ddurdle: My First Raspberry Pi Lego Case (ver 2 rev 1)

Intention: To be used for various purposes including as an XBMC media player,airplay server/client, a ASTC to wifi converter box, etc. Need for both ethernet and wifi and access to a keyboard/trackball.

Equipment:

Raspberry Pi (model B -- memory: 512MB, 2 USB ports, ethernet)
IR receiver (hooked up to GPIO)
class 10 SD card
micro USB (for power, plugged into TV <-> raspberry pi)
HDMI cable

Assumptions:

possible need for VIDEO port
possible need for AUDIO jack
access to the i/o ports (camera port, GPIO pins, etc)
require a "window" for IR receiver

Front-side view:

The front white block has the IR receiver behind it (it is a 2x2 curved block that matches the curved blocks on the right side. The VIDEO port and AUDIO jack are accessible through a double-set door -- the entire door can be lowered or just the inner window. The power and data onboard red/amber/green LEDs are viewable through the same IR receiver window. The front of the unit curves up slightly making the base one lego block size bigger in depth. The height is 4 +1/3rd lego blocks size. The bottom 1/3rd lego block size is a re-enforced grey layer that is more cosmetic then for structure. Above it, there is a 1/3rd lego block size black layer. The raspberry pi sits on that, with 3 + 1/3rd lego block size being the height from the base of the board to just above the GPIO ports, with a final 1/3rd lego block size layer on top.

Right-side view:

The micro-USB power port is accessible and the SD card slot is accessible, making it easy to plug in/out both components.

Notes:

A standard SD card sticks out about half-way. Advantage is easy switching of cards. Disadvantage is that if you drop the unit on this side, you risk damaging the SD card slot..

Back-side view:

The HDMI located behind a top-swing door. When not connected to a monitor/TV (for headless operation), the door is swung down to prevent dust buildup.

Left-side view:

There is a top-swing door over the ethernet port that allows the port to be tucked away when not in use. It sits perfectly flush to the unit, but when the door is open, the door becomes flimsy (easily falls off) -- therefore, the door can be removed. The 3 2x2 blocks provide visual access to the system onboard LEDs. The higher 2x2 also provides access for the IR receiver to receive signals from this side of the unit..

The unit is depicted with a wifi dongle and a wireless lenovo multimedia keyboard/trackpad dongle.

(this keyboard, which I owned for 1-2 years prior to owning the pi, but had yet found not a single purpose for it. Now I find the keyboard a pure necessity )

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