Pironman 5 Max - IO Expander does not seat on GPIO header (approx. 7 mm gap)

General
1

Hi everyone,

I’d like to describe an assembly issue with my Pironman 5 Max and ask whether others have seen the same thing.

Setup:

  • Pironman 5 Max (purchased from a European retailer, not directly from SunFounder)
  • Raspberry Pi 5B 1.0

Problem:
The IO Expander board does not seat fully onto the Raspberry Pi 5’s 40-pin GPIO header. I measured a gap of approximately 7 mm between the underside of the IO Expander and the top of the header. Because of this, Acrylic Plate D is positioned with a gap.

ioexpander
ioexpander476×440 42.1 KB

What I checked:

  • With the Pi powered off and unplugged, I pressed the IO Expander down by hand as far as it would go. There is no remaining downward travel.
  • The board is aligned with all pins (not offset by one row) and oriented correctly.
  • The Raspberry Pi 5 and the IO Expander work: fans, OLED, and RGB LEDs function normally.

I have already contacted SunFounder support and can provide photos and measurements if needed. I’m posting here in case others have run into the same issue.

Thanks in advance.

2

Hello,

We have confirmed the cause: there is an extra stacking (extension) header plugged onto your Raspberry Pi 5’s 40-pin header, and the IO Expander is seated on that extension header — which is why you see the ~7 mm gap.

The fix is simple:

Power off and remove the IO Expander;
Remove the stacking/extension header from the Pi 5’s 40-pin header;
Plug the IO Expander directly onto the Pi 5’s original 40-pin header and press it down evenly and firmly.
The gap will then disappear and Acrylic Plate D will fit properly. Please give it a try and let us know how it goes.

3

Hi, yes, a connector from an old SSD HAT I had removed earlier was still attached to the Raspberry Pi’s GIPO header. It sat so firmly that I didn’t realize it was still there, and it blocked the IO Expander from seating fully. After removing it, the IO Expander sits completely flush and Acrylic Plate D fits properly and the Pi and all features work normally.

Thanks for the help!

4

We are glad to see that the issue has been resolved. If you run into any further questions during assembly or use, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help.