What is it?

This is a case for the HestiaPi thermostat (or your own Raspberry Pi project). It holds the HestiaPi screen in place and looks much nicer than just bolting a raspberry pi to the wall!

Why did you make it?

It is intended for someone who is building their own thermostat but doesn't want, or isn't able to, get the parts for a case. This may be a lack of access to a 3D printer, or the problem of most PCB shops having a minimum order of 5 boards and not wanting to built 5 thermostats.

The case could potentially be used for other raspberry pi based projects, but the tricky part would be getting the pins from the pi to the screen and making sure the screen is in the perfect location. The 3D-printed cases hold the screen in place, which helps with the latter problem, but there's nothing holding the screen to the case with the PCB cases.

If you were to try to use this case for another project, the best option would be to get the HestiaPi circuit board and then just solder together the Pi, PCB, and extra long header pins for the LCD. Then simply leave the remaining components (like the terminal posts to interface with the HVAC system) unpopulated. Of course, if you want to use a temperature sensor or have a reset button, those are there if you'd like to use them.

What makes it special?

They look fabulous! Also, if you are trying to convince friends and family to go with an open source thermostat instead of some corporate monstrosity, having something that looks nice can really help your case (pun intended).

Options

There are a number of options to choose from. First is the question of whether you want a 3D printed case or one made from Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The 3D-printed ones are more durable, easier to work with, more popular, and with my new source for 3D printed parts, I think they look just as good as the PCB look. Some people prefer the PCB case look, so these are also available. We all have our preferences. :-)

Next is the case color. I try to always stock both black and white. The 3D printed cases may be available in other colors, just send me a message and let me know what you're looking for. The PCB based cases can technically also be made in a limited selection of other colors, but since the minimum I'm going to need to order is 5 boards, it'll need to be a color that others will be interested in.

In both cases there's a back plate that mounts to the wall and the shell (front & sides) can be removed. The 3-d printed version snaps into place while the PCB design uses jumpers to hold it in place.

3D-Printed

The 3D printed ones are currently available in the colors that my local Makerspace has spools of material for. I only stock black and white, but if you want some other color, send me a message and I'll see what I can do.

This design include tabs to hold the LCD in place, making it a bit more flexible for non-HestiPi projects. The wall plate will hold M2.5 nuts in place so you can mount your pi to the board without having to worry about the case not sitting flush with the wall.

Obviously since they are 3D printed, no assembly will be required. Because it's entirely machine made, everything lines up nicely, avoiding the difficulties that the PCB case falls victim to.

PCB Based

The PCB based cases are available in either a kit or fully assembled.

The kits have all of the parts you'll need to put it together, you just provide the solder and the soldering iron. Be aware that the tolerances for this case are very tight, so this is only recommended for people with a good amount of soldering experience. It will take at least an hour to solder it together, possibly two hours if any components need to be adjusted. Getting the bolts perfectly lined up with the pi is tricky, but it's even trickier to get the headers to line up with both the back and the sides of the case. Finally, it takes some practice to align the sides so they are not even slightly twisted, because if they are, you're going to have gaps in the case and it isn't going to line up with the wall plate correctly.

The fully assembled version is ready to use.

As mentioned above, the tolerances are very tight, so it may be require some finesse to get the front shell to slide onto the back plate. The tolerances of the M2.5 nuts that are soldered onto the board are also slim, making it difficult to get the bolts lines up perfectly with both the holes in your pi and the nuts.

This case design is not intended to be removed and reinstalled frequently. If you expect to be taking the case apart frequently, you will be much happier with the 3D printed version.