“I use a Raspberry PI 5 with an NVMe Base and an active cooler together with a 480x320 touch screen display. Application: Bitcoin full node by use of a Raspiblitz solution with the complete Bitcoin blockchain. Why: Such a bitcoin full node consumes less than 27W, which is an energetically good value for a 24/7 application. For thermal reasons and for protecting my Raspiblitz, I wanted an aluminum case!
In principle, Pimonoori's NVMe Case for Raspberry PI 5 is exactly what I was looking for, except that the LCD touch screen cannot be contacted.
I decided to adapt the NVMe Case by cutting out part of the cover, see Fig. 1 through 4:
Fig_1: Top part of the NVMe Case in its original state
Fig_2: Top part with the cutout
Fig_3: NVMe case around the Raspiblitz without the LCD touch screen
Fig_4: Complete assembly in operation as a Bitcoin full node
Some further notes:
- The cut out is much bigger than the connector of the display. This is due to a few components on the back of the LCD-print. Had I only made a cutout for the connector, the connector would have been too short for the connection of the LCD. Conclusion: A professional solution would just have a small opening for the connector, but then the NVMe case would have to be a bit lower. For the same reason, I could not use the original screws to fix the top. I used the flatter screws that I had left over from the original NVMe mounting set.
- After the cutout, there is only a thin strip of metal that connects the left and the right sides of the top cover (cf. Fig_2), which is of course far from optimal. In a professional design, this could be improved.
- In my solution, I added a piece of insulating tape over the fan connection on the back of the LCD print although the risk of making a short circuit with the anodized aluminum-case is extremely small. This could of course also be avoided by making an opening in the case cover. Depending on the professional design enivioned by me, the components on the back of the LCD print could also serve as a spacer to avoid any short circuit.
Conclusion: I am happy with my solution. I found the mounting description helpful although:
(1) I would mount the NVMe flex tape first on the raspberry side (easier mounting for a man with clumsy fingers)
(2) I used a scotch tape to provisionally fix the power button during assembly (hint)
Final conclusion: Good value for the invested money!”
“While the case is great, it just does not fit well with the original Pi5 SDD Kit where the PCIe cable is to short. I have ordered the 49mm and hope it works, However not what I hopes for.”
