A Retro Desktop PC style case based on an old 286 PC I grew up with. Designed to fit a Raspberry Pi with a 3.5 inch HDMI MPI3508 LCD display. This version is V2 featuring the following improvements over the original:

• Boot SD card reader placed in the 5.25 floppy drive that connects to the Pi's Micro SD card reader.
• Fan mounts in the desktop base for 2x 25mm fans.
• Improved front panel design enabling easier multicolour printing. The panel can also now be removed without needing to disassemble the rest of the desktop allowing for easier access to the Pi.
• Display brace allows for easier alignment of the 3.5" display inside the monitor shell when closing up.
• Rear I/O USB port so that the power cable can connect like a real PC instead of directly to the Pi.

In addition to the print you'll need:

• Raspberry Pi (I used a 4B but you should print the desktop base to match your Pi)
• 3.5 inch HDMI MPI3508 LCD display (such as this one)
• Micro SD to SD Card flexible extension cable (this one). The reader drive part has been specifically designed to fit the one in the link as others I tried were too big on the micro-SD side to fit the desktop base. The correct orientation for the SD reader is for the SD card to be inserted with label facing up.
• HDMI flat flexible cable (such as this one). I used D2 + A2 + 15cm cable from the link.
• 1x 0.1m USB-C extension cable (such as this one) to allow the Pi to be powered from the rear I/O panel.
• 1x M1.5x8 dowel pin (such as this one) for the SD card drive latch.
• 40 pin GPIO extension cable (such as this one). When assembling, try to keep as much of the extra slack in the monitor as possible to leave room in the desktop for the other cables.
• 1x M2.5x8 screw for securing the USB-C port brace to the desktop base.
• 4x M2.5x5 screws for securing the Pi to the desktop base.
• 4x M2.5x5 screws for securing the desktop case to monitor base.
• 1x M2.5x5 screw for securing the SD drive brace to the front panel back.
• 2x M2.5x8 screws for securing the desktop case to desktop base.
• 2x M2.5x8 screws for securing the display brace to the monitor front.
• 4x M2.5x8 screws for the monitor.

Optional:

• Pi speaker expansion board (such as this one).
• Dual 25mm fans connected to LCD display 5v pins (such as this one). I also needed a JST 2-pin extension cable.
• 8x M2.5x10 screws for securing the fans to the desktop base.

All parts except the following should be printed with supports:

• monitor connector
• front panel face
• front panel back
• drive latch
• display brace
• USB-C port brace

I used eSun Bone White PLA but my options for a close matching beige were limited where I am. I used a Molotow Liquid Chrome marker to paint the front panel key lock. I used a label maker to print my front panel sticker. Credit to @Rooper for the rear monitor sticker.

OS Configuration notes:

I followed this guide by @Hypnza to get the Pi to boot into DOSbox with retro splash screen.

I'm running DOSbox under Debian Bullseye (As of writing I couldn't get the custom splash screen to work under Bookworm). After installing the LCD-show display drivers I used the following values in my /boot/config to get the output to fit the monitor and rotate to the correct orientation:

overscan_left=20
overscan_right=55

framebuffer_width=640
framebuffer_height=480

Add to the [all] section:

dtoverlay=tft35a:rotate=270
display_rotate=2

Add the following if using the above linked audio module:
dtoverlay=audremap,pins_18_19

CHANGE LOG

April 12 2024

• Uploaded correct front plate stl.