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The Raspberry Pi is now 8 years old and one of the most popular one-card computers out there. The main reasons are low price and the ability to expand the Pi in all sorts of ways making it the perfect mini-computer for all sorts of projects. In my case I’ve been looking into building both a PiHole-computer (filter ads etc) and several OctoPi-servers to use with my 3D-printers.
As expected there are a lot of different cases out there for the Raspberry Pi. Everything from simple 3D-printed cases to cases that look like old consoles and cases with built-in LCD-screens. One thing missing though has been cases from more PC-oriented companies. This is why I was intrigued when I read about CoolerM aster’s Kickstarter for a Raspberry Pi-case, the Cooler Master Pi Case 40.
I missed the actual Kickstarter but bought the case from a local retailer just before Christmas. This is my impressions of the case.
The Specifications
MODEL NUMBER | MCM-PI400-MNNN-S00 |
SERIES | Raspberry Pi Series |
SIZE | Raspberry Pi |
AVAILABLE COLOR(S) | Gun Metal Grey, Black |
MATERIALS | Plastic, Aluminum, TPU |
DIMENSIONS (L X W X H) | 96 x 68.2 x 27.3mm (excl. protrusions), 96 x 68.2 x 28.58mm (incl. protrusions) |
VOLUME (EXLC. PROTRUSIONS) | 0.18L |
RASPBERRY PI BOARD SUPPORT | Raspberry Pi 4 Model B |
ADDITIONAL I/O | Yes, 1x re-mappable power button |
ACCESS TO I/O | Side I/O, GPIO, Display, SD Card, Camera |
CPU COOLING | Passive |
ACCESSORIES | 4x Modular Mounting Brackets, 1x Allen Key, 2x Thermal Pads, 1x GPIO 90° adapter + ON/OFF switch |
POWER SUPPLY | Not Included |
WARRANTY | 2 years |
A few things make this case interesting. It is a passive cooled case in aluminium which means no fan noise. It comes with a programable on/off switch and also has an 90- degree adapter for the GPIO-connetor so that you can access those pins from outside. There is a HUGE but here though. The rows of the GPIO-connector are swapped. The top row should be at the bottom and the bottom row at the top. This means that you will not be able to use any of the available pHat/HAT mods that can be bought. You still can connect using individual jumper cables on the pins but no complete mods will work. On the Kickstarter the reaction has not been positive to put it mildly. So if you plan on using a Hat/pHat then this is NOT the case for you.
