Norns Case Guide

I designed a case for the Norns Shield, an Open Source DIY sound computer with a fantastic community. This case is available here and on Thingiverse if you want to print your own.

This case was designed with some limitations in mind:

• SLA/Resin Print intended - I prototyped this case with an FDM printer, but the intension was always for high resolution resin printing. To this end, no consideration was made for supports or FDM printability

• This case is for the readily available Raspberry Pi 4, not the older and harder to find 3B+

• This case is for the updated v210330 PCB. It's likely that it will work with other versions, but those have not been tested. (please let me know if you try it with a different version!

• I HATE imperial fasteners, so I designed this with M2.5 hardware in mind.

If you elect to 3d print your own case, you will need to insert the 2 M2.5 threaded inserts yourself. For SLA prints, heat-setting these inserts is not possible, so I glue these in with CA glue.

A short BOM of hardware parts is provided. These parts are included in the case kit. 3 knobs are also required (and provided), a diameter of 11mm is required for the top plate design.

The specific encoder I use for this case is part number PEC11R-4015F-N0024

One 16mm standoff needs to be mounted prior to soldering the display, if you are permanently soldering the display. This is the one in the center of the board.

The 8mm standoffs are used to stand-off the OLED display to the perfect height. These standoffs should be mounted prior to soldering. 6x M2.5 x 4mm screws are used to mount the display to the standoffs.

2 pairs of 12mm standoffs and 16mm standoffs can be mounted at the top edge of the assembly. The Raspberry Pi can be installed, but make sure you REMOVE THE SD CARD. It's very easy to snap your precious SD card while inserting the assembly into the case.

With the PCB and Raspberry Pi connected together, this subassembly can be placed into the case. The 2 final 12mm standoffs can be threaded through the PCB and into the inserts. This is a tricky step since there's not much extra room. I use a small 5mm socket to hand tighten. It's important to just HAND TIGHTEN, don't go overboard since you may break the plastic enclosure with too much torque.

At this point the three bottom screws can be installed. These are M2.5 x 8mm. Again, hand tighten and don't go overboard with the torque.

All that's left is to chose a top panel (smokey (best) or clear (for losers). This panel is installed with 4x M2.5 x 8mm screws. Adjust the panel so the knobs spin nicely before tightening these screws fully.

FAQ

TODO