2.8. Red Pitaya Aluminium Case Assembly

Whether you bought your Red Pitaya aluminium case in a kit or as a separate add-on, you will need to assemble it by hand.

2.8.1. Components

Figure 2.2 Components of the Red Pitaya aluminium case.

Contents:

• 4 screws to close the case and hold the board in place

• 4 rubber feet for secure positioning on the desk

• A thermal pad (barely visible in the photo)

• A transparent plastic rod that directs the light of a red LED (Ready/CPU activity) to the top of the case.

Figure 2.3 The inside of the Red Pitaya aluminium case.

• On the inside, there is a block in the upper part of the case (on the right in the picture above) that dissipates heat to the case. So the whole case acts as a heat sink.

• On the bottom of the case, there are openings for some air vents (left in the picture above).

• The openings in the case expose the connections to the expansion ports E1 and E2.

2.8.2. Compatibility

The aluminium case is compatible with the following Red Pitaya boards and their variations:

• STEMlab 125-14.

• SDRlab 122-16.

• STEMlab 125-14 4-Input.

• STEMlab 125-10.

2.8.3. Assembly Instructions

1. Remove the small plastic feet by pressing on the clips at the top with a small pair of pliers and pushing the feet down.

   

   Figure 2.4 The underside of the Red Pitaya board showing the plastic feet.

2. Repeat the procedure for the STEMlab 125-14 with the heat sink, pressing the clips together at the bottom and gently pushing the holder upwards.

3. The heat sink of the STEMlab 125-10 is glued to the FPGA. Turn the heatsink slightly, as shown in the picture below, until it comes loose.

   

   

   Figure 2.5 The top of the Red Pitaya board with the heat sink removed.

4. Remove the rest of the thermal compound.

5. Apply the thermal pad to the CPU.

6. Place the Red Pitaya board in the lower part of the case.

7. Turn the top of the case upside down and place the light guide plastic in place.

8. Close it with the bottom part of the case, including the Red Pitaya board. Make sure the holes in the board and the housing are aligned.

9. Replace the four screws.

10. Replace the rubber feet.