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3D-print your own Raspberry Pi case at home

The $35 system comes with all the requisite ports and circuits, but you'll need your own case. One designer has a solution.

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Eric Mack Contributing Editor
Contributing editor Eric Mack covers space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
Eric Mack
2 min read
For the uber-thrifty--print your own case for your $35 PC! Marco Alici

If you're one of the lucky thousands who snagged a $35 Raspberry Pi pocket Linux system before the first run of 10,000 sold out in just a few minutes, there's almost certainly one question on your mind--where am I going to put this thing?

The Raspberry Pi is a full system with all the needed ports that's about the size of a credit card. It's definitely cheap, but it's not exactly pretty. That's likely because its nonprofit designers are mainly focused on their mission of getting the systems into the hands of kids across the developed and developing world to get them excited about programming.

Fortunately, another emerging technology makes it easy to put some clothes on that tiny naked system.

A designer named Marco Alici got all proactive and designed a custom case for the Raspberry Pi using the free program, Blender.

The really cool part is that Alici says he will make the design available via the Shapeways community, an online marketplace for 3D-printed crafts. He's waiting for Shapeways to print out a copy and send one to him to test.

If the whole 3D-printing thing still gives you a bit of a headache, never fear--Alici's design was created with the possibility of conventional injectional mold production in mind so you'll surely be able to order one cheaply from a Chinese factory at some point if all goes according to plan.

(Via Geek.com)