Review on C4Labs Cloudlet CASE: Cluster Case For Raspberry Pi And Other Single Board Computers-Mist by Raymond Simmons

As the name suggests, it was quite expensive considering that Raspberry Pis are relatively cheap. However, after every cheap stackable acrylic sheet shattered into pieces, I decided to just pick these up. To be fair building a PRi array is not common but then again it was something during COVID 😉. The outer case comes pre-assembled and is approximately 5.65mm thick. There are also 10 mounting plates (2 optional) pre-drilled for both Raspberry Pi and standard SSD mounting models. The case contains 4 large 50mm fans that reduce heat. And yes, running fans at a full 5 volts is LOUD; However, you can run them on 3.3 volts instead, which is much quieter and more tolerable. As others have pointed out, the most annoying part is removing the protective paper covering from the mounting plates. Soaking in warm water definitely makes things easier. The main case is delivered unpackaged but well protected for transport. Numerous mounting and cable openings are available for connecting housings or for cable routing. There's also plenty of room for a multiport switch. My application required 4 RPi 4b 8GB units, 4 Kingston SSDs connected via USB 3.0 SATA cables and an 8 port switch. Everything fits nicely in a case with good ventilation for heat dissipation. If you are building an RPis cluster I would definitely recommend this case over the cheaper ones especially if you plan to take it to the road for demos or training etc. TIP: To avoid cracking, use 3mm FLAT washers on BOTH sides. Acrylic anywhere you mount anything with screws (like fans, RPi, SSDs) to evenly distribute pressure and avoid cracking, and only hand tighten.