If you're looking for a case to house your latest Raspberry Pi project, you might want to take a closer look at this super cool build put together by Five Minute Tech Time. The case is 3D printed and features a distinct theme from 'The Matrix' franchise. It's every cyberpunk Pi fan's dream—complete with the classic falling text effect on a side LCD screen.
In a video recently uploaded to their channel, we get a close look at the final design. It's pretty big for a Pi case with the Pi situated flat on the bottom. It has a clear side panel so you can see inside and two fans and the official active cooler to keep the unit cool—a must if you're using the Raspberry Pi 5 as it's known for running hot. We recently published our review of the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 model if you want to see how its performance stacks up.
The LCD screen, looks to be connected directly to the GPIO of the Raspberry Pi 5, and that means it is highly likely to use the SPI protocol. But this screen doesn't just feature the raining text effect, it also doubles as a handy stats monitor letting you get information like the current IP address and CPU temperature at glance. The fans feature RGB LEDs that are bright green and synchronize with the whole unit. There are also some custom audio sound effects thrown into the mix.
In the description, Five Minute Tech Time confirms that the case is 3D printed and appears to be made using black filament but we aren't sure exactly what material it's made with, but an educated guess would say PLA or PETG. The display measures 1.69-inches across and is mounted to the side. The bezel resembles an old CRT TV and fits into the worn, grimy and "lived-in" aesthetic used in The Matrix.
Because this is a case project, the focus is more on the hardware side than the software. That said, you could run anything you want on the Pi while it's housed in this case. You can't go wrong with the default Raspberry Pi OS but there's also no reason you couldn't set it up as a gaming rig using RetroPie.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, check out the demo video shared to YouTube by Five Minute Tech Time.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
