Replacing a Raspberry Pi

Overview

This guide will walk you through replacing the Raspberry Pi 4 in your Gigabot’s electrical enclosure. This process is essential if you're upgrading or replacing a malfunctioning Pi. 

Tools Needed

• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• 2.5mm Hex head screwdriver
• 3mm Hex head screwdriver
• New Raspberry Pi 4
   

How to Replace your Raspberry Pi: Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Disconnect all connections from the Raspberry Pi

To locate your Raspberry Pi on your bot, you will open the electrical box located on the rear of your bot and it will be mounted on the inside at the very top of your electrical box as pictured below (circled in yellow):

                            Image 1.A : Raspberry Pi (circled in yellow)

Once you have located the Pi, disconnect each of the following from the Raspberry Pi:

                 Image 1.B.

[12590] Ethernet Cable

[12586] USB Male to Female Cable

[12445] Raspberry Pi to Archimajor USB Cable

[12716] 6 ft. USB Extension Cable (x2)

2. Remove the 3 screws securing the Pi Mount to the Electrical Box

Use a 3mm hex key to remove the three M3 x 8 screws securing the Raspberry Pi mount to the top of the electrical enclosure, near the power switch. Carefully pull the Pi and its mount down and out of the enclosure.

Tip: Remove the HDMI cable before moving the Pi mount out of the enclosure to avoid strain on the connectors.

   Image 2.A.: 3 M3 x 8 screws securing the Pi mount on top of the electrical box

3. Remove the cables and screws for uninstallation of the old Pi

Remove the [12578] USB-A to USB-C Raspberry Pi  power cable connection between the buck converter and the Raspberry Pi and [12422] Mini-HDMI to HDMI Adapter Cable. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the two [12420] M2.5 x 6 screws and two [10218] M2 flat washers securing the Pi to the mount. Set the hardware aside for reinstallation.

Image 3.A.: Pictured is the buck convertor (left) and raspberry pi (right); remove the screws/washers from the pi (circled in red) and remove the USB-C cable (indicated by orange arrow) and set aside 

4. Remove the Heatsink Fan from your old Raspberry Pi 

Unplug the red wire and blue wire connection from the heatsink fan to the Pi GPIO header. Next, carefully flip over the Raspberry Pi and use the phillips head screwdriver to unscrew the two bolts securing the heatsink fan to the Pi. Gently separate the fan from the Pi—it may require a small amount of force to overcome the adhesive pad.

  Image 4.A.: Red and blue wire connection from the heatsink fan (circled in red)

     Image 4.B.: Two screws that attach the heatsink fan to the pi (circled in red)
 

5. Transfer the Adhesive Pads

Carefully peel the pink thermal adhesive pad from the old Pi and place it onto the new Pi in the same orientation and locations as shown in reference images. This ensures proper contact between the Pi and the heatsink fan.

 Image 5.A.: Reapply the pink thermal adhesive pads to the new pi (circled in blue)

6. Reinstall the heatsink fan onto the new Raspberry Pi

 Place the heatsink fan onto the new Pi, aligning it with the adhesive and screw holes. Secure the fan with the screws you removed earlier, then plug the red and blue wires back into the same GPIO pins as before. Make sure the wires are snug and routed cleanly.

7. Reattach the Pi to the mount

With the fan secured, place the new Raspberry Pi into the original mount. Use the M2.5 x 6 screws and M2 flat washers that you set aside earlier to secure it. Tighten the screws gently to avoid damaging the board.

8.  Reinstall the mount inside the electrical box

 Carefully slide the mounted Pi back into place against the top interior wall of the enclosure. Reconnect the [12422] Mini-HDMI to HDMI Adapter Cable and [12578] USB-A to USB-C Raspberry Pi  Cable before fully securing the mount, as this makes cable positioning much easier. Once the cables are reconnected, align the mount with the pre-drilled holes and reinstall the three screws you removed earlier.

        9.    Reconnect all cables
With the Pi now installed, reconnect all cables to their original ports. This includes the Ethernet cable, USB male-to-female cable, USB connection to the Archimajor board, and the two six-foot USB extension cables. Refer to Image 1.B. for the correct installation. Double-check that each cable is fully seated.

        10. Power on and confirm functionality
Turn the printer back on and allow the system to boot. Check that the touchscreen interface loads as expected and that Klipper is responsive. If all connections were restored correctly, your new Raspberry Pi should be fully functional and ready to use.