Hiya, so I have a spear RaspberryPI 4b, and want to selfhosted HomeassistantOS on it, heard there were some advantages of running the full OS and not just the docker container. However I currently don’t have a casing for it.

So: Is there anything I should know before buying one? Does the rpi get very hot running HomeassistantOS? E.g. Do I need one of these cases with a fan built into it? Or is it OK without?

Appreciate any tips or suggestions! however I will not order anything from Amazon or Ali Express or any of those type of websites. Feel free to recommend via them though as I might find the same case elsewhere, perhaps.

🌻

  • HammerjackEnglish
    6·
    9 months ago

    This Flirc case is fantastic. It uses passive cooling so you don’t have to worry about the noise or air flow of a fan and it still does a great job cooling.

    • mbirth@lemmy.mbirth.ukEnglish
      3·
      9 months ago

      I prefer the Geekworm and similar cases. They have ribs for better heat dissipation. Even under full load I get my Pis barely over 60℃.

          • zer0@lemm.eeEnglish
            0·
            9 months ago

            Geekworm Pi 3 case (also fits Pi 2)

            Exact, it fits to the Pi3 and Pi2 but there is a little inconvenience with the Pi2 because the power lights are on the left while the wholes on the case are on the right, so with the Pi2 you don’t see the green/red light. The rest of the case fits well.
            It’s not a big deal but still one must be warned.

            I’ve also ordered some extra strips of cooling pads and added them to the bottom side of the CPU and the RAM chip beneath - so that heat gets sent to the case as well.

            Nice trick.

            • mbirth@lemmy.mbirth.ukEnglish
              1·
              9 months ago

              the power lights are on the left while the wholes on the case are on the right, so with the Pi2 you don’t see the green/red light

              That’s not true. The case has holes on both sides as can be seen here:

              • zer0@lemm.eeEnglish
                1·
                9 months ago

                I’ve got them all, so I know what I am saying there is no reason for me to lie on such thing.
                If I refer to the picture I would say they did some modifications after listening to the feedback and it’s a good thing.
                The only regret when I see that picture is to think that I may be bought them too early.

      • zer0@lemm.eeEnglish
        0·
        9 months ago

        Yep the Flirc case is good looking but it stops there, it’s not as efficient as one would expect from passive cooling.
        I tried few fanless cases, Flirc included and I was not impressed, the top of the case is not aluminum but plastic, strange choice.
        Geekworm does a better job, at least the one I’ve got, never goes over 55°C in hot summer, the rest of the year is around 39°C to 43°C not more.
        The case is heavy and sturdy, it doesn’t feels cheap at all.
        https://geekworm.com/collections/raspberry-pi/products/raspberry-pi-4-heavy-duty-aluminum-passive-cooling-metal-case