Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway

[matt]

I have narrowed my case choice down to 4 possibilities.
1. The preferred option . Unfortunately the shipping for this is in excess of $100. Thats the problem with living at the arse end of the world and unfortunately pretty much counts this case out.
2. This seems to be the next closest in size. I will remove the volume pot and put my switch in its place.
3. Getting a bit bigger
4. A better width but not sure if i like the extra height.

Opinions please.

[ACX]

[skrodahl]

Hi matt,

I used a for my Raspberry Pi.

You will absolutely have to insulate the the Raspberry Pi from the case, or you will short-circuit the little computer. Something like this in size M3 and a 5 mm distance would do:



You might want to take out the Raspberry Pi now and then. I solved that by using adhesive velcro, making sure no solder points of the RPi is touching the case, instead of using the screws in the picture above. I also used the velcro to hold the power supply in place.

You can obtain a little more space by using a MicroSD card and an .

You would not be able to use any of the power buttons though, they simply won't fit. I'm not using a power button at all. Here's a picture of my Raspberry Pi:



This is a picture of an early stage of my build. You can see that the power supply fits and how I connected the RCA connectors to the HifiBerry DAC. There are also separate holes in the PCB for the connectors, but I used cables that wouldn't fit in them.

I used some cardboard to separate the Raspberry Pi from the case at the time. That's obviously not a permanent way to do things. I also bought the HifiBerry DAC, partly because it has holes in the PCB for external power.

Since then, I also managed to fit an LED with a bezel LED holder in the front panel. The LED is not connected to the Raspberry Pi, just to the 5V power supply with a suitable resistor to adjust the brightness:

A-660_4.jpg (6.09 KiB) Viewed 2897 times

Another mistake I did was using RCA connectors without insulation. They were directly connected to the case. This may create a ground loop (you don't want that as you will hear a severe hum). Drill a hole big enough to accommodate insulated RCA connectors like these and make sure only the plastic is touching the case:

!Bhg5BZgCGk~$(KGrHqQH-CgEsJzPJ,dhBLJc675!7g~~_12.JPG (46.16 KiB) Viewed 2897 times

Making rectangular holes is not possible unless you have access to a CNC router. I drilled circular holes for the ethernet and USB ports (as well as the RCA connectors and the front panel LED bezel holder) using a stepped drill bit. It's not something that looks or feels professional, but it works. It's on the back panel, so it's not visible anyway.

It's a good idea to use masking tape on the panels when drilling, so you can mark the spots where the holes are going to be. This will also protect the panels from any damage.

You can also see from my picture that the cables are twisted or braided to make sure that they don't pick up any interference.

[matt]

thanks skrodahl, some good info there, I didn't consider insulating the rca's from the case, I'll make sure i do that.
Although I am going to base my build on yours I am definitely going to use a bigger case.
Did you remove the rca plugs from your hifiberry dac or did it come like that. I'm real keen to copy what you have done there as it will reduce the height of the board by about 14mm. Is it feasible to remove the rca plugs on my hifiberry dac+? Would you do It? As I said previously I would probably get a professional to do it for me.
My neighbour is an engineer, I dont know if his business has a CNC router but I'm sure he will be able to cut square holes for me somehow.
I have a vision in my minds eye of how this is going to look, no doubt the finished product will not be as good.

ACX - I'll save about $25 on the postage so its still a bit pricey, the case + postage will cost more than everything else put together. Thanks anyway.

[skrodahl]

The HifiBerry RCAs are not soldered to the board (I don't know about the HifiBerry+ though). A bigger case will certainly be an advantage if you have space for it.

It will be interesting to see how you progress, I hope you'll give us updates along the way.

[matt]

I'm holding a hifiberry dac+ in my hand (and hanging out for the 0.3 beta so I can use it ) and can confirm the rca plugs are soldered on. Do you think its a good idea to have them removed and replaced with wires as in your build?

[skrodahl]

It all depends on your needs. If your case/layout requires the RCA connectors to be removed, then go for it. If not, leave them there. You don't have to be worried about destroying the HifiBerry by removing the connectors.

[Peter]

[matt]

[skrodahl]

Hi matt,
That case looks nice, it will give ample space for your project.

Do remember to use a multimeter to measure the 5V output before connecting it to the Raspberry Pi/HifiBerry. Once it is connected, measure again and adjust if needed. The GPIO power input is not regulated, so you need to make absolutely sure it is exactly 5 volts.

I look forward to seeing how you progress.