is made from clay and hand-shaped. Crafty!

This has to be one of the cutest retro consoles we've seen, the SNES Micro is tiny enough to fit in your hand. But even cuter: this SNES case is made from clay and hand-shaped. Crafty!

The SNES Micro is a Pi Zero case shaped like a Nintendo SNES console. It has two USB ports at the front (for controllers).

This video, by lyberty5, shows the SNES Micro build process.

Building a SNES case from clay

First, Lyberty5 builds an inner case from plastic that he dremmels into shapes for a box and superglues together. "This simple case will act as a support for the clay on the outside," he says, "which will have the actual shape."

Once the inner box is made, he sets about moulding the clay into a rough shape of a SNES console. He doesn't worry too much about the precise shape" "We'll fix it later by sanding once the clay has cured, " he tells us.

The clay is then separated in half, and screwed back together (he uses parts salvaged from a gamecube controller case for screw posts).

 The Pi Zero inside the SNES Micro clay case

Bondo is used to fill in the cracks and holes, and the clay is spray painted then hand-painted to look just like a SNES case.

There are two USB slotted into the front of the SNES Case. A USB hub board is inside the clay mould, and its soldered directly to the Pi Zero board.

"Always make sure to map everything out with a multimeter beforehand," says the maker. "The USB hub was designed for tablets we need to make sure we give it both power and connections."

The final case needs around three days to cure, so it'll take a bit longer than your average build. But it's a creative way to make a Raspberry Pi case and is a welcome change from 3D Printing.

Finally everything is sealed using Epoxy and the Pi Zero is good to play games.

"I put my heart and sound into this," says the Lyberty5. We think it's gorgeous.

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