Advice for using pi-top [1], pi-top CEED and pi-top [3] safely
With pi-top products, students get to learn how to design and build simple electronic circuits and systems. Like any piece of electronic equipment, pi-top hardware must be used in the correct way and safety precautions followed.
If a student does drop anything into the modular area of the pi-top, or if an item slides underneath the main Raspberry Pi computer unit you should follow these instructions.
- Stop working immediately.
- Shutdown the computer completely and remove the power supply cord.
- Ground yourself correctly to discharge any static electricity (more information here).
- Place the unit on a flat hard surface
- Try and retrieve the object safely, do NOT use items like metal tweezers.
- If the object has slid underneath any of the printed circuit boards do not shake the unit in an attempt to dislodge it. Instead, gently remove the circuit board using a screwdriver and retrieve the object.
- Do not jam, scrape or prod any internal part of pi-top with a tool, doing so may damage the unit.
Heat build up
We advise not touching any part of the Raspberry Pi or hub while using your pi-top. During normal usage pi-top’s built in heatsink thermal pad and cooling bridge will dissipate any excess heat generated by the Raspberry Pi 3B or 3B+.
In certain circumstances, i.e. sustained intensive heavy processor usage, you should be aware that the Raspberry Pi CPU might become hot. If this happens, stop what processes you are running and let the unit cool down. Furthermore, all Raspberry Pi computers have built in thermal throttling, which restricts the processing power of the main CPU chip if it’s becoming too hot. Check the Raspberry Pi FAQ for more information.
