The Raspberry Pi is a credit card-sized computer that has changed the world with its small size, and equally small price tag. With the countless possible ways it can be used, it is always a good idea to protect your Pi using a case. You might have got a case with your starter kit. If not, you can easily make your own DIY Raspberry Pi case for next to no cost.

Below, you'll find out how to make a custom Raspberry Pi case. Many of these can be easily modified to fit almost any small development board.

Helpful Tools

First, let's look at a few handy tools out there to help with designing a case. Each version of the Raspberry Pi since the original Model B v1 has mounting holes, which allow you to secure the board to a surface. These vary depending on which board you own, though this handy cheat sheet by Raspberry Pi Spy covers mounting hole positions for most models, along with seizing for the official Raspberry Pi camera module.

For a more in-depth rundown of the dimensions and models not listed in the cheat sheet, there are detailed mechanical drawings for each board available on the official Raspberry Pi website. These drawings show the size and position of every major component and port on the board. Alternatively, if you would rather not worry about spacing, you can buy a bare-bones kit from The Pi Hut which fits around all the ports and with the freedom to add your own design to the rest of the housing. Once you have worked out the correct spacing for your board, it's time to get making!

Cardboard Cases

For a simple but effective way to keep your Pi safe from many of life's ills, you can make your own Raspberry Pi case out of cardboard. The designs in this section have worth, even if you decide to make something more substantial, as each design can be printed and used as a template to ensure proper spacing for the ports and GPIO pins.

1. The Punnet

Shortly after the release of the original Pi, a member of the official forum named 'E' released a design for a paper case called 'The Punnet' which you can read about on the Raspberry Pi blog.

2. Printout Pi Case

This design has been brought up to date by Jerry McManus of the Rural Design Collective to fit modern revisions of the Pi. The PDF instructions allow you to make a simple enclosure for your Pi at no cost!

3. Design Your Own Template

The Pi Zero doesn't have the same printout-and-go case design. However, using the dimensions of the board, which you can find at Protoneer, along with a Templatemaker service, should allow you to create the perfect homemade Raspberry Pi case.

Recycled Cases

One route to take in creating your case would be to recycle another old piece of equipment. Almost all of us have old pieces of kit lying around that are defective or simply too out of date to be of any use now. Why not create the perfect retro enclosure? Below are a few different Raspberry Pi case ideas made from old technology to help get you inspired.

4. NES Cartridge Raspberry Pi Case

This NES cartridge case has quickly become a classic in the Maker community, with many people choosing to house boards destined to emulate retro games inside the perfect housing. This video from John Riggs of RIGG'd Games takes you through how he housed his Pi3 Model B+ before showing off his retro gaming setup. This approach works well for the Pi Zero too which is a lot smaller, this leaves a lot more space inside should you need to add any other modules to your setup.

5. Converted CD Drive

Continuing with the idea of reusing old technology, this case from Instructables user Nunopcardoso uses an old CD drive to house a Raspberry Pi along with a power supply and hard drive. The case also makes space for a fan controlled with PWM to keep the whole kit cool.

While this design is for running a headless Pi, incorporating an extra hole for the HDMI port would allow you to attach a screen. Extra points if you use a monitor from the same period as the CD drive!

6. Old Rotary Phone Pi Case

Instructables user Gardines used an old rotary phone as a housing for a Raspberry Pi powered MP3 player.

7. Sardine Tin Pi Case

But what if you don't have an old phone or CD bay at your disposal? Well, it turns out you can make a case out of almost anything. Mingyu Zheng looked to the kitchen for inspiration for their case, and created a surprisingly professional-looking sardine tin Pi! Builds like this are ideal as they fully embrace the concept of reusing things where possible, and don't require many tools in order to make.

8. Tic-Tac Box Raspberry Pi Zero

Your options for an on the fly case get even broader when using the Pi Zero, as Instructables user Crysknife007 shows us. It turns out a Tic-Tac box is the perfect size to house the board. This has to be one of the simplest and cheapest ways to make protective housing. There are endless possibilities for cases of this type, and depending on how you plan to use your Pi, you can cut extra openings into your chosen case to allow access to the GPIO pins, fit a heat sink, or any other accessories you are using in your project.

