During Computex 2024, PC case maker Fractal Design showed off a miniature North case for the Raspberry Pi, something many would buy in a heartbeat. The company doesn’t have any plans to produce the case. Please leave it to the maker community to fulfill that desire, though. The miniaturized version of the Fractal Design North case, scaled down to house a Raspberry Pi, has inspired some case designs for the SBC that you can just 3D print at home.
I wrote then that the “Fractal Design North “mini-me” presents the same sleek, modern looks as its big brother.” The Fractal Design North case was one of the best PC cases in 2024, and the miniaturized version the team brought to stream MP3s maintained that sleek look.
When Fractal Design failed to announce any plans to mass-produce the case for the Raspberry Pi community, I thought maybe that was it. I should have known better, though, because the maker community generally loves to design for themselves what the “big boys” won’t sell us.
Jeff Geerling has spotted at least two 3D-printed cases inspired by that Fractal Design North mini-me. One of the designs is already available for you to print yourself, and the other will be soon (hopefully).
More designs — this one is a bit closer to identical (less 'inspired by'): https://t.co/EEXwqcCr0h https://t.co/qC0Wb3mEI7 pic.twitter.com/iOVAohwOUJJuly 15, 2024
You can find STL files and assembly instructions for Nagrom’s Fractal Baby North at Printables. It looks like a pretty easy build.
Depending on whether you have the Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or 5, you need to print the appropriate files in your desired colors. Nagrom included I/O panels matching all three Raspberry Pi models and separate files for the wood inserts on the front of the case.
The assembly looks pretty straightforward without any gluing required. You screw the pieces together. All the appropriate holes are there but don’t appear to be threaded. That’s fine because threading such small holes can test your 3D printer’s calibration.
If Fractal Design never brings the North Raspberry Pi case to market, at least you’ve got alternatives to make your own, as long as you have access to a 3D printer.
