Tag Archives: ScorPi

Graspinghand’s SweetBox, ScorPi and Heatsinks for the Raspberry Pi

Those who need a casing for their Raspberry Pi or RBPi are rather spoiled for choice. There are so many types of casings available, and that makes it so difficult to settle on one. Sometimes, you need a casing that does not take up too much space, but is able to protect your RBPi from sundry damage. If you want the smallest case on the market, try the SweetBox from Graspinghand.

Besides being the smallest on the market, SweetBox is injection molded with high-performance nylon, and is compatible with RBPi models B, Rev 1 & 2. It has several features such as it allows the insertion of a Micro-SD card into its adapter and the mounting of the RBPi camera. A rubber cap protects the GPIO pins when not in use, and is easily removable to allow connections.

Slots on the casing allow easy access to the DSI or Digital Serial Interface for attaching an LCD panel to the RBPi and the CSI or Camera Serial Interface for attaching a camera. Other mounting holes are available on the base, while the entire casing allows simple opening and closing without any screws or tools.

SweetBox is made from high-performance nylon, the EMS Grilamid type typically used for glass frames, electrical equipment and tools. This material makes the casing nearly unbreakable. The material is also lightweight, and the casing is only 35gms with dimensions of 95x65x25mm.

However, one of the most remarkable features of the SweetBox is it allows heatsinks to be mounted, so that your RBPi can operate within the casing, but without getting all heated up. Graspinghand offers three CNC machined heatsinks that you could use with or without SweetBox. The three heatsinks come with ready-to-mount thermal pads. With the heatsinks fitted, your RBPi will run at least 4°C cooler at full power.

Placing the heatsinks requires some dexterity. First, you must peel off the protective film off one side of a thermal pad. Then fix the heat sink very carefully in the center of the uncovered surface – this will stick the thermal pad to the heatsink. If there is excess thermal pad protruding out around the heatsink, use scissors to cut it off. Now peel off the remaining protecting film from the other side of the pad and place the heat sink and pad combination very carefully on top of the IC to be cooled. Use the same procedure for mounting all the three heatsinks, taking care to keep the same orientation of the fins for all the three.

Graspinghand also offers ScorPi, a flexible gooseneck arrangement for holding things such as the camera board on the RBPi. A brass fixture allows the ScorPi to be attached to SweetBox, while the brass fixture on the other end of ScorPi attaches to the camera board. You can flex the ScorPi to position the camera at any angle required, and it will remain in position to allow capturing images without any blurring due to shaking.

Cleaning the ScorPi is also very easy, as you can loosen all parts and clean them with a soft wipe using a mixture of white vinegar and salt.