A Raspberry Pi on a bare board works, but it runs hot, it has nowhere to mount, and the GPIO pins are a row of tiny headers. Four accessories fix all of that: a case, cooling, a proper power supply, and a breakout.
Case: aluminum with fan
The Raspberry Pi 4 aluminum case fits the Pi 4 Model B with active and passive cooling — a built-in cooling fan plus a heat-conducting metal column, silicone thermal pads, and a heatsink set. Every external interface stays accessible: power, HDMI, A/V, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Ethernet, SD card slot, and DSI. Board not included. The aluminum body with red end caps protects the board and sheds heat at the same time.
Cooling: heatsinks and fan
The Raspberry Pi heatsink kit is a 5-piece aluminum alloy set for Raspberry Pi 2/3/4, 3B+, and 4B, with adhesive thermal tape pre-applied and a low profile that fits inside standard cases. The Raspberry Pi cooling fan is a 30x30x7mm brushless 5V DC fan, 15.92 dBA, 30,000-hour life, with separate terminals so you can run it at 5V for maximum airflow or 3.3V for quieter operation. Four per pack, with screws. Rule of thumb: heatsinks for light loads, heatsinks plus a fan for anything sustained.
Power: 5V 3A USB-C with switch
The Raspberry Pi 4 power supply is 5V 3A over USB-C with an in-line ON/OFF switch, universal 100-240V input, and a US, EU, or AU plug. The switch matters more than it sounds: powering the board down without unplugging it means the SD card survives and the cable stays put. A phone charger that sags under load is the most common cause of random Pi crashes — a real 3A supply fixes it.
GPIO breakout: T-Cobbler kit
The Raspberry Pi GPIO breakout kit breaks every pin out to a labeled breadboard strip: a 40-pin T-Cobbler extension board, a 40-pin ribbon cable, and an MB-102 solderless breadboard (165 x 55mm). Kit 2 adds a 65-piece jumper wire bundle. It works with Raspberry Pi and Orange Pi. If you prototype with sensors and displays, this is the kit that keeps the wiring readable.
All parts in this guide ship from NY, USA. See the full list of guides on the Drone Guides page.
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