Raspberry PiBoys Don’t Get Anymore Premium Than This

We see a lot of Raspberry PiBoy builds around here, and it takes a lot for one to stand out among the crowd. It makes sense that we’d see a…

Cameron Coward
6 years agoGaming

We see a lot of Raspberry PiBoy builds around here, and it takes a lot for one to stand out among the crowd. It makes sense that we’d see a lot: if you want a portable retro-gaming handheld, this is the way to go. Most of the builds we see use 3D-printed cases, but Michael K. Castor went a different direction, and the result is gorgeous.

Castor started off with a Kite’s Super AIO board from SudoMod forum user Giles Burgess. This nifty board has everything you need to turn a Raspberry Pi Zero into a complete gaming handheld: an LCD connection, buttons, MicroSD card slot, headphone amplifier, battery charger, and much more. With a solid base for the electronics, Castor set off designing the case.

Using Vectric Aspire CAD/CAM (software we don’t see often), Castor designed an ergonomic case and created CNC toolpaths. The case was then cut from American walnut on a ShapeOko 2 CNC router. A little bit of sanding and varnishing later, and he had a beautiful hardwood case ready to go. To make the faceplate, he used 1/16" carbon fiber, which was also cut on the ShapeOko.

The two halves of the case are held together with magnets, which is a cool feature that allows Castor to easily get to the electronics between gaming sessions. As you can see in the photos, the final product has a fantastically premium look and feel. There are detailed instructions on how Castor built it, if you want to build your own, and he estimates the total cost is somewhere between $150–200.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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