I’ve now just about got my little display hat project completed (the code is up and running to a usable state and everything is functional) and I’m now looking for a decent case to put the thing in. At the moment the zero is in a PiBow case, with the bare HAT on top, which works but is rather rough and ready and doesn’t protect the HAT at all.
Looking on the net, the only one I can find is this one, but it’s stupidly expensive (3D printed, £42-£98 depending on material and finish).
I was wondering if anyone has any other sources that they can recommend, or indeed recommend any company that could produce one for a more sane price (the design file can be downloaded for about £4).
Before I had a 3D-printer myself, I downloaded the designs (or created my own) and sent them to a small print-shop. The prices were quite reasonable, but this depends on material and size.
So the best tip is to search for something near you (e.g. a fablab or a small maker that prints for a reasonable price).
I’ve ordered the design files from Cults3d and they offered a few suggestions for printing, so I went with one of those (via Craftcloud, being done by “We Do 3D Printing”). About £15 overall, so 1/3 the price of Shapeways. Could have got it a bit cheaper, but that was printed in Germany and I want to avoid Brexit delays and any import duties so went with a UK printer instead.
Hopefully it does the job anyway.
I do have to wonder though if Pimoroni are missing a trick here by not producing their own range of cases for their products like HyperPixel, Display Hat and all the generic-shaped hats (Unicorn, Scroll etc).
Case arrived, everything fitted and working well. The buttons are occasionally a bit hit and miss, but I’ve noted that sometimes on the bare board as well for whatever reason.
Anyway very pleased with the final product, although I am pondering giving it some spray painting or something as pure white is a bit bland.
The coding is in Python, and gives different info screens depending on button pushes. Happy to share the code if people are interested, but as it takes feeds from my HASS server and my MQTT server (amongst other sources), it’s usability for others will be very limited - plus I’m not much of a coder.
