Modular case for Raspberry Pi 5 + miscellaneous HATs

This is a modular case system for the Raspberry Pi 5 and its various HATs.

(There is also a prototype Raspberry Pi 4 adapter, in case someone wants to try it…)

Comprises a base, a lid and several “spacers”, each one of them with the suitable holes and adaptations for connectors and other features. And an “antidrip cap” to protect the system from dripping water while retaining good ventilation.

The base has a lateral cutout to provide direct access to the SD card in case the Raspberry Pi5 is mounted directly over the base..

The underlying idea is to easily modify the configuration of your “stack” without printing a new case. Just remove or add the appropriate spacer.

Besides the printed parts you will need some screws, length will be different depending on your setup. For the Pimoroni NVMe + Pi 5 + MacArthur combination I have used:

• 4 M3x50 nut and bolt, securing the corners of the case. (You will need a different length of the M3 screws if you choose a different combination of spacers).

• 4 M2,5x8 for attaching the boards stack to the base. (M2,5x10 if you add the tools-free release holding bracket).

• 4 M4x10 wood screws to attach the fixed holder to a suitable base.

The Pi 5 board and the different HATs are internally connected with the standoff posts usually provided with each one. The bottom standoff is secured to the base with M2,5 screws.

I am very fond of the tools-free release mechanism that allows to remove the whole case from the fixed holding base using only two fingers (I like very much being able to bring it with me without unscrewing).

For the time being I have designed spacers por the Raspberry Pi 5, the Pimoroni NVMe, the MacArthur HAT and a 12V buzzer driven by an optocoupled relay connected to a gpio pin.

I hope to include other spacers in the future.

In addition to the STLs I have attached the STEP files so it should be easy to adapt my designs to other HATs.

 Printing guide:

I had very good result printing everything in PETG with 3 perimeters (because of the thin walls) and a light infill of 10-15%.

Keep in mind that the holding bracket levers need some flexibility to avoid breaking when you squeeze them, so my advice for this part is 2 perimeters and a light infill (maximum 15 %) with a multi-directional infill pattern (like Giroid). 

Changelog:

18/3/2025: Flat Bracket V2 with improved adjustment to the holding bracket.

31/3/2025: Added a prototype Raspberry Pi 4 spacer. (I dont have one, so it was mainly guessing from online images. If anyone dares to try it please leave your comments in case some dimension is not correct).

2/7/2025: Base V2 with a slot to manually remove the SD card when the Pi5 is installed directly over it.

18/7/2025: Raised 0.3 mm the standoff bases in the Base V2 (Thanks Olaf).

24/9/2025: Added an “antidrip cap”, a waterproof lid to protect the case from dripping water (I learned the hard way that no boat is completely waterproof).

5/10/2025: Raised 1 mm the standoff bases in the Base V3.

27/2/2026: Added a Buzzer+Relay spacer if you want to install a 12V buzzer driven by an relay connected to a gpio pin. The relay is the typical optocoupled module with an SRD-03VDC-SL relay and the buzzer is the cheapest possible 12 V active one. (In my setting I had to use a 48kOhm pulldown resistor between IN and GND to ensure a proper deactivation of the relay when turning off the GPIO pin).

6/4/2026: V4. The case has been redesigned to improve access to the MacArthur Phoenix connectors (Thanks Obscenic). The overall box lenght was reduced by 3,5mm and other minor modifications added to improve usability.