New pi user - compatibility questions

Hi everyone - I’m new to raspberry pi and the forum. I have a few questions that I can’t seem to figure out. I have a 3 b+. (Not sure is this is the right section to post in!)

Is the LED shim compatible with any cases? Or do you have to use it without a case?

If I wanted to use a unicorn hat can I use the hammerhead kit instead of soldering? And is there any benefits in using solder over the hammerhead kits?

I’m interested in some retro gaming - is there a way of installing something like Retropie without it overtaking the whole os?

Is there a way of using a camera module with a pi zero that is wirelessly connected to my main 3 b+?

Thanks!

You “should” be able to use the LED Shim with one of the Pibow Coupe Cases.
https://shop.pimoroni.com/?q=Pibow%20coupe
The GPIO pins extend above the top layer on those ones.

The Unicorn Hat and Hat HD have female low profile SMT headers preattached, there is no soldering required. Same deal with a Pi 3B+.

The Unicorn pHat requires soldering though. I don’t know how hard or easy it is to attach the hammer header to one is though? I have never used the hammer headers. It looks doable?

I have no experience with retro gaming on a Pi. Maybe some day though.

I have several Raspberry Pi web cameras setup here at home. I’m running Motioneye OS on them. The feed / stream from the camera can be viewed from a Web browser on any device on your Lan. I just type the IP address of the Pi with the camera into a web browser, example http://192.168.0.101/ I set each one up with a different static IP to make them easy to find. There are likely other ways of doing it too.

Thanks that’s great 🙌🏻 It’s all a bit overwhelming at the beginning!

Cases for a Pi all by itself are plentiful. Once you start adding extra bits it can be tricky fitting it all in “a” case. The Coupe Pibow cases will let you mount a Hat or pHat on top. The Hat or pHat will still be a bit open to the world though. Some will fit inside the full sized Pibow cases. The LED Shim won’t though, it extends out the other way. Not a complaint just an observation. That lets you mount a Hat or pHat on top of it.
My LED shims are mounted remotely with jumper wires. I wanted them vertical instead of horizontal. I mounted them to the back side of a black difusser. I used a Pico Hat Hacker as a mounting plate. It has holes in it for standoffs.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AjOYwiwlwDtpgq8_0VrdS3_H5xL_AA

I got creative with my camera builds. I used the Coupe cases as they are open and have good cooling. Then used the long bolt packs to mount a difusser spaced out, and mounted the camera to the back of the difusser. https://1drv.ms/f/s!AjOYwiwlwDtpgtIa6dhTBqnE9W-LcA

It can be intimidating at first, so many different models of Pi’s, and all the different extra bits etc. It can also be a lot of fun, especially if you build something nobody else has, or has thought of. The more you keep at it the easier it gets. And the more fun you can have.
Build pictures of most of what I have built are here if you want to have a look see.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AjOYwiwlwDtpgUMsp2qnevKpGEHb

Thanks for the pics! The camera mount is interesting. And thanks for the build pictures. Yes I think getting stuck in and just trying stuff out is gona be the most fun!

A dremel tool with cutting disks etc can come in handy. I usually prototype my stuff loosely, get it all working, then contemplate how I’m going get it all firmly attached together as one unit.

I’ve done my fair share of head banging. There is a lot of satisfaction in finally getting everything to work though. And the more projects you do the less head banging you do. Thats how it went for me anyway. Forums like this one really help too.
The official Raspberry Pi forum also has some smart people hanging out. I go by the same username there.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/

So I’ve got a unicorn hd hat and a camera. Can you fit the camera under the hat, or does it compress the cable too much?

Some hats like the Sense Hat have a cutout in them so the camera cable can go through them. Others like display boards and the Unicorn hat don’t, its not feasible or even wanted to do it that way.
Most Hats I think will give you room to run the camera cable underneath. The Unicorn Hat though, uses that low profile SMT female GPIO header. Might be a tight fit. I have my Unicorn Hat HD on a booster header, https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/booster-header that raises it up a bit. I used these stand offs, https://www.adafruit.com/product/2337
You can bend the cable and or put a kink in it. I’d put my bend after the blue bit thats at the end. The blue part likely won’t bend or fold anyway. I’ve put bends / folds in mine to turn the camera 90 degrees.

I’ve bought a few of these, https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-camera-mount mostly to get the screws and nuts to mount my cameras. I haven’t found another source locally. Anyway, I am using one as intended and its not bad. If you don’t mind the ribbon cable sticking out the top. Not much choice though really more an issue with the camera connection than the stand. Anyway, if you do end up ordering some more stuff you might want to add one of these to the order. ;)

Yep I got a camera mount - and snapped it 🙈 so I’ve posted on the support section about it. But they look very handy.

Ah ok I was wondering about the pin header extension things. That would solve it. I have a pi store near me so I may have to trundle over there today!

Yeah I broke the U shaped stand part on one of mine. More my fault than the mounts fault though to be honest. I have a couple cameras mounted in difussers, I only used the nuts and bolts from the kit. So I now have spares. It would have sucked if I only had the one mount. I have spare bits of difusser kicking around so if push came to shove I could likely cut something that would work from one of the pieces. It likely wouldn’t be pretty, lol, but it would be usable again.