Malolo's Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ with 2.2 6-buttons LCD Case

This is a remix of Malolos's snap-fit Raspberry Pi 3 case that adapts the top half to host a Geekworm 2.2" LCD HAT. The bottom half is unchanged — print the original bottom_slots_sm.stl from Malolos's listing.

The redesigned top is fully integrated: the screen, IR receiver, directional pad and the two side buttons all sit behind features that are printed in one piece, no separate button caps, no glue. The HAT mounts to four short standoffs inside the top, and four M3 screws drop in flush from outside thanks to a 1 mm counterbore around each mount hole.

Display window

The screen sits behind a thin (0.6 mm) printed frame on the outside of the case, with a larger recess directly behind it that pierces all the way down to the case bottom. The frame margin is per-side configurable — by default the +X side has a small chin to balance the screen visually against the button column.

Directional buttons

The four cursor buttons (UP / DOWN / LEFT / RIGHT) are cantilever flexures: each one is a rectangular tab cut into the case top on three sides, with the fourth side acting as a living hinge. Pressing the tab transfers force to the tactile switch on the HAT underneath. The direction arrow for each button is engraved on the top face. No moving parts beyond the flexure itself, no caps to lose.

Side buttons

OK / ESC stick out through the -X wall. The original case had a row of ventilation/button slots in that wall — those are filled in, and two new round cutouts are drilled at the exact positions of the HAT's side switches. Each one has its label engraved next to it on the outside face.

IR receiver

A small round hole on the lid lines up with the HAT's IR module so a remote can reach it without opening the case.

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B (or any board with the same footprint and 40-pin header).

• Geekworm 2.2" LCD HAT.

• 4 × M3 screws with a head diameter of ~6 mm. Length ≥ 10 mm to clear the case wall, the standoff and the HAT PCB with enough thread left for a nut.

• 4 × M3 nuts to capture the screws on the HAT side. Standard hex nuts work; the case standoffs aren't tapped.

• Malolos's original bottom half (print bottom_slots_sm.stl from the source listing).

Assembly

Order matters — the side buttons have to be in place before the HAT is screwed down, and the Pi can only be plugged in after the HAT is fixed.

1. Print the top half from this listing and the bottom half from the original Malolos listing.

2. Insert the two side buttons (OK / ESC) into their cutouts on the -X wall. Their actuators have to fit between the HAT and the wall, so once the HAT is screwed down there is no way to slide them in afterwards.

3. Drop the HAT alone into the top half — line up its four mount holes with the case standoffs.

4. Screw the HAT down from the outside: 4 × M3 through the counterbored holes in the top, through the standoffs, through the HAT's mount holes, and captured with an M3 nut on the HAT side. Snug — the case standoffs aren't threaded, so the nut is what actually holds the stack together.

5. Plug the Raspberry Pi onto the HAT's 40-pin header from below. Doing this last avoids fighting the Pi while you're trying to align mount holes.

6. Snap the bottom half onto the top per the original case's instructions.

Print settings

• Material: PLA or PETG. PLA tested.

• Layer height: 0.2 mm works fine. The 0.8 mm slot around each flexure needs a 0.4 mm or smaller nozzle.

• Top half: print rim down (the STL is already oriented this way). Lid faces up so the engraved arrows and labels aren't crushed against the build plate. No supports needed.

• Infill: 20 % is plenty.

• Bottom half: print per the original Malolos instructions.