Wanted: arduino/raspberry pi enclosures with buttons already mounted.
November 3, 2015 6:25 AM   Subscribe

I want to make some electronics projects that consist of a basic box with input buttons. Maaaaybe a LCD display, too. Are there off-the-shelf enclosures I can buy that have the buttons/LCD already mounted, or at least cutouts for them?

It seems like lots of projects 3D-print/laser-cut/woodwork their own enclosures. I want to DIY, but I don't want to DIY everything.

What search term am I looking for?
posted by homodachi to Computers & Internet (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Raspberry Pi has these things called HATs, which is presumably a clever acronym that I haven't deciphered yet, which sit atop the board and provide various levels of snap-on functionality.

check adafruit's catalogue here.
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:40 AM on November 3, 2015


eh, my comment is kind of off the mark. HATs aren't enclosures so much. disregard my comment. sorry.
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:42 AM on November 3, 2015


blue t-shirt was pointing you in the right direction, though. The PiTFT is a wee touchscreen display with optional buttons, and the PiTFT enclosure pairs nicely with it.

I'm not clear if the optional buttons require soldering with the enclosure. A touchscreen display and enclosure for under $50 is certainly reasonable. Disadvantage: this enclosure does not accommodate the new + models.

Another enclosure accommodates the PiTFT touchscreen, works with the A+/B+ models, but does not have space for the external buttons.

You could also buy a pre-built device like the PiGRRL from an Etsy seller - but comparatively expensive.
posted by enfa at 10:04 AM on November 3, 2015


Overkill, but the Industruino is an Arduino in a DIN-rail format. There's also a case design for the ubiquitous LCD/button shield, but I'm not finding current links for it.
posted by scruss at 11:51 AM on November 3, 2015


Also, if you just want a small couple buttons to trigger something to happen on the pi, and don't want to hack something together, you could buy a small USB device (like a game controller). Or just use a ubiquitous USB keyboard. Either option doable in the sub 10$ pricepoint, though they would be external to the case, and use up a precious USB port.
posted by enfa at 12:24 PM on November 3, 2015


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