Domovoy Raspberry Pi Case

Description

This is actually an outgrowth of the idea to build a cyberdeck kit that included CNC machined aluminum parts (as that's my day job). As I was mulling it over, I realized that I would probably not use such a thing in my own life, so I was unlikely to know what others would look for in such a thing.

So I started to think, what would I actually use? As I have a weak financial situation and would like to sell this in series: what was the simplest project that I could do, useful to both myself and others, that could use my existing capital and skills to its benefit.

This is what I came up with: A Raspberry Pi case with screen that could mount directly to a VESA stand, where the GPIO pins were easily accessible, possesses its own switching power supply, with room for a small power management hat, and has removable panels for the A/V and COM output groups.

Details

Minimum Viable Product:

Mounts and space for Raspberry Pi + Power management Hat
7" Screen (currently DFR0678)
GPIO pins redirected and facing the front
- Behind a door that also includes a color coded pin out on its inverse side
An included 5V power supply
Removable panels for A/V and COM groups on the Pi.
Tapped hole pattern for a VESA-compliant mount on the back.
Rugged, durable, and (most importantly) aesthetically pleasing all aluminum metal case.
A nice, solid feeling power switch. Clicky clicky.
Economically feasible at 25-50 units, as I don't expect larger uptake than that.

Options:

Holder for a stylus
Something that I thought of and forgot in an instant. Got distracted by galvanic corrosion. Thinking about it, I mean, not the actual process.

Project Logs

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First Assembly
Guidonian • 01/05/2023 at 20:34 • 0 comments

Finally got a chance to get back to it. I can already see some substantial changes need to be made. I should probably flip the entire thing lengthwise to get the ports of the Raspi where I need them.
Still, it's neat to hold the prototype, even if it isn't right at all.
Form v Function
Guidonian • 11/12/2022 at 22:47 • 0 comments

I am not pleased with its appearance at the moment.

The original had some intriguing details, and the form led your eye around on a tour of its features. The one I currently have sitting in CAD isn't like that. It's bland. Just a box with holes.

A lot of this is because after doing the first cost analysis I started shearing away excess material like dog crap from shoe treads. Get it off, get it off, get it off. For subtractive (read: traditional) machining, this is the most effective cost saving measure you can do. Not only do you use less material (and aluminum is NOT CHEAP at the moment), but you spend less time removing material. It saves tool wear, way oil, coolant, and most importantly: time. When you do that though, it limits your options on the products form.

Time is money, time is value. Saving time is the only reason anyone would want this product in the first place - but people will also be spending their time working to make the money to purchase it, so they at least have to want the product more that they wanted those 4-8 hours of time they spent to make that money. After all, you could replicate the functional aspects of the project with a sheet of acrylic.

And the surest way for people to want something is to make it beautiful, or at least characterful. Lovely to look at and something they are proud to own.

So, I'll have to sacrifice a little cost for form, for beauty. Make it worth the cost by making it something that someone would not just need, but want and love. Something they'd treasure as part of their setup.

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Domovoy Raspberry Pi Case

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