Summary
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This Fractal North PC case has been recreated for the Raspberry Pi 5 with real wood and mostly 3D printed parts.
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Its functional features include a working power button, a power LED, and a fake GPU that outputs video from the Pi’s HDMI.
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Most parts can be printed, but assembly is difficult and there is no complete guide.
While computer cases for Raspberry Pi may seem like a gimmick, they can be a great way to protect your SBC from dust and damage while still providing active cooling. But what if you find a full-sized PC case that you think would be perfect for your Pi? If you’ve had your eye on that wooden Fractal North box, someone has managed to make a tiny version for their SBC, so can you.
This miniature Fractal North box is the coolest way to house your Pi
Although it is a bit difficult to do
On it The Raspberry Pi subreddituser Zapador has demonstrated a miniature Fractal North case designed for the Raspberry Pi 5. However, while Zapador could have 3D printed the whole thing and called it a day, they went one step further with this build:
This is a Raspberry Pi 5 case. The wood is real wood, with a functional power button, a Power LED on top, and a GPU that actually outputs video. The goal, and the challenge here, is to have a real power supply, functional power button, Power LED indicator, etc. that looks like a real power supply but has a Pi inside and is functional in terms of output on the GPU. was to prepare a body that looked like
Most of it is 3D-printed, but there are some things you have to create with other means, like the wooden panel and the PVC mesh above. Besides, it looks like you can 3D-print most of it.
If you want to build your own, Zapador warns that there’s still no proper guide on how to build one, so you’ll have to work through the hints and design choices to figure it all out. Go there if you’re feeling brave Printables page for this project for all files and details.
