Akasa, a leading provider of passive cooling and thermal solutions for the global electronics industry, has released a new design for the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the most powerful iteration of the mighty single-board computers. Using a pure aluminium body, the Maze Pro case takes advantage of its excellent heat dissipating properties to cool the small but mighty Broadcom BCM2711 with Quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 found in the Pi 4, all whilst staying as silent as a mouse. The “Nolan-esque” design is eye-catching, contemporary, and will look amazing in any environment, from home theatre to retro gaming console – the Maze Pro will be ready for you and your projects.

This modern design is also practical; the case acts as a heatsink, and the maze pattern increases the surface area for heat dissipation. Improving on previous designs, the Maze Pro encompasses dual solid aluminium cores and thermal pads to ensure excellent contact to the cooled computer chips on the Raspberry Pi 4 and the case. This will ensure the most ideal heat transfer, protecting the motherboard from damage caused by excess heat.

Akasa’s Maze Pro has all the ports necessary for all inputs and outputs to the Raspberry Pi. This includes a Type C connector for power, two micro-HDMI connections for dual display, one 3.5mm audio jack, two USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, an ethernet port and a microSD slot. A separate model (named simply, Maze) has been produced which features a concealed GPIO panel and microSD slot, which is more suitable for commercial applications, where security and low maintenance are valuable qualities.

Included with the Akasa Maze Pro case lineup is a programmable power switch, which integrates easily with the Pi 4 using just one extra script line. Using this method to power up and down the Pi 4 has been proved much safer than directly unplugging the computer; it prevents data corruption and potential physical damage to the SD card. The sleek metal button also has a tactile, satisfying click and fits in smoothly with the design of the case.

Testing for bugs within your code can be a nightmare and maybe additionally stressful if it is a problem with the GPIO pin wiring. A removable GPIO slot has been included with the case, which greatly helps with this, allowing easier access to the GPIO pins. Attached with four screws, the panel can simply be taken off with a small Phillips head screwdriver.

Specifications and Customisation Options

Material                                                 Black sandblasted anodised aluminium
Dimensions                                           97 x 65.5 x 35 mm
Motherboard support                            Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
Input/Output Openings                         Type-C Power Supply x 1
Micro HDMI x 2
Stereo audio & composite video x 1
Dual USB 2.0 x 1
Dual USB 3.0 x 1
Ethernet x 1
LED x 2
Antenna fitting hole x 1
MicroSD x 1 (concealed in A-RA10-M1B)
GPIO x 1
                                                               Programmable Power Button x 1
Product code                                             Maze: A-RA10-M1B
                                                                   Maze Pro: A-RA10-M2B

To discuss customisation options, project details, or additional OEM services, contact sales@akasa.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 8578 0055 in the EU and +886 (0)2 2999 6289 for Asia Pacific and USA.  

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
• The Maze starts at £25.95, and the Maze Pro starts at £28.95 (prices may vary by reseller).
• The Maze and the Maze Pro is available to order throughout the UK, Europe, and the US, contact sales@akasa.co.uk to find a reseller near you.
• Optional Micro HDMI display cables, adapters and USB Type-C power adapters for the Raspberry Pi 4 are also available from Akasa.