Raspberry Pi Zero Jewel Case Case

Happy Belated Pi Day!

3.14 had just passed, and I happened to pick up a few Raspberry Pi Zeros to toy with. I came across the cute little Tic-Tac box case Instructable, but was interested in something with firm mount points, but still easily pocketable. Unfortunately, I do not have a 3D printer, so I started rummaging around the house - you know how that goes!

I came across some old CD-roms, and noticed how the old jewel cases were about just the right thickness for the Pi Zero. Additionally, I found some mini-format DVD-R cases from an old camcorder. Might as well try these out too!

Benefits of this Case:

• It's freecycled
• Easy to make
• Surprisingly durable
• Permits GPIO access
• Ability to open and stand

• (1) CD or DVD Jewel Case (not the super slim kind)
• (4) Screws - anything tiny, preferably matching
• Rotary tool with Cutting Wheel
• Scribe
• Power drill
• Screwdriver

I know you have some lying around.

The standard CD album jewel case works best if you need GPIO access. I also had jewel cases from mini DVD-R discs that were used for a camcorder. These fit better, but GPIO access will be tighter.

Note: The super slim style cases will not work!

You probably won't need the disc holder anymore. Just pry it out with anything flat.

Place the Zero into the open case, and mark your holes with a scribe.

Position the Zero properly so that you have access to the SD card slot and GPIO holes, if desired.

Choose the drill bit that best matches your screws. If you find screws small enough, you should be able to screw them directly into the plastic.

Be careful and drill slowly - this plastic is brittle!

After drilling the holes, place your Pi Zero over the holes to check alignment. If all looks well, mark a line with some tape to cut off the excess plastic - sorry, no picture. For easy port access, position the line right over the edges of the micro USB ports.

Using your rotary tool, carefully cut the plastic straight down the line. The plastic will probably melt a bit and gum up your cutting wheel. Don't expect a razor-clean cut.

After cutting, remove any excess melted plastic bits.

If you plan on using the GPIO or soldering anything onto your Pi Zero in the future, you should add some spacers.

I did this for one of my cases and used some scrap plastic with holes that was about 1mm thick. Anything non-conductive will work.

However, on the case made from the mini DVD-R, I did not add spacers. Since the backside of the Zero is flush, it fit into this case perfectly.

Note: Full-size CD jewel cases will be wide enough to accommodate spacers. Mini DVD-R jewel cases are thinner, and will probably not be able to accommodate spacers.

If the fitment is to your liking, go ahead and mount your Pi Zero.

You may need to press the screws firmly into the holes to get them started. In my case, the brittle plastic surprisingly did not crack (much) - probably because the holes were fitted correctly.

Close it up, stick it in your pocket, and Pi your life up! That's not trademarked, is it?