Case for Raspberry Pi 3 A+

youmagine

I needed a case and holder for my Octoprint server that fit perfectly with my Raspberry Pi 3A+, but since there weren't any solutions available, I had to design something from scratch. The case and the holder snap together tightly, requiring no screws or tools for assembly or disassembly. However, the case might fit just a little too snugly to the holder, so you may need to use a flathead screwdriver to bend open the mechanism to remove it. The holder hangs securely over the top of the UM2 chassis and is easy to remove. There are two cable guides that guide the camera cable around the inside edge of the chassis and behind the belts and rods. If you prefer to place it between the arms of the case holder, use cam_cable_holder_2; otherwise, use cam_cable_holder_1. As a camera holder, I utilize one from thingiverse.com (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3910671). To use this, you'll need a longer camera cable, like the 50 cm cable available on aliexpress.com (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32895011936.html). You can place about 20 cm of the cable between the case and the outside of the UM2 chassis. A 30 cm cable will likely be long enough. For mounting the camera holder inside the chassis, I used Tesa Powerstrips (https://www.tesa.com/en/consumer/mounting-hanging-sms/adhesive-strip-powerstrips), which are easily removable double-sided tape. They may not look very pretty from inside the printer, but they served their purpose well. Another camera holder that works nicely is also available on thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3816440). This one has the camera sitting on top, near a corner. With this holder, you can use the stock camera cable that comes with Raspberry Pi cameras (15 cm). However, I prefer the view from inside the chassis, so I use the camera holder mentioned above. I utilize a 150-degree wide-angle camera obtained from aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32726563700.html). The field of view on stock Raspberry Pi cameras is too narrow for my taste, but your experience may vary. This camera can be used for both inside and top mounting solutions described above. I have included the FreeCad files so you can easily improve on the design or create your own adaptations and remixes. This is my first design, and I'm aware that I may have made some rookie mistakes in the design or how I used FreeCad, so please be gentle with me.