Environmental Monitoring with Arduino

Chapter 10. Casing the Gadget

If you want to take your Arduino gadget mobile, or simply protect it from dust, you’ll need to secure it inside some sort of portable, durable case. Properly, such cases are called “Arduino project enclosures.”

Since almost any smallish, box-like object has enclosure potential, this is an arena where your creativity can really take off. Just browse any retail store specializing in home, school, and office storage products, and your head will start to spin with the possibilities.

Also, don’t forget to think outside the enclosure box! Hardware stores, dollar stores, craft stores, toy stores—these and more have all sorts of products that may inspire you to adapt, or to design and create, a totally original container to enclose your gadget.

You can also check out DIY websites like Instructables and MAKE Magazine for ideas and examples.

All this said, building enclosures does add time to a project, and doesn’t appeal to everyone. So in the last few years, a variety of ready-made Arduino project enclosures have become available for purchase, often at the same sites that sell electronic components.

While we don’t endorse any particular enclosure, here are a few suppliers and products to consider:

Adafruit Industries: Enclosure for Arduino (ID: 271) Clear Enclosure for Arduino (ID: 337)

SparkFun Electronics: Crib for Arduino (sku: PRT-10033) Arduino Project Enclosure (sku: PRT-10088)

Solarbotics: Solarbotics Arduino Freeduino Enclosure (sku: 60100)

Nathan Masuda’s Shapeways ...