Suggesting a medium sized trackpad module that could be placed on the side of a keyboard, similar to the Asus Zenbook Pro. This would allow for an entire half of the input deck to be used entirely for modules such as second displays and sliders.
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The bottom half of the Framework 16 doesn’t really support standard modules, as it’s smaller and has the electrical connection on a different relative position. Adding other stuff to it than a trackpad would require serious DIY.
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Would it then be possible to make a keyboard and trackpad that are 1 module and could fit in the lower half, or is the lower half too small for a full size keyboard.
Lower section is too small. You could not fit the F1 - F12 function keys, and it might not even fit the number keys. There is a row of connectors at the top of the bottom section.
I’d be up for a smaller trackpad module to the side - but I’d be putting blanking plate on the bottom half, or just disabling the lower trackpad in the OS. I’m constantly using my laptop in cramped conditions and the trackpad picking up wrist movements is annoying. Being able to ignore hand placement in the bottom section and having a trackpad to the side would be very helpful.
I’ve also thought that the “numpad”-sized module would be great for a touchpad, and @Hugues_L is on roughly the same page as well.
There’s also a bit of work on a numpad-sized display module, and I thought that combining the two might be interesting – basically a touchscreen that you could use as a touchpad, but which could also provide some visual feedback – so you could use it as a small digitizer tablet for drawing as well.
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Hi there,
I’m a big fan of modularity, and starting to get into alternative keyboard designs. Because of that I love the idea of the input modules on the FW 16. But as the FW 16 is quite expensive, and I’m not a pro-user, I decided to get a FW 13, even if I will miss out on the modularity of the input modules, and the expansion bay. But while comparing the two Laptops, I wondered if there wasn’t the possibility, that with a redesigned input cover, the input modules could also be used with the FW 13. Of course the FW 13 can only accommodate the width of one keyboard sized module, but this would still enable way better customizability of input methods, and improve the intercompatibility of FW 13 and FW 16.
I’m not sure how easily this could be accomplished, as I’m not familiar with all technical aspects, but just looking at the dimensions this seems doable.
I myself, and I’m sure many others would love to see this considered.
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I’m expecting to get a framework laptop soon-ish, and would also really like to see the input modules on the FW 13. I’m also a custom ergonomic keyboard nerd, so having qmk and the possibility of custom keyboard modules on the smaller laptop is really exciting to me.
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Like you, I would love to see the the advancements of the 16" model rolled into the 13". However I also feel there are opportunities for the 13" to leapfrog its bigger sibling and maybe this is one area where that may occur.
I would be particularly keen to see just a little more depth to accommodate Cherry ULP switches as discussed here, here and here, to reference just a few threads. For the price of just a little more thickness the benefits of discrete switches for repairability, key feel and and custom keyboards can be ours.
I consider it regrettable that Framework did not make provision for these switches when they came to design the 16" model as it would have infused the “Framework” philosophy into the modules themselves. When the time comes to redesign the chassis - or offer upgrades - of the 13" model to incorporate lessons learnt from the bigger sibling, and I am determined that discrete switches are considered.
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I really want this feature, too. I’m not a hardware engineer but we can give it a shot I suppose. Where do we start?
It seems that the 16" keyboard area uses little slots of 8 pins each to communicate with the device.
On the hardware level the big pain points sound like the way to slide components in, and attaching the thing to the laptop (capacitive etc)
With us not being engineers and wanting to a. Have a usable computer b. Not mess with the heat dispersion (that is, worry about materials) I’m thinking something that somehow works over USB and is external to start with, that can be placed on top of the current keyboard cover. Not sure how to go about firmware (how it’ll communicate with the computer)
On the other hand, if the cover’s hardware source is out (I didn’t see it on github. Maybe I missed it?) maybe we could reproduce it without 2-is of the module ports. Or even get a 16" and cut a couple of the ones in the middle, providing that we can see the connections that will then need mending. Sounds risky though. And the firmware may still be an issue.
What do you think?
Alternatively, Framework, how about releasing a thinner one, even at the cost of the lid not closing well, or one that works over USB? Even temporary plans for one, where someone like me can send it to have it manufactured without knowing too much, then devise my own fasteners, connect through USB, and have my own freaky love child of a 16" keyboard, 13", USB and a breadboard. It won’t require any finishing plans or responsibility from you because you’ll be publishing half baked plans and the execution is on us.
You’re in luck. The FWL16 upper input modules are already USB. The pinout is on their github. To connect to them you just need some pogo pin contacts. The keyboards use QMK open source firmware. I recall someone planning to create a case that you could easily pop in a keyboard to use externally.
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Okay, hear me out. Would it be feasible at all to create a Framework 16 keyboard which has a tiny OLED display in EVERY key? Imagine program-dependent keyboard symbols. Or different keyboard layouts (languages) on the fly. Endless possibilities. Maybe someone with more expertise could chime in — would you be able to address the displays quickly? How would you address them? It would probably have to be multiplexed somehow, but I don’t know how that would work. Maybe via I2C or something. Looking forward to ideas from you guys!
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Some decades ago, Artemy Lebedev’s studio produced just that keyboard, Optimus Maximus. An OLED display in every key. It was expensive, and it was crap.
There are three elephants in this room that somehow get overlooked: those things get hot, they consume quite a bit of energy (Optimus Maximus required an external power supply!), and they are very finicky and unreliable. It’s 80 teeny tiny displays, after all.
Oh and they would be expensive. Expensive as hell on a low margin.
There is this Nemeio thing that promises an eink keyboard some day, but they haven’t got past the vapourware stage for quite a while, and it doesn’t look like their thing is going to have good tactile characteristics. And it’s too bulky to fit in a laptop.
Overall, the idea is quite overrated. It’s not hard to remember shortcuts if your bread and butter depends on you remembering them. And emoji typing is too low a value for such an expense.
On the other hand, relegendable clip-on keycaps… Finicky too, but you can probably buy spares for pennies.
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But it was a thing of beauty.
Even the 3 key, iirc, keyboard was expensive.
I’ve seen that in the 16 inch laptop you will be able to put the touchpad at the right or at the left. But I would really love to see a bigger touchpad. I don’t know if this could be made but it would be really cool…
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The thing about trackpads is that they’re really, really annoying to engineer correctly. That being said, the only presently existing trackpad I’ve seen that’s bigger than Framework’s current offering is a MacBook, and given the input modules’s USB connectivity I’m pretty confident someone will find a way to rig up an MBP trackpad to the 16” at some point.
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Framework has never said that they WONT make a larger trackpad, but they also haven’t stated that they will. the good news for the 16" laptop is that all the keyboard modules are based on the RP2040 processor, and use qmk firmware, so there is a good chance that a community-made trackpad module could be made that is bigger than the standard module.
As for the Framework 13, the trackpad is integrated into the keyboard cover, which means it will be a lot harder to fit a larger trackpad into that device.
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There’s pretty zero chance for that. Trackpads require very delicate electronics with very sensitive capacitive sensors, fragile materials and lots of manufacturing experience.
You could maybe repurpose an existing trackpad like the Apple one into the Framework but even that will require precision machining and figuring out the electronics and won’t make much sense financially.
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If someone by chance does end up developing novel trackpad tech that’s both hackable for framework and economically viable, I have an unreasonable ask of a surface that takes up the entire input module bay. 3:2 old school drawing tablet!
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