Hi all, Been a lurker for a long time, but this is my first project log ever, so be gentle After using an ugly (yet functional) acrylic mini case for my Raspberry Pi, I decided I needed something that would look a bit less nasty under my tv The approach: - It has to be cheap - as it's my first project I had to be sure I won't spend a bucket of money and then abandon it - The case has to look like sort of AV component, - It has to have an alphanumeric LCD or VFD display, HD44780 compatible, - Only tools I have in the small workshop are to be used, no extra expensive equipment. The idea: wood + aluminum front. I decided to go with a simple box shape, no extravaganza. Here's rough render on how it's supposed to look like. It's missing a few bit's and pieces, plus the textures ain't perfect, but you get the idea. Box material: 8mm plywood, bought as scraps from a local hardware market Front: 3mm aluminum panel. Bought 2 of these at an auction site for 1,5€ each. LCD display + wires: auction site, just 2,5€. I needed an extra potentiometer for contrast so I got that from local electronics store. Power LED: I have few of those lying around. TBC...
I started with the LCD display. AndyPi has a great tutorial on how to assemble and connect the whole set. Half an hour and a few burnt fingers (did I mention that last time I soldered 15 years ago?) later the whole set is created.
