Introduction: How to Make a Raspberry Pi Case From an Altoids Tin
If you have a Raspberry Pi computer board, you can make a great case for it out of an Altoids mint tin.
You'll need:
1 Raspberry Pi computer board
1 Altoids mint tin
1 Plastic gift card
1 Dremel or Small drill
1 Tin snips or diagonal cutter
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Step 1: 1) Left Side of Tin
Step 1: Drill a hole for the Pi LED corner at the bottom front left corner of tin; then, with tinsnips or diagonal cutter, cut out large area (as indicated in picture) for the Ethernet & USB ports in the left side of the tin.
Step 2: 2) Front Side of Tin
Step 2: Drill holes in the front side of tin for the audio and RCA jacks. The RCA jack hole will include part of the tin lid lip.
Step 3: 3) Right Side of Tin
Step 3: Drill holes for the SD card and power jack in the right side of the tin.
Step 4: 4) Back (hinge) Side of Tin
Step 4: Drill a hole for the HDMI port on the back (hinge) side of the tin.
Step 5: 5) Insulate the Bottom
Step 5: Drop a plastic gift card into the tin to insulate the bottom of the board from the bottom of the tin.
Step 6: 6) Begin to Install the Board
Step 6: Angle the board into the tin so the RCA jack goes through its hole first.
Step 7: 7) Complete the Board Insertion
Step 7: Drop the HDMI side of the Pi board down into the Altoids tin.
Step 8: 8) Install SD Card & Peripheral Connections
Step 8: Plug in your SD card, video (RCA or HDMI), audio, Ethernet and USB (keyboard & mouse) plugs.
Step 9: 9) Connect the Power
Step 9: The LEDs should light up once the power is plugged in. The GPIO pins are accessible by opening the tin lid. You can use an old 5V DC power supply from a blackberry or other device with a micro-USB connector. Try to use one with at least 1Amp if possible although I have found a 650 milliAmp one works well with the Raspberry Pi model B.
Step 10: 10) Add WiFi
Step 10: Using an Apple aluminum wired keyboard allows you to plug a mouse into the keyboard instead of the Pi, freeing up one USB port. With a WiFi USB dongle as pictured, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable. I used the AirLink101 AWLL5088 Wireless N 150 Ultra Mini USB Adapter, but any WiFi dongle that uses the Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188CUS 802.11n WLAN chip should work, such as the Edimax EW-7811Un 150 Mbps Wireless 11n Nano which is also popular with the Raspberry Pi community.

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3 People Made This Project!
- Erikwithaknotac made it!
- crgfrench made it!
- crgfrench made it!
25 Comments
6 years ago
I ended up mutilating the case but it protects it lol. good tutorial.
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
Looks great, Danimal91! I wrecked a couple too, good thing they are inexpensive. A laser cutter or custom punch & die set would be better if someone were to make them in volume. But there is some satisfaction in hand-cutting with the dremel.
4 years ago
This Instructable is really inspiring. We have made in the same way an aluminum CNC-machined case that act as a heatsink for the Pi with a higher-end style:
http://www.mechatronicsart.com/shop/raspberry-pi-3-fanless-enclosure/
4 years ago
Yes I think so and even a model 3, the cutouts are just slightly different.
4 years ago
Great idea!
7 years ago on Introduction
this should have been featured
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
Thanks nerd.
8 years ago on Introduction
good idea i had wondered if a raspberry pi could fit in an Altoids tin
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Thank you. Although the Raspberry Pi foundation's website FAQ indicates otherwise, it is definitely possible!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
true, but they say that is because they did not round off the edges :-)
you kinda solved that by cutting open the Altoids Tin ;-)
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
bloke: exactly.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
did you have to cut the edges of the pi?
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
no.
7 years ago on Introduction
You should round off the sharp edges. Also it might be nice to put hot glue or caulking on the edges for looks and more protection. sharp edges might wear on surfaces, wires, your pocket (if you put it in your pocket for traveling), ect.
Thanks for posting though, its sure a big help for my project. this may save me some money. im just a teenager, so I dont make much money.
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
Super ideas hipo. I did make one in a wintergreen tin that had a pretty sharp edge; I wrapped a little bit of hockey tape around it.
6 years ago on Introduction
great job
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
Thank you
8 years ago on Step 10
You cutted it with a rotary tool, a dremel or something like that?
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
no I didn't cut my pi I was wondering if he did then I saw that the picture had a spot cut for the edges of the pi
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
I wasn't talking about the Pi, I was talking about the tin.