View source for Raspberry Pi Polytechnics Case Competition

[[Category:Raspberry Pi]][[Category: Hackputer Education]]{{Chris Tyler Draft}}
The [http://raspberrypi.org Raspberry Pi] is a $35 computer board designed to provoke and enable experimentation in programming and computer technology.

[http://www.polytechnicscanada.ca/ Polytechnics Canada] is the voice of leading research-intensive, publicly funded colleges and institutes of technology.

= The Challenge =

The Raspberry Pi can be used as a simple desktop computer, but it also makes an excellent controller for embedded and robotics projects. It does not come with a case, and although many different cases have been designed and are available for the Pi, they are not suitable for demanding environments.

The challenge is to design a case for the Raspberry Pi computer with these qualities:
# Waterproof to 3 metres.
# Maintains the system-on-a-chip at temperatures not exceeding 50C when operating at 100% CPU utilization in 30C water for 1 hour.
# Able to protect the Raspberry Pi through a drop of 2m to a concrete floor while powered-on and operating.
# Provides waterproof connections for power, USB, ethernet, and GPIO header cables.
# Permits viewing of the Raspberry Pi LED POWER and OK indicators.
# May be securely mounted to a flat surface such as a plywood board.
# Either uses no energy, or uses 5 VDC at up to 500 mA for active systems (e.g., cooling, indicators).
# Can be opened to provide access to the SD card slot and SOC in less than 3 minutes, while the unit remains in operation and attached to a mounting surface.
# Can be built for less than $40 per unit in a 50-unit production run.

Notes:
* Entries will be judged according to the requirements listed above, the quality of the case design and construction, and additional innovative features of the case.
* The Raspberry Pi board does not have mounting holes.
* The device will be operated at the normal (default) voltage levels and clock rate (700 MHz) during tests.
* Teams may elect to use a standard-sized SD card, an SD card socket-and-plug assembly (extension), or a micro-SD adapter (such as the [http://www.adafruit.com/products/966 low-profile microSD adapter] from Adafruit).
* The software image used during testing will be provided by the testers. No special software must be required for use with the case.
* SOC temperature will be measured at the top of the DRAM package using a thermocouple or IR thermometer.
* Information about the Raspberry Pi board can be found on the [http://raspberrypi.org Raspberry Pi Foundation website], including [http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/1090 schematics], a [http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs FAQ], and [http://www.raspberrypi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BCM2835-ARM-Peripherals.pdf partial SOC datasheet] (see [http://elinux.org/BCM2835_datasheet_errata errata]). The devices can be ordered from [http://canada.newark.com/raspberry-pi/raspbrry-pcba/raspberry-pi-model-b-board-only/dp/83T1943 Newark/Element14 Canada].

= Participants =

* The contest is open to students who are enrolled full-time at any Polytechnics Canada institution during the 2012-2013 school year.
* Teams may consist of one to five student members from one institution.
* There is no limit to the number of teams that may enter from each institution.

= Entry Procedure =

Team entries must be received by October 19, 2012.

 Suggest applications be made through the research centre of the institution.

= Submission Deadline =

Submissions must be received by March 29, 2013. Each submission must include:
* a sample of the case for testing
* design diagrams
* a report on tests performed on the case
* a description of the case's qualities and features

Submission procedures will be provided to all entrants.

= Judging =

Entries will be pre-qualified by testing for:
* Waterproof qualities
* Thermal qualities
* Ability to withstand shock

All entries which have passed the pre-qualification will be judged by a panel at the Polytechnics Canada Annual Conference in May 2013.

= Prize =

 Mike McNamara will be sourcing an awesome prize :-)