I’ve been continuing working on the keytar casemod project.  Recently I got out my Dremel and some of the chisels I use for 3D print cleanup, and removed some of the internal structure of the case so I can fit a power supply in (a power bank in this case) and get the wires to cross from the keyboard compartment to the controls compartment.  The latter gap is located just up and to the right of the power bank.

I’ve further refined, published, and printed the “case case” for the Raspberry Pi, adding the holes for mounting the case to the keytar, and holes to later mate a cover for the wires coming out of the keytar.

The STL is located here on Thingiverse:
Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Case Case

You can see closeups of the case from all angles below (I apologize for the formatting):

I’ve recently designed a part using the holes in the last picture to cover where the SD extension cord comes out of the keytar and into the Pi.  It is currently on the printer.

D’oh!  I just realized that I never rounded the corners on that piece to match the other case.  And apparently it’s not evened out in the interior.  Oh well, this is gonna be a bit inconsistent.  Maybe I’ll print a version 2 that is neater later.

I’ve also recently tried to start changing some parameters within the Pi’s programming itself, using a guide I have on increasing the performance of the Pi.  The main thing so far has been attempting to move some of the functions onto the RAM internal to the Pi.  However, this seems to have caused the odd side effect (though it may be coincidence) of causing the system to start showing an undervolt message while on battery power, despite seeming to have worked fine before.  More experimentation is required!

I’m still trying to get material for the keyboard tray, but so far I haven’t had much luck finding a place that will cut the material I want (masonite/hardboard) to the dimensions I want (5.25 inches x 14 inches) with any precision.  I don’t want to cut this myself, as I’d need to purchase or rent more tools… and unless I get a lot of stuff to help guide the cut, I have trouble cutting a straight line if I go anywhere close to freehanding it.

Well, this definitely proves to me that I need to continue blogging while I do this project.  By trying to explain and show what I’m doing, I’m re-examining it and figuring things out.  If I ever do manage to finish this thing, hopefully I’ll come back and write a more coherent article on this process, but for now you get to come along on the ride for this.

Reasonable suggestions would definitely be welcome!