ModMyPi case - Now I've seen it, I don't like it

Eric S. Raymond esr at thyrsus.com
Sat Jun 18 12:22:40 UTC 2016


Thanks for sending this case, but I can't recommend it at all.  Here
are some of the problems:

1. Too much thermal mass and insulation around the Pi 3.

I'm comparing to the Adafruit case and other thin-walled box
enclosures.  I think a relatively thick-walled design like the ModMyPi
is a bad idea, maybe only in a minor way for the 2 but in a mere
serious way for the 3 which can have heat-dissipation problems.

Made worse because the ModMyPi fits closer around the board than
most cases, so it's going to impede airflow a bit.

(Memo to self: Aaarrggh!  Get heatsinks for all machines!)

2. Plain box case isn't shaped for the Pi to sit level.

The other cases I've used have forward and rear lugs of different
heights on the case floor to compensate for the fact that the Pi
doesn't sit level on a flat surface.  The ModMyPi doesn't. This causes
unnecessary difficulty when assembling, and neans that even with the
case assembled correctly the USB & Ethernet connectors may not line
up quite right with the case apertures.

I was able to level the device by adjusting the bottom screws on one
pair of standoffs, but it's poor design that I had to.

3. Micro-SD access is badly designed.

When fully assembled, the micro-SD is visible through a case slot, but
you'd need a slender pair of tweezers or surgical forceps to actually
take it out or put it back in.

After becoming used to cases where the SD slot is underslung so
fingers can do the job, I consider this a crash landing.  

Not your fault, but I'm really disappointed. This is a bad design.
I'd rather dremel a hole in a better-designed box case than
deal with it.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>

The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.
        -- A.E. Van Vogt, "The Weapon Shops Of Isher", ASF December 1942


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