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Case for Geekworm X306 UPS shield (18650 battery), RPi Zero W or Zero 2, & Waveshare E-ink Display - Pwnagotchi

Archi

Archi

— 2 min read

I wrote this blog post to share my project of creating a case for the Geekworm X306 UPS shield. This shield is a great device that allows you to power your RPi Zero W with a 18650 Li-Ion battery. You can also plug and unplug the USB-C port on the back to charge the battery as needed, without interrupting the operation of the RPi.

The case is designed to fit the X306 shield, the RPi Zero W, and an e-ink display. It has openings for all the ports and features of the shield and the RPi, such as USB, HDMI, SD card, etc. It also has thin slots on the sides to show the battery level and the power state indicators.

The case consists of two parts: the base and the lid. The base holds the shield and the RPi, while the lid covers them and has a cutout for the e-ink display. The shield is attached to the base with 2x M2.3*5 screws. The lid is snap-fit.

To assemble the case, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Insert the X306 shield into the base, aligning the USB 2.0 ports with their slots. Then press it down gently until it snaps into place. Secure it with two M2.3*5 screws.
  2. Mount the RPi Zero W onto the shield, using the spring-loaded headers built into the shield. Fasten it with four screws that came with the shield.
  3. Attach the e-ink display onto the RPi Zero W, using the headers on the RPi.
  4. Insert a 18650 Li-Ion battery into the shield's battery holder. You may want to wrap some tape around the battery to make it easier to remove later, as it is a snug fit.
  5. Place the lid over the base, making sure that the e-ink display fits into its cutout.
  6. Connect a USB-C cable to the port on the back of the case to charge the battery or power the RPi.

You can see how I did it in this video:

I printed this case with my 3D printer at 0.20mm layer height and 30% infill. I recommend slowing down your print speed between layers 32 and 85, as there are some vertical structures and bridges that need more precision and stability. If you do this, you should not need any supports.

I used this case to set up a Pwnagotchi, which is a fun project that uses an e-ink display and a RPi Zero W to hack Wi-Fi networks (my own) and collect handshakes. Great for getting started with Pen Testing. You can learn more about it here at the Pwnagotchi website.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it useful. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments.

BOM:

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