Accessories

Sweetbox – most impractical case ever?

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I don’t normally criticise cases on my blog, but this one caught my eye.

Sweetbox _ The perfect case for your Raspberry Pi computer by Grasping hand — Kickstarter.

There are so many reasons why this case is a dead-loss:

  1. No access to the GPIO or other pin sets.
  2. It seems to be custom-designed to use specific heatsinks which, I note, are being offered as part of the case. So, if you’ve already fitted some sinks this case isn’t for you.
  3. No ventilation.
  4. Yet again no protection for an SD card [edit] although the micro-SD card adapters will fit, according to the FAQ.
  5. It’s ergonomic… which is lovely for keyboards but is of no practical use for a Pi.
  6. It’s a snug fit which, given the micro differences between various revisions, is unlikely to fit every Pi.
  7. It’s £15 for the case and heat sinks. Too expensive for the mass market, in my opinion.

I won’t be backing this one.

Raspberry Pi Foundation

Beginner has doubts over at gamedev.net

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I spotted a post on gamedev.net from someone who has just obtained a Pi for Christmas. Apart from a bit of an issue with the extra stuff you need to buy (see my previous post on this), he does make a good point. A lot of the projects and posts on the official Raspberry Pi site are now waaaay beyond beginner level. I’ve chipped in to the discussion and suggested that he starts with Alex’s Raspi.tv site which has some different tutorials for different levels.

I sincerely hope he finds the help he needs as it would be a pity to lose someone so early after their purchase.

So, if you fancy contributing to the discussion, head on over to the forum. I would recommend NOT registering using Facebook as it completely failed for me! Google worked okay though.

http://www.gamedev.net/topic/636488-is-anyone-else-having-doubts-about-the-raspberry-pi/

Accessories, Arduino

Paper-Duino Pi – Arduino shield for the Pi

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The Paper-Duino-Pi is an Arduino shield for the Raspberry Pi. Due to the fact that it is designed as Paper-PCB it is easy to create and one doesn’t need a printed circuit board. All components are standard electronic parts that are easily available at your favorite electronic shop. Plus they are really cheap. All you need are some electronic knowledge and soldering skills.

http://paperpcb.dernulleffekt.de/doku.php?id=raspberry_boards:paperduinopi