3D Print the Make: Raspberry Pi Zero Case

Now that the Raspberry Pi Zero is out in the wild, users need a way to protect this little gem from the dangers that come with tossing it into bags and pockets. We decided that our fellow Makers might appreciate a low-profile case that can house their Zero but also give them the flexibility to decide what to do with it.

I didn’t have a Zero in hand when I set out to design this case, so I turned to Onshape as the design tool. Onshape provides professional-level modeling tools at a price every Maker can love: free. This means I could easily parameterize the design, making it easy for me to edit once I could actually test the fit on a real Zero.

Onshape is still in beta, but is open for anyone to create an account and get started in designing. One of the major advantages to Onshape is the fact that it’s completely browser-based so there is no need to install software. This also means that Onshape brings professional engineering grade tools to smartphones and tablets in a way we have never seen before. Onshape was founded by Jon Hirschtick and other founding members of the SolidWorks team. Anyone familiar with solid modeling using tools like SolidWorks will find themselves right at home in Onshape.

Our case features access to all ports on the Raspberry Pi Zero, along with cutaway panels for those looking to gain access to the GPIO headers on the device. Internally, we added clips to ensure the Pi stays in place and doesn’t bang around if the case is being jostled. This creates a tight fit, so you need to insert the USB and HDMI ports first before sliding the back side of the board into place. Remove the board by reversing it out, taking care to pop each back corner free one at a time. The lid slides into place from the side and features the Make: logo.

Want to adjust the fit, access only certain GPIO pins, or change the logo? No problem, Onshape supports sharing of source files, and we made the case public so anyone can edit it! Just sign up for an Onshape account and then download the files.

You can also download our case from Youmagine or Thingiverse.