pi-top [4] Is More Than Just Another Raspberry Pi Case

The first thing most people do after getting a Raspberry Pi is 3D print or purchase a case. A Raspberry Pi is hardly a delicate device, but it’s still a good idea to protect the components and prevent any shorts that could result from it contacting other items. But, aside from a cooling fan if you’re lucky, that protection is all that most cases provide. The new pi-top [4] is different, and it actively helps you work with your projects.

As you probably guessed from the name, the pi-top [4] is the fourth product in the pi-top lineup of educational tools. The pi-top [3], for example, is a modular Raspberry Pi laptop. But, the pi-top [4] is going in a different direction. Instead of integrating a big screen and keyboard, this is a small enclosure that has connectivity designed to make it the brain of a modular ecosystem. The pi-top [4] itself has just a few buttons, a small OLED display, and connection ports. It’s those connections that make the pi-top [4] interesting.

Let’s say you want to build a Raspberry Pi robot; normally, you’d build the robot and find a way to integrate the Pi into its body. With pi-top [4], you can just snap the case onto a modular connector on top of the robot. With the custom pi-topOS, you can easily program the functionality of the robot by temporarily connecting a separate computer. pi-top [4] is intended to seamlessly move from the coding and development stage of a project, to being the brain of that project.

The pi-top team even plans to sell plug-and-play accessories to help you with those projects. For instance, there will be a drone module that you can use by simply snapping the pi-top [4] onto the frame. The pi-top [4] isn’t for sale yet, but it should be soon, so be sure to register your interest at the bottom of the product page.