Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knows of a case for the Model B?
Hi to all. I've been watching and reading the replies on this topic over the last couple of weeks since I published the link to the commercial 3D Printer company www.shapeways.com products and potential for manufacturing Pi cases. I have seen Jacob's ModmyPi site's developing case ideas and these are looking really nice. One thing I haven't read or seen in any graphics, and please correct me if I am wrong on this, but no provision seems to be gettig made for access to the onboard GPIO and JTAG headers, and CSI Connector. For those designers out there, maybe thinning the case material above these locations on the board would then allow them to be cut out by a knife or pushed out if serrated. I would prefer to do this than take to the case with a dremel!
Thanks
Greg
For all who are interested - a graphic (partial) rundown of the 3d printer market with some prices:
Michael Kellett
Hi William!
I'm in the way to design a " scratch 'n' acid resistant " case for RB. Do you have some advice or feature you require for it?
Your suggestions will be appreciated.
I have some idea, but I don't have the RB on my hand to check.
Regards,
Anfarol
Hi guys, long time lurking and finally signed up, here is my effort Im trying to bring to production. Production meaning steel tooling. At the minute, Im going to cast using resin in Alloy tools which Ill cnc machine myself. This is not a company pitch, or advert, just me, in my workshop, doing my thing, hope you like. First run will have some minor adjustments, but over-all this is it. Its milled from billet, and painted. Production runs will be in either resin, or Pc+abs mix if I go to steel tools.
This case is real, and not a rendering, or print(for once)!
Please share, I have it on indiegogo too. Its tough getting ideas out.
Please like too! Every little helps! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raspberry-Slice/288467144562374
And one more to Indiegogo> http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/90582?a=272727
Best regards, and slaving away as always,
Brian Garvey.
Jacob,
If ever you have stood beside an injection moulding machine, with a printer beside it printing the same part, you will understand why printing will never take off for production.
There are FAR better ways than printing parts for small runs. Mill or cast some aluminium moulds that you take off your master prototype, and fill them with casting resin. This is not a messy diy procedure, and is extremely sucessful at making quality parts fast if your willing to learn and get used of it. Plus, you have very little post prep to do. Maybe remove some moulding flash - thats it. resins can be had in all colours. No sanding, or painting needed.
You can also cast in threads by screwing in screws from the mould exterior. When resin is set, you screw them out. Perfect threads left in part.
Peace,
Brian Garvey,
@Michael: I too am strongly opposed to hype, because hype runs counter to evaluating items and processes on their objective engineering merits. But I am also strongly opposed to perpetual naysaying, because that too rejects objective engineering judgment. This is as true for Raspberry Pi as it is it is for domestic 3D printing. Resisting hype is great, but don't become a perpetual naysayer either.
There are a zillion extremely good applications for RepRap-style 3D printing, and the main reason why it is powerful and important is simply that it places you in control of your own life as far as small plastic pieces go. With a 3D printer at home, you are no longer at the mercy of commercial (plastics) manufacturing like the entire rest of humanity is. The fact that you can make whatever YOU want is extremely empowering, and not having to use a commercial outfit like Shapeways is also faster and cheaper.
Of course domestic FDM/FFF has its downsides, lots of them, but all other manufacturing methods have their own disadvantages too, and the objective engineer doesn't reject any method out of hand. Instead, you match their pros/cons against your requirements for the task in hand and choose appropriately.
The most obvious downside of RepRap-style FFF printing is poor quality of surface finish, which is an inherent outcome of extruding molten plastic filament and depositing it in layers to build up your object. At the current level of RepRap technology based on 0.3-0.5mm nozzles and ~0.1mm positioning accuracy, this can never compete on surface finish with the injection molding quality which we have come to expect as "normal" for plastic goods, nor with the better commercial 3D printing technologies. But surface finish is not always important. Indeed, for many structural applications, it has no practical importance whatsoever, so rejecting domestic FFF for that reason is pure naysaying.
Of course, RepRap fanbois reject any criticism violently, just as Raspberry Pi fanbois do, but that goes with the territory of being a fanboi, all objective assessment is strictly forbidden. No good engineer is a fanboi, nor a perpetual detractor.
I'm building a RepRap-technology 3D printer, a Shapercube -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgaines/sets/72157627604533547/ -- but I'm not a fanboi, nor fangrrl. I'm fully aware of FFF's many downsides and often discuss them in the RepRap community, and those discussions are not always welcome when the fanbois are out in force. But I also know that when used appropriately, the technology is immensely effective, one of the most important developments in enthusiast manufacturing capability in recent decades.
The doors opened by its (relatively) low cost are as big as those opened by the $25-$35 Rpi, or probably more so. After all, you can buy a good commercial PC for 10 times the price of an Rpi, but you certainly cannot buy a commercial non-FFF plastics manufacturing machine for 10 times the cost of the cheapest RepRap. A 100 times the cost barely gets you into the right territory, so RepRap truly is revolutionary.
On the specific topic of cases for Raspberry Pi, RepRap-type printers can do the job perfectly well since a high quality surface finish is not an important requirement, or at least not a functional one. The reason why you haven't seen any printed examples yet is because nobody with a RepRap has received an Rpi board yet, and the Rpi documentation is too poor to support creating a well-fitting 3D case model from pure specs. The board's connectors are all over the place after all.
Once Rpi is everywhere that situation will change, and I expect that Thingiverse will have so many case designs for reprappers to print that the only "problem" will be excess choice.
Morgaine.
At the risk of stating the obvious, your case requirements will depend on how you intend to use the Pi.
I put together a cheap case using the plastic box that my business cards are supplied in. It fits the Pi perfectly, but it is then wired straight up to a USB hub.
Perhaps a better case for me would have space for both the Pi and hub? I have my eye on a Ferrero Rocher box now, and with a few LED's it could look a bit like Orac from Blake 7.
If the two USB ports on the Pi are sufficient, then you might be fine with a simple Pi enclosure.
I really don't care about all that discussion about 3d printing / inject moulding / quality....
It just from which perspective you look at it..
For me, I just want a case which answers my needs, and since everybody has different views how a case should look like, the best way
is just to design one yourself. And then the problem arises after the design, how can I actually get it...
So now I have 4 different cases lying around, 2 done with RepRap (someone was nice for me to print it), and 2 done on shapeways.
And yes they have different qualities.. The reprap printer ones are simpler but very sturdy, but still good enough for me.
The shapeway one are much finer in detail and you can do more design tricks with it than a reprap version, but it is costly because there is
a commercial party involved.
any way, you have a choice...
- just wait until the manufacturers produce cases and choice the one you like (price,design)
- take a case from one of the smaller startups
- make your own using 3d printing, shapeways, perspex plates, modifying existing cases to fit a Pi
Hans
Raspberry Pi forum : custom cases | Shapeways: picases | |
Thingiverse : 3D printer case | Thingiverse :Pi Lego blocks |
Not to mention that sometimes people do things a certain way simply because it's fun, for them. I once sand cast a wah wah pedal body, not because I had a requirement for a pedal that a herd of elephant rock musicians could use, but simply because I wanted to sand cast something and that was a fun idea. It's now undoubtedly the most robust wah wah pedal on the planet.
Manufacturing methods are never good or bad in themselves. They are merely appropriate or not appropriate, which depends on your requirements for the end product and your requirements for the manufacturing process, which can even include fun.
Morgaine.