Feature Request Megathread - Mainboard
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From the Mainboard project github we have the DXF files giving the layout of the motherboard but I was wondering if anyone had created a full CAD step file of the motherboard?
It would be very useful when modeling projects and scaling parts around the board.
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So I saw a post on here the other day about repurposing the mainboard as a tablet, which had me thinking: would it be possible to repurpose this as a potential handheld gaming pc? Just for some lighter games/retro gaming. I’d have no idea on how to go about this
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The main board might be A little big for A handheld …
I have An thread on Making A fictional console come to life with A frame work board.
The best place to start is the simple thing what do you want it to look like?
Make A scketch or Design it in something like Fusion 360 or blender.
Adding dimentions is where your will run into issues.
And I think that might be where you have to redesign the project A bit.
I don’t have my Frame work laptop in hand so mesuering the board I went from the site, you can also look at the 3D printed case for some Idea for how Big just the board will be in your hand…
Maybe the Framework board is too big for your project ,A rasberry Pie is smaller and can play lots of older games with minimal issues.
If you really want to make and design something like this I say go for it and get messy. You can learn A ton Along the way!!!
You’d have to make it pretty thick use the Mainboard and keep it smaller than a Steam Deck.
It’d be super awesome to use Framework’s connector schematics to hook the custom inputs into the Input Cover connector, and reuse the keyboard matrix for all your buttons.
This is something I’m working on and will be posting more about when my developer program motherboard arrives.
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Being one of the lenovo-turned-framework users and seeing that there is some desire for a framework with a trackpoint on these forums, i figured id share this idea in hopes that someone can maybe bring it to life.
With all the development and ideas surrounding “what to do with a standalone framework mainboard” and my old lenovo T580 (which has an effectively dead motherboard) laying around while i decide how best to reuse/recycle/ewaste it (after stealing all the parts for my framework) I had a thought. Is it possible to adapt the keyboard pinout information for the framework and the pinout for the lenovo keyboards/trackpads/touchpoints into something that will plug into a framework?
My thinking is that, this way, someone could theoretically 3d print a custom case/enclosure to serve as a bottom case to hold the framework mainboard while also accepting a lenovo keyboard and/or top case.
A little searching around has revealed a 2014 hackaday project that seems to have trodden a similar path before and may also provide insight into lenovo’s keyboard connectors.
Hope this is an interesting/useful starting point for someone. Unfortunately i’m a software person with too many side projects as is so I don’t think i can be much help with actually making this happen
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i also just realized that if the intention is for this to work for a mainboard outside a framework, the keyboard connector from the linked post is probably part of the input cover assembly. The connector athat actually goes to the mainboard is documented here and contains pins for other things like the touchpad too
I’ve seen people express that this still wouldn’t be feasible due to the height of the TrackPoint cap. I’m not sure if these people are taking into consideration Lenovo’s latest efforts at minimizing the height of key and TrackPoint caps in later-gen ThinkPads.
Even before that youd need to cut a hole through the frame between some keys to make it fit.
I assume theyve also probably patented the crap out of as much as they can surrounding the trackpoint
That said my thinking when i made this post was for users with only a mainboard who are making custom enclosures for it and already have or want to integrate an existing lenovo keyboard (possibly saved from another laptop headed for ewaste) or other parts (see my other recent threads in this topic). So that probably makes it a lot more feasible.
Some ideas for usecases:
- a compact form factor like that raspberry pi thing which is a pi built into a keyboard thats ready to go with power and a monitor/mouse