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Flirc Case compatibility


samuelharmer

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Dear Forum,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask. I'm making an assumption that if I see something called "Flirc" it's supported here. If that's wrong, apologies in advance.

According to Flirc.tv there are only Pi 2 cases (as that's all that site sells).

ModMyPi is selling a Pi 3 case listed as "support[ing] the Raspberry Pi B+/2/3". In the Q&A section of that page, ModMyPi state it's not compatible with the Raspberry Pi 3 B+.

DSC_0003-800x609.jpg

Looking at this photo the only component which comes into contact with the case would be the CPU. Comparing drawings of 3B and 3B+ the CPU certainly looks to be identically placed, as are the mounting holes and IO connectors.

So questions.

  1. Is that a genuine Flirc case, supported by Flirc?
  2. Does anyone know why ModMyPi might think it's not compatible with the 3B+

I am hoping it's just something like RF signal [which I don't really care about]. I would really like to buy a few of these cases for the 3B+ with my projects and the Flirc cases look great.

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I have the rev3 case and just picked up the RP 3B+.   I think the issue is that the CPU in the new model is maybe 1-1.5mm taller than the 3B.  So the new Pi will fit in the FLIRC,  but I bet the thermal pad will need to be thinner.  From poking around, it looks like the current pad is 1.5mm, so I'm guessing a thermal pad around 0.5-1.0mm would be better to minimize compression.  Here are pics for the 3B and 3B+ from www.raspberrypi.org.

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After posting I noticed that. Shame the mechanical drawings don't show height of the CPUs. Do you have a 3B+ and case not-in-use? I am wondering if you can shine a light through one side whilst observing through another to see if they touch. Alternatively some thermal paste (normal CPU stuff) might be enough to determine how 'tight' the fit is. If yours are in use, not to worry. It's only a potential £15 loss for me to buy them both and test myself.

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It's tough to see anything as the board gets close to the case.  I've been trying to figure out what to use as well.   I used a small piece of play-doh on the CPU and compressed it when closing the case, and from that compression thickness I'm guessing the gap is less than a 0.5 mm, so some thermal paste maybe the way to go, or at least a compressed 0.5mm thermal pad.

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0.4mm thermal pads will be included in the next build of the case, which is happening now, I have 0.4 mm on their way to me and distributors to ship standalone as well. It's been in the works for a couple weeks now.

You can use the case without a pad until they arrive, it's safe.

modmypi has no authorization to say what is and what isn't compatible, he's not really an authorized distributor. (they don't communicate with me, they go through thepihut, and don't have an agreement with me, they should have asked before making a public statement like that).  I made an announcement on twitter a while ago about the case.

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It should be also possible to use thermal paste, but not too much. Just a tiny bean on the center of the CPU. No need to smear it over the CPU, it'll get squished by the case. I'd use just a tiny drop of good, silver based paste like Arctic Silver 5.

Another possibility is an elastomeric thermal pad, which is used on many box CPU heatsinks (a gray rubber-like pad). Something like that: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Thermally-Conductive-Silicone-Interface-Pad-5519/?N=5002385+3294001841&rt=rud

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/23/2018 at 7:55 AM, jason said:

0.4mm thermal pads will be included in the next build of the case, which is happening now, I have 0.4 mm on their way to me and distributors to ship standalone as well. It's been in the works for a couple weeks now.

You can use the case without a pad until they arrive, it's safe.

You say "next build of the case." Does this mean manufacturing run, or is a new version (gen 4?) of the case being released imminently?

When do you anticipate availability?

 

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