Case with Fan, Clear Acrylic

This is a great product with even better customer service. Being stuck with rentals, I wanted to find an inexpensive ADS-B In option. This is it! The entire kit was easy to assemble and use. For 150 bucks it cannot be beat. I went to the stratux.me website, ordered right from there and assembled the kit. It worked like a charm for a day. Then one of the radios died. I contacted the Stratux people, we trouble shot it through two emails and in two days I had two new radios no questions asked. That solved the problem and I have had no issues with using the unit since. Start it up, put it in the back seat, connect wirelessly and all the traffic comes up.If you want peace of mind, I suggest buying the pre-assembled bits. It was no problem to assemble all the pieces but a turnkey solution might be better for those who don't want the adventure.

Nicely done case, and everything fits the way it should. My reason for 4 stars is that the screws included to attach fan were too short and they were flathead screws. That would be OK if the case holes for the fan were countersunk, but they are not. So, to assemble my unit I had to buy the correct screws. The case also cracked at one of the screw holes for fan attachment, this is likely my fault for over-tightening the screws - be warned. I did use a thread locking compound on the screws to attach fan and the raspberry pi motherboard since no lockwashers were included. Stratux, include the correct screws and lockwashers to enable your customers to more easily assemble a reliable project.

Time from box to picking up airplanes: Less than an hour.Good:- Easy to assemble. It helps to have some thin needle-nosed pliers and some tiny screwdrivers, but, in a pinch, you could assemble it with a pocket knife. Everything fits and is secure.- Works well and worked the first time. That's always a treat!- Tested with ForeFlight and FlyQ EFB.- The status web page is very nice and helpful.- With the SDR chips in the bottom slots, the USB connector of the GPS can be inserted and removed through the slot in the case. Nice when you don't need the GPS (e.g. if the iPad already has a GPS and a good signal).Bad:(Not really bad, but not as good as above)- The fan is delicate and the blades are easily damaged--be careful when mounting it to the case.- The status web page's choice of light grey and blue text on a white background is hard to read on the iPad. A higher-contrast style would be easier to read.- The box emits some RF noise that I've picked up on a couple of receivers. Not a problem in the flight test, but I had the box in the back seat, away from the instrument panel radios and antennas.Adaptations and observations:(things I changed/adapted to make it work better for me)- The only way to turn it off is to pull the micro-USB power connector. I used the short USB-A to micro USB cable that came with the battery rather than the battery's power cable to leave the micro USB connected and then pull the USB connector from the batter to avoid damaging the connector on the board.- I added Velcro to the bottom if the case and the top of the battery to keep them together. Works well.- The antennas like to unscrew themselves so I plan to put a rubber bushing around the connector to apply some friction to the screw terminal of the antenna and make it more resistant to unscrewing.- Added Velcro to the GPS puck and some Velcro patches to the case to keep the puck attached when not in use.- The flat battery (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZWUZG70/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1) provides just over 4-hours of operation with the GPS puck attached and the fan running.- I bought a high-speed SD chip (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M55C0VU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to use for the code and downloaded the image from the stratux web site. This saves a little money and I've found that the Raspberry PI runs a little better with faster chips (even though the pre-loaded chip is probably fine).- The WiFi from the Raspberry PI-3 is pretty powerful--I wonder if some battery life could be gained by reducing the WiFi's signal. In a plane, it only has to go about 5-feet (tops). As it is, it covers my entire apartment. (Maybe I just need a bigger plane?)

**Update**It turns out that this case is very brittle. While in the aircraft, this item cracked, and shattered into three plastic pieces, right where the antenna connects. I'd avoid bringing this case into an aircraft.The case is great after assembly, but installing my RPI in here was an hour-long process. A better design could save lots of assembly time!

Just recently built a Stratux ADS-B. The case is an interesting choice. Clear plastic is a good way of showing off your handiwork. Everything fits with modification required and there's even a port for the optional GPS antenna.Improvements suggested: 1. different fan. It's surprisingly loud. It'll likely not be noticed by piston pilots but it's annoying when testing or demonstrating at home/office. 2. Screw/spacer installation. It really not THAT difficult but you should insert the screws, place a small square of tape over each to keep them in place, then flip the case over, install the spacers, then the mainboard, then finger start the screws, now remove the tape and tighten. Maybe tap in studs would be a better solution.Total assembly time should be 20 minutes for a beginner. Antenna holes were perfect size but the antenna cable was barely long enough.My battery is attached with velcro and the bottom of the battery has non slide feet for the dashboard and maybe a suction cup attachment for the side windows.(had to demote this to 2 stars. The case fell apart after 2 months of use. I had to re glue everything back together. It's an ok display case, but go with the Summit or other metal cases for the professional and durable requirements.