Raspberry Pi Case

I bought this wonderful Raspberry Pi case, when the Pi was introduced, as then, there were not very many manufacturers of cases, and this was the best one available. I was recently looking to buy another case for the new board, and after seeing all the cheap Chinese manufactured cases, this one is still the best. It has elegance, easy port access, and it looks futuristic. The problem with cases is that they go out of fashion after a few months, hence I was looking for usability such easy GPIO access, power button, and clear plastic.

Fashion Accessories

I remember back in 2000 looking to purchase an enclosure for a PC, and there were hundreds of designs available. You could get high-end aluminium metal ones, clear ones with neon lights inside, and even clear cooling fans. I must have bought almost all of those however; they were all just fashion accessories, which went out of fashion. I learned the hard way to stick to something simple that works, and this case is very simple that works well. It provides easy port access on all sides, and you can see the diagnostic lights through the clear plastic.

Cooling Fan

A cooling fan is useful if you are overvolting and overclocking the processor, because the increased power dissipation has the effect of increasing the operating temperature, which can drastically reduce its useful operating life. However, most people are not going to risk damaging their Pi and therefore a fan is an unnecessary extravagance.

With open sides for ventilation, this design is excellent for keeping all the components cool, and there is no need to fit any noisy cooling fans, which would consume power and cause radio frequency noise. A poor cooling fan design usually causes more problems, if the power supply design is not high quality.

Clear

I have an intuition that clear cases are going to be very popular with this board. This is because not only the diagnostic lights are on the board, but also because it has a lot of information on it that many hobbyists would want to read.

Media Centre

The interesting thing about this design is that you can stack multiple cases, as one would with a hi-fi stacking system. I like the idea of that, and I can see myself building an amplifier circuit and installing it in a similar case to stack with this one. In addition, perhaps a media centre would look nice as well. The possibilities are endless of course.

GPIO Access

GPIO access is the most important feature to look for when buying cases. If you are planning to make some of the electronics projects, then easy access to the P1 socket is very important. On this one, there is enough room to fit an angled ribbon cable connector for access.

Assembly

Assembly of this enclosure is very simple, as there is no need for any glue or any special tools. As DIY kits go, this was very simple to build. I managed to use just an ordinary screwdriver and within seconds, I had the case assembled and the Pi installed and operating. Usually, great products are always simple and elegant in design and work exceedingly well, and this design is one of them.

Contents

There is a fan-folded sheet of instructions, a steel pin to tighten the chrome bolts, and a plastic tube to push the "O" rings. Four chrome molybdenum bolts and pillars, which are extremely shiny, are included in the box as well. Manufactured to a high standard, they appear good quality.

Buy

Once you order your case, you can expect to receive a smart looking box quickly and efficiently delivered.

I have just discovered eBay, and it is one of those wonderful places where you can buy so many products with confidence at affordable prices. They have an excellent feedback system, which always makes sure that the seller provides a good quality service.

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