Cyntech Case for #RaspberryPi – Review


P1360172
Manufacturer: Cyntech.co.uk
Supplier: NewIT.co.uk
Price: £7 (approx) + 99p for SD card slot cover

Rating: 7.5/10

UPDATE: There is now a cover for the SD card slot available. As this was the key impractical aspect of the case, I revise my Rating up to 8.5/10

This case scores high because of it’s attractive looks, even if it loses some marks for a bit of impracticality. It is also available in black, pink and frosted white.

P1360176The case is constructed of high-quality hard plastic and includes light-pipes and labels for the 5 LEDs on the board. There is also a very well-printed official Raspberry logo. On the reverse are two mounting points for hanging it on the wall and also four screw holes (more on them in a moment). The protruding RCA composite video connector is protected somewhat by being set back inside the case. There is a slot for a GPIO ribbon cable (pictured below) that is a very practical solution to GPIO accessibility. I like the way that the front of the case is shaped around the USB and ethernet ports rather than letting either of them ‘stick out’ – it gives the case that ‘designed’ look that is particularly attractive if your Pi needs to be ‘on show’ as a media centre, for example.

This is the most protective case of the ones I own due to strength of the plastic it is made out of. The only minor flaw is that the SD card, as usual, sticks out. It is held quite solidly though and I’ve been told that a shield for the card is being designed that can just clip into existing cases.

UPDATE: This cover is now available and can be purchased for an extra 99p. This is an excellent addition as it makes this case hugely practical and protective.

P1360173

P1360174

The picture above shows the four screws and this is the main flaw with the case. Whereas most cases clip together, this one requires you to use four screws to hold it together. This does, admittedly, make it feel very ‘solid’, but it does mean that access to the Pi is a chore. Also, the screws it came with didn’t fit all that well so I ended up finding some different screws which fitted. Having said that, because of the attractiveness of the case, it is much more suited to a more “permanent” installation so accessing the Pi all the time shouldn’t be necessary. I do miss the easy-opening of other cases I own, though.

P1360177

One of the best things about the case is the light pipes. Unlike the SB Components case, the lights are well-separated.

P1360180Overall, I would recommend this case particularly to Pi owners who want to use their board as a media centre. The semi-permanent nature of the screw fixings means you won’t want to keep taking the top off and because of the quality of the design and build, I can easily see it sitting well next to your set-top box or satellite receiver. Definitely worth getting if you need a case.

 

6 comments for “Cyntech Case for #RaspberryPi – Review

    • Thanks for pointing that out, Darren – you’re right of course. Now that the cover is available it makes the case much stronger and more protective. I’ve updated the review and increased the rating to 8.5/10 (although it was so close for a 9/10)

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