“The Pibow range of cases are a stroke of genius - simple in concept, practical in construction & stylish by design. Once built, they are rock-solid, providing excellent protection for your Pi.
The guys at Pimoroni have cleverly designed two types of Pibow case:
1. PIBOW: a full height case that encloses and protects everything including the USB and Ethernet ports. Provides ample space inside the case to fit a HAT on top of your Pi. Useful when using HATs that don't require external access (e.g. the Unicorn HAT).
2. PIBOW COUPE: a half-height case that exposes the GPIO pins so that you can sit your HAT on the top of the case. Useful when using HATs that require external access (e.g. the capacitive touch buttons and breadboard on the Explorer HAT).
The Pibow Coupe exposes the tops of the USB and Ethernet ports. I find this aspect of its design its biggest weakness as I have managed to bend one of the USB ports on my Pi because it wasn't fully protected. Having said that, I can't actually think of a solution to this problem if you want to retain top access to the GPIO and sufficient space for a HAT board to sit on top.
One other limitation with this case is that it doesn't fit if you have installed a heat sink on your Pi. A single extra layer under the bonnet would have provided the necessary height for the heat sink and additional GPIO protection as the GPIO pins would no longer protrude out the top of the case.
All in all, an excellent case at a reasonable price.”
“The case arrives in a cute sweetie-bag with guidance on how to assemble it. The pieces are all numbered making the whole job idiot-proof. It's a lovely design, and feels very robust.
My full review is here: https://www.scottbouch.com/pibow_coupe_modification.html
I improved on the design a touch by making a notch to fit the power socket better, and made it even slimmer by removing Layer 1 (but this meant trimming down through-hole legs of the PI).
Cheers, Scott.”
