The instructions for assembling the Pi v3 and the previous acrylic Pi SAFE are quite similar. The only difference between the models is the location of the LED light pipes, so these Pi3 instructions apply generally to all Pi SAFE versions.
1. Your Parts!
Step 1: Parts
8 x 4-40 nuts
8 x 4-40 x 3/8" bolts
2 x Clear acrylic light-pipes
4 x Black acrylic spacers
6 x Black acrylic SAFE sides (shown here with brown protective paper already removed)
0 x Raspberry Pi (sorry - not included in the kit!)
2. The Baseplate
Step 2: Baseplate preparation
Find 4 of the 4-40 x 3/8" bolts, and put them through the baseplate, and press the spacers on from the other side. Thee bolts will sort of stay put until you can get the Raspberry Pi on the baseplate. (If adding to a VESA mount, do only 2 diagonal screws)
3. Adding the Raspberry Pi
Step 3: Mounting the Pi to the baseplate
Slide the Raspberry Pi onto the bolts. The Pi is designed for metric M3 hardware, but we're still using imperial #4 hardware, which is a smidge bigger. The bolts may need to be screwed through the holes in the Pi.
Add the #4 nuts, and tighten them down.
4. Adding 3 of the 4 Sides
Step 4: 3 of the 4 sides to be added to the baseplate
Arrange the sides as shows. The sideplate on the top in this image has the long cutout to accommodate a ribbon cable from the 40-pin expansion port. The front faceplate on the right (with the label engravings face-down) is for the communications side. The sideplate on the bottom has the ports for the power, video, and audio I/O.
Align them all up on the baseplate, and use a pair of 4-40 nuts and bolts to lock them in place.
5. Adding the SD-Card / LightPipe Faceplate
Step 5a: Preparing for lightpipes
Lay the final side faceplate face-down beside the assembly, and pop the clear lightpipe parts out of their holder. It is not necessary to strip the paper off this part.
Sandwich the two lightpipes together, and push them into the lightpipe indicator hole. They will sit a bit loose until the faceplate is attached to the baseplate.
Step 5b: Lightpipe assembly
Carefully assemble this assembly to the baseplate, and finish attaching it with the remaining 4-40 nuts and bolts.
Step 6: Top Plate mounting
Notch the top plate into the slots in the rear faceplate, and gently flex the frontplate out to let the tab snap into place. You're ready to power up, with full access to the indication LEDs on the Pi mainboard via the lightpipes!
We've been shopping again, but the accountant won't let us hoard all the goodies for ourselves. SOOO, we're announcing the following goodies! RBFB: The Book "Robot Building for Beginners" by David Cook, which is an excellent reference for a newcomer to robotics. It's an ideal companion for our own book "Junkbots, Bugbots, and Bots on […]
For the past few months we've had bundles for many of the PICAXE project boards. They come with cables and a battery holder, and are generally what you need if you're getting started in this kind of stuff for the first time. But what if you already have all those fun appetizers on the side, […]
The new S2 Scribblers from Parallax are in, and they feature a couple of cool new features. First: They're Open-Source! Yup, they've opened up all the design files to make hacking oh-so-much easier! Secondly, it's using the Parallax Propeller chip now, for mucho-improved computational power. They're already out of stock at Parallax, so get them […]
Besides introducing a whole new batch of Push-Pogopins (and their measurements) into the 'misc' category, we've just introduced our 'D2' Germanium Diode. This diode is pretty good - better than the 1N270 and 1N34 types, with a voltage dropout of only 0.36V at 50mA! We're not exactly sure what type it is, but since we […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.