We reviewed the SPI-Box from SB Components recently, a custom case for the Raspberry Pi 2 and B+ (although it would probably fit a Pi 3 just fine) that allows for a motion sensor and a Pi Camera Module to poke out of the case. With the bundled software, this means you have a functional and cheap security camera, with plenty of software bells and whistles to make it genuinely useful. Using a similar design ethos, SB Components has also created a special case for using a 3.2˝ LCD touchscreen with the Pi in a proper enclosure: the LCD Control Case. It’s very inexpensive as well.
The full article can be found in The MagPi 42
The case comes in three parts: a base that’s near enough identical to the SPI-Box’s design, along with an interstitial layer to protect some of the Pi components from the screen, and finally a top part that fits snugly over the Pi and screen. Like the SPI-Box, the base has the Pi snapped very firmly in place; possibly a little too firmly, as removing it again can be a little bit of an undertaking.
Putting an LCD screen over the interstitial layer and then enclosing it with the top is very easy – a lot of Pi mini TFT screens only use the first 26 GPIO pins, a legacy from the original Raspberry Pi design. The interstitial layer only opens up these pins, meaning there’s no confusion. The entire screen is then accessible through the case, and even the usual array of microswitches (like on the Adafruit screen) can be accessed via little pinprick holes. Think a reset switch on an old piece of electronics – just try to avoid using something sharp.
With the case alone, you have an excellent addition to a Raspberry Pi you’re using with a touch LCD screen. It’s sturdy, very easy to construct, and microswitch access is quite neat as well – normally those sort of switches are forgotten in these cases. Crucially, there’s also more than enough room to use the full screen. In addition, it has mounts to fix to the wall, much like the SPI-Box does. As it technically only needs power and maybe a wireless dongle, it can be a great portable Pi or a cheap home automation controller on the wall – the only thing really hampering that is the depth of the full unit, although that’s not the case’s fault.
If you like the idea of the screen and case but are baulking at the idea of buying a screen, assembling it, and then making the whole setup work on your Raspberry Pi, then SB Components also offers a bundle kit. At only £29.99 ($43) on top of the Raspberry Pi, you basically get the kit to create a portable Pi for just over £50 in total.
The bundle comes with a compatible mini touchscreen that works with the Pi and the case, a power supply, a WiFi dongle, and a pre-prepared SD card. As it’s the exact same case, construction is the same; the real treat, however, is the SD card.
In the past, preparing Raspbian to work with these touchscreens was not a quick process. It’s slightly easier now, thanks to more readily available images. Even so, it’s nice to have one that just works out of the box. It still runs modern Raspbian, which includes the interface update from just over a year ago. It’s a little tricky to use on this size of touchscreen, but it’s not completely unusable. At the very least, it leaves it open for you to create your own custom interface and it can also access the SPI-Box, which is a nice little addition.
Both versions of the LCD case are great value for money, especially as they fill a slightly niche market for people using or wanting to use this type of screen. It’s easy to modify the microswitch holes to be slightly more usable as well, so you can improve it with the right know-how. Whether you want the beginnings of a portable Pi or a touchscreen remote, you can’t go far wrong with this.
Last word
4/5
A sturdy and well-presented box that is as good as any other for using one of the small touchscreen displays, opening up a world of possibilities for other projects and uses.