Built by You

We cannot write an article about DIY cases without covering a classic: The Lego Pi case. Building your case brick by brick allows for a huge amount of customization, and by using the Lego Digital Designer you can preview your case before building it.

9. Lego Star Wars Raspberry Pi Case

Using Lego means that you can often make the most practical case for your own needs. Or you could, of course, build a 'Pi Fighter' instead as seen on the Raspberry Pi Forums.

10. Custom Order Lego Brick Pi Case

To really make the most of using Lego, you can use Bricklink to order the exact bricks required for your build. Instructables user Darrennie used this approach in designing and making a case for a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

11. Retro Keyboard Pi Case + Gaming Machine

Many old computer keyboards have enough space in the housing to fit a Pi inside. Christoph Bartneck took it one step further and used the Commodore C64 to create a retro keyboard chassis for his Pi, which is also a functioning RetroPie gaming machine! This build is not only pretty robust and functional, but it looks lovely and nostalgic too.

12. Large Wooden Pi Case

Wood is another great medium to work in. Reddit user Rbotguy created a large case with a handle to accommodate his Pi. The case features a cooling fan and large battery and is used for running Artificial Life simulations. It not only looks great but incorporates a charge-through circuit meaning it can always stay on whether running from the mains or the battery.

This design leaves a lot of spare room to add components later and can easily be scaled down to accommodate a smaller project.

13. Small Wooden DIY Pi Case

For something a little simpler, a top and bottom cover case will suffice for many people. Instructables user Sandshock created a stylish oak cover for their Pi, all for under $10.

14. Copper Metal Pi Case

This design translates well to metal too. Instructables user Natetetete used copper to design a fantastic looking top and bottom cover for their Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. A benefit of using copper like this is a small tweak in the design allows you to use the case itself as a heatsink, not only protecting your Pi from harm but from overheating too!

3D Print Your Own

With the rise of 3D printing, more and more people are manufacturing their own custom Raspberry Pi cases. If you are curious about 3D printing, or you are a beginner and want to learn more, take a look through some of the most useful 3D printing ideas and projects you can make for your home.

There are many ways a 3D printer can enhance your experience as a Raspberry Pi user. One of the benefits of having access to a printer is that there are many already existing designs to choose from. There are many free 3D printing websites too with large communities of DIY builders making almost anything you can imagine.

15. Simple 3D Printed Raspberry Pi Case

Image Credit: thatdude333 via Thingyverse.com

For a no-nonsense case that fits snugly and allows access to all the ports, look no further than thatdude333's design on Thingiverse.

16. 3D Printed Raspberry Pi 4 Case

For something that covers a little more of the board, and looks fantastic to boot, check out this case design by Walter, also on Thingiverse.

17. 3D Printed NES Clone Pi Case

If you are looking for something much more ambitious, Daftmike has a series of YouTube videos outlining how he designed and 3D printed an NES clone case, along with cartridges, to house a Raspberry Pi retro game machine. Alongside the detailed videos, which go into the hardware and software development process, the designs are all available on his Thingiverse profile.

18. 3D Printed Raspberry Pi 2 Case

If you are still using an older model of the Pi you'll find there are lots of options too. This beautiful design by Mechadrafter on Thingiverse is designed for use with the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

19. 3D Printed Case Pi Zero

There are also designs catering to the Pi Zero, such as this minimalist design incorporating a USB power regulator from user Marks. You can find the files on Thingiverse.

20. Stylish 3D Printed Pi Case

If you are looking for something a DIY Pi case that's a little more stylistic, unic8 has designed a case that allows full access to all the pins of the board and features a futuristic diamond design, as seen on Thingiverse.

Raspberry Pi DIY Cases Are Easy to Make

So, there you have it—now you've got plenty of ways to make your own Raspberry Pi case.

There are countless ways you can make your own case for your Pi, from highly practical and stylish, to incredibly budget and functional. 3D printing has certainly changed the game in recent years, though whatever tools you have at your disposal you can create something unique to keep your little Raspberry friends safe.